Spiritual Indebtedness

"Let no debt remain outstanding, EXCEPT the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13: 8 NIV)

Christians are warned in this verse, and in others, particularly in the Book of Proverbs, to not go into debt unless necessary. They are also told to be people who pay their debts, again unless unable to do so because of some tragedy or occurring helplessness or bankruptcy. There are certain kinds of indebtedness that the Christian should avoid. On the other hand, there are, above all, spiritual debts that he IS to enter into and to recognize, and moral obligations that he is to seek to satisfy.

Paul's words above state that all should "feel a debt" to love their neighbors, to view it as something they "owe" them, something that is "due" to them. We owe people. We owe them love and respect as neighbors. We owe those who are kind to us. We owe our parents and friends. We owe our leaders and our country. We owe our God.

It is not simply money that we owe to others, although this is included, for we owe it to our brothers and neighbors to help them when in need. We also justly owe our creditors and seek to repay them. But, we also owe others things beside money. We owe it to others to be kind to them, to seek their good always, to owe them love and good will.

Many Christians are far better at repaying money to banks than they are at repaying neighbors and friends, and vice versa. We ought to be people, however, who work hard to pay ALL our debts, especially all our spiritual and moral indebtednesses.

Notice that this "debt" to love our neighbor is a "continuing debt," one that is never paid. What an unusual debt is that! But, really, who would want this "debt" to be "paid"? What an evil world it would be where everyone felt like they had already paid such a debt and therefore owed no one anything any longer!

"I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1: 14-16 KJV)

Every Christian ought to feel this sense of indebtedness to preach the gospel to others. Christians owe it to their neighbors to witness to them about the spiritual condition of their souls. The Christian who does NOT witness the gospel to others is not repaying his debt to his neighbor and this is contrary to the will of God. It is a shame that more Christians do not pay more on this account! It is sad that they do not do more to feel this indebtedness to witness of Christ to those around them! Did all Christians work on paying this spiritual indebtedness as they ought, then how soon would the world fully hear the saving message of Christ in the gospel and hasten his soon return?

"If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides." (Philemon 1: 17-19 KJV)

Paul in this personal letter entreats a brother Christian (Philemon) who owns a slave whom Paul has recently "won to Christ" by his preaching the gospel to him. Paul entreats the Philemon the master of the slave (Onesimus) to free him so that the slave, now Christ's slave, will be able to fully preach the gospel. Paul uses as an argument for this entreaty the suggestion that Philemon, who was himself converted by Paul's preaching, and thus "owed" to Paul this kindness and this favor. Paul also suggests that this granting of the slave's freedom would repay this debt, not only to Paul, but to God himself also.

We learn from this how every Christian should feel a sense of obligation to those Christians who have brought to them the gospel and who were instrumental in their conversion to Christ. They owe those Christians a great deal!

"It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things." (Romans 15: 27 KJV)

This verse is in harmony with the preceding ones. They show how Paul taught a theory of mutual indebtedness between Christians. In the above verse, Paul speaks of how the believing or Christian Gentiles were indebted to the believing or Christian Jews, to the ones who had first brought to them the saving message of the gospel. Paul spoke of the Gentile Christians, in their sending pecuniary relief to the poors saints in Jerusalem, as paying on a debt owed to the Jews. The verse teaches that a Christian will feel his sense of debt and obligation to preach the gospel to others, and help other Christians, especially those who have brought to them the gospel.

"But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (Acts 18: 6 NIV)

Paul had labored hard among his Jewish brethren for a number of years to get them to accept the fact that Christ Jesus was indeed the prophesied Messiah, the one who was foretold to come by Moses and other of the prophets. He had some success, but he also met with fierce opposition. The time had come when he must divert himself to pay a debt he owed to the Gentiles. Yes, he still had a sense of debt to preach the gospel to all, still to the Jews as well as to Gentile, but from now on, he would concentrate more on his debt to the Gentiles.

"Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." (Acts 23: 1 NIV)

"I have fulfilled my duty," or "I have paid my debt to you and to God," in this matter of witnessing the gospel to you, and of warning you of the consequences of rejecting Jesus as your Messiah. This brought him to have a "good conscience," the kind that those who pay their debts possess.

"Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else." (I Thessalonians 5: 15 NIV)

We hear a lot about "pay back" and "revenge" today. But, this kind of "pay back" is generally not pleasing to God, for he has said, "vengeance is mind, I will repay." (Romans 12: 19)

What we are obligated and responsible to do is to love our neighbor, to always be about doing things for his good and betterment, and to repay kindness with kindness, and even more than that, to repay evil with good. Wrote Paul:

"See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men." (I Thessalonians 5: 15 KJV)

"Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing." (I Peter 3: 9 KJV)

We repay kindness in this manner. This is the Christian way, the godly example. What a great testimony such a course of life is to the superiority of the Christian faith!

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." (Romans 8: 12 KJV)

"Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it." (NIV)

This is another of the chief obligations of the Christian. He owes a debt, but not a debt to the flesh or to the sinful nature. He is not to feel indebted at all in a sinful way. He is to feel indebted to the Lord, and to his neighbors, and to his spiritually renewed nature, and to the fulfilling of the will of Christ. He feels a debt of love and service to Christ and to his people.

"The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband." (I Corinthians 7: 3 NIV)

This is a specific duty that spouses owe to each other. When they fulfill their marital vows and obligations, they are repaying honest debts they owe. The same could be true of paying due respect to parents, and to brethren and family, and to the church.

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12: 13 NIV)

The "whole duty of man" is nothing other than his just debt he owes to others in the area of how he treats and interacts with them. It is what man justly owes to God and to his neighbors.

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'" (Luke 17: 10 NIV)

This should be the attitude that the Christian possesses as he works to pay his spiritual indebtedness to the Lord and to others. He knows that what he is doing is not something way "beyond the call of duty," but what is simply his duty. But, praise God, the Lord praises and blesses abundantly the Christian who feels this sense of spiritual indebtedness and who is one who does well in paying it.

Friend, how is it with you? Do you feel your sense of indebtedness to God and to your neighbor?