Grace be unto you all and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. We are careful to write this letter to you all concerning lending and borrowing among Christians and even between brethren and unbelievers, for we know that there are some among us that do not deal justly in matters pertaining to money and wealth. For this reason, we have written this epistle to reveal the truth according to the Word of God concerning the principles of lending and borrowing and how we as Disciples of Christ are to deal with another in matters of this kind.
First we must speak of the laws of mercy as written in Luke 6:35-36: But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful. According to these scriptures and Luke 6:27-34, we as Christians are commanded to love and do good on a different basis from that of unbelievers, and to lend with a different motive from that of sinners. We are to lend hoping for nothing again i.e. not expecting anything in return. This commandment may sound strange indeed because it is expected of the borrower to repay the lender lest he becomes wicked in the sight of God (Psa 37:21). If this be true, what does it mean then to lend hoping for nothing in return? Shall the lender not seek the borrower to receive what is due him? To lend expecting nothing in return is to lend and guide one’s affairs with discretion (Psa 112:5). This literally means to lend up to the degree that if the borrower would not repay, one is able to forfeit the substance that was borrowed. This is wisdom. When a Christian is lending to another, he must do so with a mindset that if his substance is not returned, he would let it go without grudge or strife. To a mere man, this is a hard commandment but by the help of the Holy Spirit through daily fellowship with the Lord, all these things can be done and are being done by some within us; yet these things are required of all.
The business of money lending i.e. loan and credit business had always existed in the distant past. It was provided by the Law of Moses, but regulated strictly to assure justice (Ex 22:25-27, Lev 25:14-17, 35-37, Deut 23:19-20, 24:6-17). In those days, all debts were to be forgiven to brethren every 7 years but not to strangers (Ex 21:2-6, Deut 15:2-3), and no interest must be charged on loans given to the poor. Now, Christian lending is on a different basis as written in Matt 5:42 and Luke 6:34. In Matt 5:42, we are commanded to: give to him that ask of thee and from him that would borrow of thee, do not turn away. This means that a Christian must always be willing to lend what he can afford with justice to his family and personal obligations (1 Tim 5:8, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinth 9:6-8, 1 John 3:17). This does not mean that we are to give all that we have to another brother, for we would not expect him to do same for us lest he suffers lack; for as it is written in Luke 6:31: As you would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. If we so expected someone to give to us all that belongs to him, we would be condemned of gross covetousness of what belongs to another and this itself is contrary to the law and the gospel of Christ. We are not to covet the thing that belongs to another under the intent of borrowing or lending (Ex 20:17, Deut 5:21, Rom 13:9, 1 Corinth 5:11, 6:9-11, Eph 5:5). Therefore, that which belongs to another cannot be expected from him.
According to Luke 6:32-35, lending with the hope to receive again has no reward from God. One may receive his reward from the borrower in like manner of kindness when he repays the debts or in form of some future favor in return but no heavenly reward will be attributed to acts of this kind. This is because an act of this manner is only helping a man temporarily and the only reward may be a return of such favor. Again, under the law, interest was not to be charged to a brother (Ex 22:25-27, Lev 25:35-37, Deut 23:19-20, Neh 5:1-13, Psa 15:5, Prov 28:8, Ezek 18:8-17, 22:12), nor was a pledge of a payment to be taken that caused any oppression (Deut 24:6-17). It is indeed a mark of goodness to lend to help men (Psa 37:25-26, 112:5) and one who gives outright to help the poor lends to God (Prov 19:17). Borrowing on the other hand brings the lender into a form of bondage (Prov 22:7). Christians are to lend to help the needy and are not to expect anything back. If you lend and expect anything back, you have no heavenly reward for such act. It is that simple. This is why it is good wisdom to lend to the degree that one can afford to forfeit his substance. If a Christian lends money to another and nothing is returned, he is not to hold it against the borrower or else he loses his reward from God. However, if he is offered repayment back by the borrower, he should receive it, for a man ought to receive what rightfully belongs to him. Nevertheless, the borrower is under obligation to repay the lender when able lest he becomes wicked before God (Ex 22:14-15, Psa 37:21), for all debts are to be paid when possible (Ex 22:10-15, Lev 25:14-25, Matt 5:25-26, 40, 2 Kings 4:1-7, Luke 6:31). Therefore, to the borrower: repay your debt in due time for the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good and shall give unto every man according to his own works. To the lender: lend expecting nothing in return and your reward shall be stored up for you in heaven where moth and rust does not destroy.
We have also being tested of the Lord concerning these things which we have written to you and we conclude that a man can do these things only by the help of the Holy Spirit, that spirit of grace which is now in us as sons of God. Therefore we command you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to follow after these things and keep them. Lend and do good, expecting nothing in return and you shall receive a heavenly reward from our Father in heaven. We put you all in remembrance that we as Christians must be broken in spirit, burdened for others, meek, humble, and hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, wise, patient, loving, joyful, and gracious. We must be free from hypocrisy, selfishness, and grudges. We must be peace-makers, free from lusts, truthful, and willing to suffer for Christ in all things, that our reward may be great in heaven. We must always remember that this world is not our home; that we are sojourners on the earth, and soon we’ll meet the Lord in the air and be gone with Him to our true home, the New Jerusalem in heaven where nothing that defiles or makes a lie shall in no wise enter into. Therefore keep your garments undefiled. Remain pure and holy in all things. Peace be to you all. Maranatha.
