And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again (Luke 6:34).
When Jesus said "And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again" (Luke 6:34), he is referring to what the heart of the true follower of Christ should be. It is a diagnosis for what he should be. It is a command from Christ that His followers should lend freely, in the manner of spirit of giving freely and willingly which is commanded throughout the Bible:
"You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings (Deuteronomy 15:10).
I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good (Psalm 54:6).
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy (1 Chronicles 29:9).
But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly (Philemon 1:14).
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12:8).
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
To lending to make profit is against the manner of spirit of giving freely and kindly. Lending is not a mere economic transaction as many in the modern western Church think. No! It has real spiritual and moral implications as the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). This is a spiritual truth of life, and not some mere cultural or economic trend when Proverbs was actually being written.
The Word of God about lending in the Old Testament speak about what lending is supposed to be. The principles of lending as espoused by Old Testament apply today as much as was the time when it was written. Such principles can be found in the following passages:
"If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest (Exodus 22:25).
"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
Lending was intended by God to be an act of love, compassion and mercy. However, the world perverts lending into a means of making a profit out of lending, in the spirit of greed, pride and unforgiveness. Usury is profit made of the debt slavery of another. That is why it is a perversion. It must be exposed fought against, attacked and abolished. Only by the Gospel of Jesus Christ can usury be exposed, fought against and abolished.
When Jesus said "And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again" (Luke 6:34), he is referring to what the heart of the true follower of Christ should be. It is a diagnosis for what he should be. It is a command from Christ that His followers should lend freely, in the manner of spirit of giving freely and willingly which is commanded throughout the Bible:
"You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings (Deuteronomy 15:10).
I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good (Psalm 54:6).
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy (1 Chronicles 29:9).
But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly (Philemon 1:14).
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness (Romans 12:8).
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
To lending to make profit is against the manner of spirit of giving freely and kindly. Lending is not a mere economic transaction as many in the modern western Church think. No! It has real spiritual and moral implications as the borrower is servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). This is a spiritual truth of life, and not some mere cultural or economic trend when Proverbs was actually being written.
The Word of God about lending in the Old Testament speak about what lending is supposed to be. The principles of lending as espoused by Old Testament apply today as much as was the time when it was written. Such principles can be found in the following passages:
"If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest (Exodus 22:25).
"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
Lending was intended by God to be an act of love, compassion and mercy. However, the world perverts lending into a means of making a profit out of lending, in the spirit of greed, pride and unforgiveness. Usury is profit made of the debt slavery of another. That is why it is a perversion. It must be exposed fought against, attacked and abolished. Only by the Gospel of Jesus Christ can usury be exposed, fought against and abolished.
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