LET'S TALK ABOUT MONEY . . . DO OUR FINANCIAL DEALINGS LINE UP WITH SCRIPTURE ?

OWE NO MAN ANY THING . . . but to love him.

How many times Christians say ,

“ Yes, we are following CHRIST”

 or

“ Yes, we believe the BIBLE and we keep all the Scriptures” ?

Do we indeed  keep the Scriptures in spirit and in truth . . . and with our money? One SURE measure of how closely we follow The LORD is to measure our money dealings by Scripture. 

 

Here is measure #1:

Owe no man any thing,

but to love one another:

for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

The Apostle Paul, under the unction of the HOLY SPIRIT, was addressing money issues in the context of this verse. He was instructing the Church to pay civil taxes and tribute money. 

His instruction to the Church adhered unto The Words of The LORD in Matthew 22  and  in Mark 12  and  in Luke 20 : 

“Render therefore unto Ceasar things that are Caeser’s

.  .  .  and unto GOD, the things that are GOD’S !”

The Apostle Paul taught us :

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world,

and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

I Timothy 6: 6-8

Now then, let us honestly EVALUATE under the Light of The WORD: 

Are we Christians keeping, observing, and continuing on in the teaching from The LORD and from His+ Apostles . . .  if we OWE money to someone – our friends, our relatives, our father, our bank, our credit union, or our lending institution ?  

What about those credit cards we use for food, clothing, gifts,  and gasoline ?

The worldlings who care nothing about CHRIST nor His+ Words nor the SPIRIT-inspired words of the Apostles ALL owe money to friends, relatives, banks, credit unions, and lending institutions . Not to mention the plastic credit cards, again.

How is it possible that Christians WHO KEEP THE WORD OF GOD behave the same as the worldlings ?

Do we Christians buy land and houses with a co-signer , maybe our wealthier Uncle or our land-owning Dad or our church-fellow who owns a prospering business ? 

Banks and lending institutions LOVE co-signers, especially if they have houses, land, and / or businesses. 

The worldlings do the same. CO-SIGNERS are the normal way to procure something beyond our own immediate funds.

If we enter into this co-signing agreement to take a loan to buy property and houses or set up a business, then WHO or WHAT have we aligned ourselves with ?  

We have aligned ourselves

with THE WORLD’S WAYS

instead of  THE KINGDOM+ of GOD.

We have become UN-EQUALLY yoked to the worldly lending institution. 

Who are they linked to ? 

The money changers, the financiers, the mammon-servers, the rich and wealthy.  Our money is also linked with other borrowers in the general public WHO ARE WORLDLY, not Christian.

Well, some might say, " WE only borrow from fellow Christians or our Christian relatives."

Does Scripture tell us to : 

“Owe no man anything . . .

unless he is a member of our Christian group

or our relative . . .” ?

Some Christians would have us think that the Scriptures in Romans 13:8 have been re-worded to fit the financial group-think of their religious organization or their family's money values.

But, re-writing Scriptures is a DANGEROUS thing to do: it incurs the wrath of GOD.

The DANGERS of WORLDLY WAYS with our FINANCES

Scriptures are replete with warnings about the lure of money and what happens when we enter the money-lending cycle . 

The rich ruleth over the poor,

and the borrower is servant to the lender.

We all know that familiar verse in Proverbs 22:7 , and some know the truth of the ugliness of being debt-ridden. It becomes a vicious cycle and MANY Christians will never be out of debt until they die . . . and then the lender takes all. Indeed, it becomes a form of risky gambling !

Here is yet another issue to ponder: What if the Mark of the BEAST should suddenly ensnare the world? 

What if we can no longer buy or sell without that mark ? Is the money-lender going to receive a bushel of potatoes instead of money when our bank note or mortgage comes due ? 

Of course not. 

That is when our stubborn eyes will be opened and we will see who actually owns our house, land, and business:  the lender.

If we do NOT take the mark of the beast, that is, our eyes will be opened. But who is going to stand for CHRIST when he has SO MUCH TO LOSE, financially ? 

Property owners, we need to settle it now where we stand. If we cannot buy or sell unless we take the mark of the beast, we likewise will not be able to pay our insurance policies nor our TAXES.

Then whose property will it be ?  

 It will become the government’s property for the taxes owed.

Some Christians scoff at the soon-coming mark of the beast. Well, that means they simply are not watching the sign of the times. 

The LORD JESUS warned us:

Heaven and earth shall pass away:

but  My+  Words  shall not pass away.

And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be

overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,

and cares of this life,

and so that day come upon you unawares.

For as a snare shall it come on all them

that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Luke 21:33-35

The Aged Apostle John, in his great, inspired Book of Revelation told us clearly: 

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell,

save he that had the mark, or

the name of the beast, or

the number of his name.

Revelation 13: 16-17

For sure and certain the Mark of the Beast will target the financial institutions FIRST. 

Property owners all will have some HARD CHOICES to face: 

to refuse the Mark of the Beast and lose their earthly possessions

OR

to take the Mark and lose their entrance into the Kingdom of GOD in Heaven . . . and will by default gain an entrance into the Lake of Burning Fire , not escaping the Second Death of Revelation 2:11, or Revelation, chapters 20 and 21.

Furthermore, if we have a CO-SIGNER,  we have endangered our co-signer, for he too, will have to take the mark of the beast in order to engage in any financial dealings.

Our co-signer will have pressure  increased to take the Mark of the Beast as well, in order to protect his financial investment he made with his daughter, son, relative, friend, or business partner. 

For if they do find enough strength to STAND with JESUS and refuse the Mark, they will not be able to repay their loans.  

THEN . . .

the financial institutions ( who gladly accept the Mark) 

are going to come after the co-signer for their money,

with interest, for their trouble.

Are we free, as conscientious followers of JESUS, as followers of The WORD, to endanger another person [ our Mother, Dad, relative, or Christian friend ] who in good faith co-signed for our purchase of “our” property ? 

Do we REALIZE that our co-signer will HAVE to take the Mark of the Beast . . . and lose his soul to satan . . . in order to protect his financial investment to us ? 

Is that what we want for our parents, our kind relative, or our Christian friend  who loaned us money ?

What is a SNARE ?

It is a HIDDEN trap. Webster’s 9^th Collegiate Dictionary states very chilling definitions of “snare”, page 1115. It can be traced back to the Old High German word snuor = cord and probably to the Greek narkA = numbness. [ Like “narcotic” ]

The definitions include:  a noose , trap, gin, or something deceptively attractive; an entanglement. 

It was for A VERY GOOD REASON that The LORD JESUS warned us against taking thought for the morrow, that the Apostles warned us to stay out of debt and to keep ourselves un-entangled with the affairs of this life.  

The Mark of the BEAST is right around the corner. 

Will we be able to stand ? 

Will our co-signers ? 

“Ye cannot serve GOD and MAMMON.”

The words of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, 

Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13

The LORD JESUS said My+ WORDS shall never pass away, NO , NOT EVER ! 

But, this world WILL pass away, and the lusts thereof.

Thus, let us EVALUATE in all honesty in the LIGHT of the HOLY SPIRIT if we are following The LORD, His+ words and His+ Apostles’ teachings about money, funds, property ownership, and all financial dealings. 

Let us EVALUATE if we have ignored or rationalized away the plain words of CHRIST JESUS and His+ Apostles, so that somehow we feel quite “justified” in our money-borrowing program.

The LORD will show us the way to change, if we REPENT from walking the way of the world with our money, investments, and possessions. 

The LORD will cleanse us of our disbelief in His+ Word, if we REPENT of ignoring Scriptures in our financial dealings. 

HE+ will replace our worldly mind-set about money and investments with His+ Word.

The LORD does not excuse disobedience. His+ Word means exactly what it says and disobedience reaps a hearty harvest of the rod of discipline, usually through regrets and heart-aches.

HE+ will, however, help the repentant to turn and correct his errors. HE+ will show the repentant how to downsize,  move out of debt , and never return to that state.

Be not deceived; GOD is not mocked;

for whatsoever a man soweth

that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

Let us therefore be diligent and obedient, taking The Word+ of GOD as direct instruction for our lives. 

If we do so, we will reap the good fruits of obedience instead of the severe consequences which disobedience brings.