The Bible strongly encourages paying your bills and debts promptly, emphasizing honesty, responsibility, and avoiding debt where possible, viewing failure to repay as wicked and foolish, with key verses in Romans 13:7-8 urging, "Owe no one anything, except to love one another," and Proverbs advising against withholding repayment. While debt isn't inherently a sin, the Bible portrays it as a burden, highlighting the importance of fulfilling obligations like taxes and respecting lenders, and warns against guaranteeing loans for others.
Exodus 22:14 - If anything is borrowed, it should be paid back. If what is borrowed is lost or injured, full restitution must be made. Ps 37:21 - The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives. The Bible is clear that when something is borrowed is should be paid back.
While the Bible offers many warnings about the dangers of debt, it never says that you are out of God's will or violating one of God's commandments when you borrow.
Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” If you owe someone money, they'll control your life until you pay it back.
God's message on financial struggles emphasizes trusting Him for provision, seeking His kingdom first, avoiding debt, and practicing stewardship, with promises of support for the righteous while encouraging prudence, as seen in verses like Philippians 4:19 (God supplies needs), Matthew 6:33 (seek first God's kingdom), and Proverbs 22:7 (borrower is slave to lender).
Sometimes the financial hardships you face have nothing to do with what you've done or not done. We live in an imperfect, sin-filled world, and the consequences of sin affect us all. God has given people the option to choose between right and wrong, and sometimes people choose wrong.
If You Go Into Debt, Be Honest
Don't lie, don't cheat, and don't steal. The Bible reinforces those moral absolutes. Psalms 37:21 makes clear that wicked people incur debt with no intention of paying it back. And Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “Better you should not vow, than vow and not pay.”
According to the Psalmist, the borrower is reckoned as wicked because of the choice not to repay the debt, not simply because he or she owed it. This Scripture does not condemn debt outright, nor label borrowers as sinful.
Yes, Proverbs 22:6 ("Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it") functions strongly as a warning against permissive parenting and indulging a child's selfish ways, indicating that letting them have their own way (their "way") leads to sticking to that path into adulthood, rather than a promise that dedicated godly training guarantees a perfect outcome. It highlights the formative power of early guidance, suggesting that if you train them in their natural, often foolish, way, that's what sticks, but if you start them on God's way, it's harder to leave.
It's a Spiritual Principle: We Reap What We Sow (Galatians 6:7) I've discovered the best way to deal with money is to give it away. This is a key factor in helping us to maintain a biblical focus on our finances. And we need to keep on giving, especially during challenging financial times.
There's no single #1 worst sin; it depends on the religious or moral framework, but pride is often called the root of all evil (Christianity/Islam), while the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (unforgivable sin) is considered the gravest in the Bible. Other severe sins include child abuse (Catholicism) and sins that "cry to Heaven" (like shedding innocent blood or oppressing the poor).
Bills will probably be turned over to an independent collection agency. At that point, you will no longer be able to negotiate with the person or company you owe money to. Collection agencies can be aggressive, but you do have certain rights. Collection agencies can't use abusive language or threaten you with violence.
God desires to bless you!
In fact, the Apostle Paul teaches in Romans 13:8 (NKJV) that we shouldn't owe anything to anyone aside from love. He wrote, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” The Bible doesn't just warn about you going into debt either.
Jeremiah 33:3 is a promise from God in the Bible that says, "Call to me, and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known," (ESV) encouraging people to pray and seek Him, promising divine revelation and powerful answers beyond human understanding. It's often seen as an invitation to prayer, assuring that God is available to reveal deep truths, guidance, and hope, even in difficult times, as demonstrated when God gave this message to Jeremiah while he was imprisoned.
50-50 Bill Split
Splitting shared bills down the middle is one of the easiest approaches to a joint financial life. Each person pays half. This approach makes budgeting consistent. Each person pays half the rent, subscriptions or insurance from individual accounts.
If your words will damage someone's reputation. Proverbs 16:27. If your words will destroy a friendship. Proverbs 25:28.
The Bible teaches that when money is borrowed there should also be a secure repayment plan. Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives.” This text is clear. It does not say the person who borrows is wicked, but rather the one who borrows and does not pay back.
Remember, the Bible never says that borrowing is a sin. However, it cautions us not to become enslaved to creditors.
PAYMENT OF DEBTS
If you really cannot pay your debts you do not commit sin by not paying them. No one is bound to do what is impossible. Those who, through no fault of their own, are genuinely unable to pay deserve compassion and kind treatment. Their inability must be genuine.
Please assist us in getting out of debt, and we particularly ask today that You help us and all who are struggling with debt to grow in perseverance in prayer. Help us to devote ourselves more fully to You each day of our lives. Give us the grace to trust You in all things.
The Bible says in Psalm 37:21, “The wicked borrow and do not repay” (NIV). God does not bless the wicked. It's not moral to stiff somebody out of debt. God says if you have a debt, you are to pay it off.
Philippians 4:19: And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Romans 13:8: Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another.