In the face of a constant barrage of worldly advice urging us to use debt to “get ahead,” Christians need to carefully study what the Bible has to say about the subject. Though God’s Word is certainly not a fi - nancial textbook, it does offer clear guidelines we can apply to our fi nancial situations. Following are some of the Scriptural principles regarding debt.

*All debts must be repaid*
“The wicked borrows and does not re- pay” (Psalm 37:21; NKJV). The con- clusion from this verse is obvious: if you borrow money, you have no alternative but to repay all amounts borrowed. If you do not, by defi nition you are what the Bible calls “wicked.”
*Surety is foolish*

In reading Proverbs 6:1-5 and 11:15, I would not go so far as to call surety —guaranteeing another’s loan—a sin, but it is explicitly warned against. Even if surety is not a sin, with such a strong Scriptural warning, it makes absolutely no sense to be in a surety agreement.

My counsel about guaranteeing an- other’s loan is that if you do it, set aside the money in a separate account and ex- pect to have to repay that debt. If you are unwilling to go that far, you should not guarantee the loan because co-sign- ing for a loan is the same as entering into the debt yourself.

*Debt always presumes upon the future*
If you borrow money and you believe borrowed money should always be re- paid, you are implicitly presuming upon the future unless you have a guaranteed way to repay the loan. If you think you may have the ability to repay, but, in fact, you do not because your circum- stances change, you will have presumed upon the future.
When borrowing you need to ask yourself what assumptions and presump- tions you are making about the future (see James 4:13-15). If you assume, for example, that your health will remain good, your job will continue to provide income, the asset borrowed against will continue to go up in value, or the business you own will continue to generate profit, you may very well find yourself in bondage if these assumptions do not work out. The Bible does not say it is wrong to borrow money, but it does say it is wrong to presume upon the future.

*Borrowing may deny God an opportunity*
Without question, God is interested in increasing our faith. Also without question, God will meet every need we have. Therefore, I believe that in many cases, borrowing money denies God the opportunity to either meet our needs or to show Himself faithful, thereby increasing our faith.

It is easy to get confused about the difference between a need (food, shelter, clothing, medical care, etc.) and a de- sire (vacations, entertainment, houses, cars, etc.). Desires involve the emotions and are very strong. Because they are so strong, they are easily misinterpreted as needs. And when what we have misin- terpreted as a need (e.g., the “need” for a vacation) is blocked by a lack of funds, it is not hard to justify borrowing.

From a Biblical perspective, we are free to borrow money, but we must bear the consequences. In other words, God is not obligated to bail us out of diffi - culties resulting from foolish decisions. Most often the problem is not with bor- rowing to meet needs, but with borrow- ing unwisely and contrary to Scriptural warnings.
The bottom line on debt is this: (1.) Never put a lender in the place of God by depending upon the lender to meet your needs, and (2.) Never play God by determining that the only way to meet your needs is to borrow.

_Ron Blue is a financial expert who founded Ronald Blue & Company. He is now president of Christian Financial Professionals Network, whose mission is to help Christian financial professionals incorporate biblical wisdom into their advice and counsel, as well as connect Christians seeking financial counsel with biblically wise Christian financial professionals . Ron also serves on the board of directors for several organizations, including Campus Crusade for Christ, Crown Financial Ministries, and Thomas Nelson Publishers. He has authored 13 books and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs. Ron and his wife, Judy, live in Atlanta._