After last Sunday’s message, a CLCer emailed me, “You touched a little bit on how filing bankruptcy is NOT the answer. Does the scripture say anything in particular about that specifically?”
Great question – and I’m bumping it to the front of the line, especially because of our current series and also because I’m sure there are other Christians who have asked the same question. Here’s my best shot:
As to whether Scripture mentions bankruptcy specifically, the answer would be “no”, since there was no such thing as bankruptcy then. And I want to quickly tell you that I am sensitive to the plight that some Christians have gotten into with their finances, just as I’m always sensitive to questions about divorce. It’s easy for any of us to sit in judgment and condemn someone for filing for divorce or filing for bankruptcy, but I’ve observed thru the years that few issues are black-and-white; there are almost always difficult circumstances that make it nearly impossible to give ‘one-size-fits-all” advice. I have a real sense of compassion as we begin this series for those who find themselves trapped in financial hardship.
Having said all of that, I do find verses that speak in principle to the idea of bankruptcy. For example:
- Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrow and do not repay.” (That’s pretty strong – God says it’s wicked to borrow & not repay)
- Romans 13:7-10 says “Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.”* These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.” (Would refusing to pay those we owe through bankruptcy be doing wrong to them?)
Here’s a possible suggestion for any believer who’s contemplating bankruptcy:
Write a letter to your creditors and say, “I am a Christian and I don’t want to file for bankruptcy. I don’t want to stiff you on what I owe you but I can’t pay it all off right now. But I will pay it all off. Here’s my plan.” And you tell them. Maybe your payment is supposed to be $25 a month and you say, “I can’t pay you $25 a month. I’ll pay you $5 a month. But if you’ll be patient with me, I will pay it off.” You might even beg for mercy and say “If you keep compounding interest on this note I’m never going to get out of debt and you’re never going to get repaid. Please. Stop the interest from this point on and let me just pay it down.” Ask them. Many might do just that. If you’ll take the initiative by communicating honestly with your creditors instead of ignoring the bills and letting them keep piling up – people hate it when you ignore them – but if you write them a note and say, “I can’t pay this but here’s what I can pay and I intend to pay it off. I’ll be good on my loan.”
Here’s what God says in Proverbs 16:7 – “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Hope this helps a bit. And I especially hope you (and all my readers) will be a part of the rest of this series, because with God, nothing is impossible – including our financial problems!
Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?
