Many people just can't understand why usury is wrong morally. This includes many Christians. Many in the modern Church conceptual sin as simply something that breaks a 'rule' of God. This is a very low view of God's righteousness and holiness as it reduces the concept of sin as one that is simply to break some commandments of God. No! Sin is anything that offends the nature or character of God, that which offends His righteousness, holiness, justice, compassion, faithfulness, mercy, grace or love.
Legalistic "christianity" does not espouse a high view of God's righteousness and holiness. Rather, it espouses a low view of God's righteousness and holiness in seeking to redefine righteousness into simply adhering to some 'rules'. This does not make one righteous, but makes one all the more unrighteous in thinking that one can be righteous in one's own flesh.
However, this is not the say that the Law of God is not to be strived for. Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment many will say:" Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22), to whom He will say: "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:23)’. The word 'lawlessness' comes from the Greek word 'anomos', 'a' meaning no and 'nomos' meaning law. So, what He meant when He calls them workers of lawlessness is that they lived as though He gave them no law that that is what will condemn them - their lawlessness. The lawless shall not enter the Kingdom of God. Yet, of course, it is not keeping the Law that saves, but only by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that saves a person from God's just wrath against his or her sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Law of God is good and true (Romans 7:7). Anyone who is ashamed of it is so because of his own unrighteousness and unholiness. It is the expression of God's righteouness, holiness and love. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). Love is the fulfillment of the Law of God, and not keeping of the Law fulfilling love. It is that love seeks no evil against another, that it fulfills the Law, and not fulfilling the Law that one seeks no evil. That is why a loveless world is a godless one. Where there is godlessness, there is lovelessness and only hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, strife, competition, selfish ambition, envy and war.
Usury seeks only to gain for oneself. It is of the spirit of selfish ambition, unforgiveness, strife, pride and bitterness. It thinks that charging interest for lending money to another is justified precisely because it is self-seeking, in thinking oneself to be 'generous' by lending money and expecting it back.
Jesus said in Luke 6:34: "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." What this means is that lending money and expecting it back is what pagans do, and therefore, not in accordance to holiness, righteousness and love. Thus, if having that expectation of receiving back what one has lent is earthly, worldly and ungodly, how much more unholy and ungodly is lending money and expecting not only what one has lent, but a gain in return?
Usury is the ultimate manifestation of pride in one's money, thinking that the money one has is one's own. It is the manifestation of oneself who is blinded into thinking oneself generous for lending money, out of one's own selfishness, thinking that one is justified in expecting what one lends to be returned because one thinks it is one's own.
The spirit of mammon feeds on the flesh which thinks that the money has is one's own so that one can not only justify expecting it to be returned, but to also perversely think that one deserves a return on what one has lent, out of one's own vile self-centredness.
Legalistic "christianity" does not espouse a high view of God's righteousness and holiness. Rather, it espouses a low view of God's righteousness and holiness in seeking to redefine righteousness into simply adhering to some 'rules'. This does not make one righteous, but makes one all the more unrighteous in thinking that one can be righteous in one's own flesh.
However, this is not the say that the Law of God is not to be strived for. Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment many will say:" Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? (Matthew 7:22), to whom He will say: "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:23)’. The word 'lawlessness' comes from the Greek word 'anomos', 'a' meaning no and 'nomos' meaning law. So, what He meant when He calls them workers of lawlessness is that they lived as though He gave them no law that that is what will condemn them - their lawlessness. The lawless shall not enter the Kingdom of God. Yet, of course, it is not keeping the Law that saves, but only by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone that saves a person from God's just wrath against his or her sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Law of God is good and true (Romans 7:7). Anyone who is ashamed of it is so because of his own unrighteousness and unholiness. It is the expression of God's righteouness, holiness and love. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10). Love is the fulfillment of the Law of God, and not keeping of the Law fulfilling love. It is that love seeks no evil against another, that it fulfills the Law, and not fulfilling the Law that one seeks no evil. That is why a loveless world is a godless one. Where there is godlessness, there is lovelessness and only hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness, strife, competition, selfish ambition, envy and war.
Usury seeks only to gain for oneself. It is of the spirit of selfish ambition, unforgiveness, strife, pride and bitterness. It thinks that charging interest for lending money to another is justified precisely because it is self-seeking, in thinking oneself to be 'generous' by lending money and expecting it back.
Jesus said in Luke 6:34: "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." What this means is that lending money and expecting it back is what pagans do, and therefore, not in accordance to holiness, righteousness and love. Thus, if having that expectation of receiving back what one has lent is earthly, worldly and ungodly, how much more unholy and ungodly is lending money and expecting not only what one has lent, but a gain in return?
Usury is the ultimate manifestation of pride in one's money, thinking that the money one has is one's own. It is the manifestation of oneself who is blinded into thinking oneself generous for lending money, out of one's own selfishness, thinking that one is justified in expecting what one lends to be returned because one thinks it is one's own.
The spirit of mammon feeds on the flesh which thinks that the money has is one's own so that one can not only justify expecting it to be returned, but to also perversely think that one deserves a return on what one has lent, out of one's own vile self-centredness.
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