Family Freedom
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33Archive for October, 2007
Crown’s Wicked Rental Property Philosophy
A caller asked Howard Dayton on Money Matters, 10/24/07, what the biblical perspective was on borrowing other people’s money for rental property. Dayton proceeded to say that it’s okay to do so, that he pursues financing from the owner, and that he wasn’t a slave because he can just give the property back:
“At anytime at my choice, I can either continue to pay cash for it or I can give you the property back. And that I felt gave me the freedom because Proverbs 22:7 tells us, the borrower is a servant to the lender, and I felt I wasn’t a servant to the lender because I could give the property back to satisfy that mortgage.”
Wow! Where to begin. Read the rest of this entry »
Hudson Taylor on Debt
“To me it seemed that the teaching of God’s word was unmistakably clear: ‘Owe no man anything.’ To borrow money implied, to my mind, a contradiction of Scripture — a confession that God had withheld some good thing, and a determination to get for ourselves what He had not given. … If the Word taught me anything, it taught me to have no connection with debt.”
- Hudson Taylor
Excerpt from J. Hudson Taylor: Founder of the China Inland Mission
Is Crown Promoting New Age or Christ?
Howard Dayton on Money Matters, 10/25/07, praised a caller this way, “I’m thrilled that you can see the end of the tunnel when it comes to paying off that mortgage because that radically changes everything.”
I just recently blogged about this issue of New Age principles being highly regarded by Christian financial experts over Christ. I won’t repeat myself here, other than to restate what the Bible says about what changes things: Read the rest of this entry »
George Mueller on Debt
“Are you in debt? Then make confession of sin respecting it. Sincerely confess to the Lord that you have sinned against Rom. xiii. 8. And if you are resolved no more to contract debt, whatever may be the result, and you are waiting on the Lord, and truly trust in Him, your present debts will soon be paid. Are you out of debt? then whatever your future want may be, be resolved, in the strength of Jesus, rather to suffer the greatest privation, whilst waiting upon God for help, than to use unscriptural means, such as borrowing, taking goods on credit, etc., to deliver yourselves. This way needs but to be tried, in order that its excellency may be enjoyed.” George Mueller
Excerpt from A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealing with George Muller, Written by Himself, Jehovah Magnified.
Jonathan Edwards (Puritan Preacher) on Debt and Salvation
“That you may effectually escape these dreadful and eternal torments, be entreated to flee and embrace him who came into the world for the very end of saving sinners from these torments, who has paid the whole debt due to the divine law, and exhausted eternal in temporal sufferings. What great encouragement is it to those of you who are sensible that you are exposed to eternal punishment, that there is a Saviour provided, who is able and who freely offers to save you from that punishment, and that in a way which is perfectly consistent with the glory of God, yea, which is more to the glory of God than it would be if you should suffer the eternal punishment of hell. For if you should suffer that punishment you would never pay the whole of the debt. Those who are sent to hell never will have paid the whole of the debt which they owe to God, nor indeed a part which bears any proportion to the whole. They never will have paid a part which bears so great a proportion to the whole, as one mite to ten thousand talents. Justice therefore never can be actually satisfied in your damnation; but it is actually satisfied in Christ. Therefore he is accepted of the Father, and therefore all who believe are accepted and justified in him. Therefore believe in him, come to him, commit your souls to him to be saved by him. In him you shall be safe from the eternal torments of hell. Nor is that all: but through him you shall inherit inconceivable blessedness and glory, which will be of equal duration with the torments of hell. For, as at the last day the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, so shall the righteous, or those who trust in Christ, go into life eternal.” – Jonathan Edwards
Excerpt from Works of Jonathan Edwards, Sermon XI
Does God “Discourage” Debt?
In fact, does God discourage anything? Is it the character of God to merely discourage some of our actions, or does God separate all actions into two categories: sin or righteousness? These are important questions to consider because many of you believe that getting into debt is “wrong”, but then you’ve been deceived into thinking that it’s just discouraged, and therefore you can still choose to do it when you find it necessary. However, the God of the Bible does not discourage things. He is very absolute. Our thoughts, actions, deeds, and speech are either sinful or righteous- clean or unclean. Read the rest of this entry »
The Proper View of Debt Freedom
Overcoming debt is not the end goal. It’s simply a means to an end. Paul Washer of Heart Cry Missionary Society said the following statement in one of his sermons that I wanted to share with you (he was not referencing to debt by the way):
“It is not the end. It is the means to an end. And what is that end? That you and I might lay down our life as a living and holy sacrifice. That as the bride of Christ, we would love Him and that love is not expressed just in emotion, song or statements made about the heart… But that love is keeping His commands to live in this world as a pure and an unspotted people, not stained by the filth of this age…” Read the rest of this entry »
Freecycle.org: Give and Take Free Stuff
Have you heard about freecycle.org? It is such a blessing to homemakers who are striving to do good with money management, and rid themselves of debt. Freecycle.org allows you to give to and/or take FREE household goods, furniture and more from others. Here’s how it works: Read the rest of this entry »
Is Ramsey Promoting New Age or Christ?
On Dave Ramsey’s show, on 10/19/07, he replies to a caller who just eliminated alot of debt, “That’s family tree changing stuff, because that implants stuff into your spirit, it implants stuff into your emotions, those are memories that cause your family tree to change…”
Ramsey is a professing Christian whose Financial Peace University kits are used in some churches. So is the above statement biblically true, or is it New Age philosophy? Read the rest of this entry »
