As I've often said in my previous articles, debt is a terrible master. It enslaves anybody who gets caught in its grip, especially those who don't know how to break free and run away from it by paying their debts up.
In this article, we'll take a look at one of the wrong things people in debt get tempted to do: run away from it.
While the Bible does instruct us to free ourselves from debt, it doesn't tell us to run away from the debt that we should pay. Instead, it tells us what we should do when in debt.
What the Bible says about borrowing and not paying back
Borrowing money isn't wrong in itself, especially if it's done for the right purposes and with the right intentions.
While loans do help us in acquiring important things that we need for ourselves and for our families (like a house to live in and education), borrowing money for totally unimportant purposes (like upgrading to a new smartphone that we don't need) can lead to financial problems, especially if done carelessly and without the intention to pay back.
Psalm 37:21 tells us about the kind of people who have no intention to pay back what they owe:
"The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives."
It will be good for all of us to know that wealth earned the wrong way won't last. There are some who borrow money and run away from their lenders, thinking that they can benefit without having to suffer paying back. That is wrong. Proverbs 13:11 says,
"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase."
And true enough, when those who keep running away from their debts incur large amounts of debt, they will soon feel the need to keep running away even if their lenders aren't chasing them. Proverbs 28:1 tells us thus,
"The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion."
It will come back
Aside from living like a fugitive continually running away from debt, those who are in debt with no intention to pay need to remember one important thing in Scripture:
You reap what you sow.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7)
We will always reap what we sow. If we did good, it will return to us a blessing. If we did wrong, it will return to us to our condemnation unless we repent and make restitution where necessary. That's just how it is.
And so, friends, let us not run away from any debt. We must never desire to borrow with no intention of returning what we borrowed. As God's children, we ought to be blameless and above reproach, including the area of finances.
"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8)
