For the religious person, the Bible is the first choice when it comes to figuring out this crazy thing called life but sometimes it’s hard to figure out exactly how to study the Bible in order to apply it to the issue at hand. Let’s take credit cards. We’re pretty sure there were no credit cards around in the days of King Solomon so we’re at a loss as to whether or not the Bible is in favor or against. In the absence of direct guidance, what the heck, it must be okay, so max ’em all out, right?
Sorry, you’re not going to get off the hook for rampant consumerism and bad debt that easily. While the Bible doesn’t specifically mention how you should handle a credit card, past experience should show you how to study the Bible to arrive at certain concepts related to money. God gives us principles by which we should live our lives regardless of differing specifics that arise over hundreds of generations.
You might compare the use of credit cards to watching television, movies, listening to secular music, or surfing the internet. Media is not inherently evil and neither are credit cards. A central question to ask yourself is who is in control of the relationship, you or the credit card? If you suspect the answer is the latter, you might be headed for trouble.
Do you use your credit card for trust, security, or as an emergency fund? If so, again, big problem. This is not the proper function of a credit card or anything else. Trusting in God to help you build a cash emergency fund would be a better idea. Likewise, if you use a credit card to bridge the gap between what you earn and what you spend, you’re headed for a financial crash, and God doesn’t look kindly on people who mismanage their personal budgets to that extent.
The Solomon Success Team
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