Tuesday, 29 July 2008

  • Bankruptcy

    This year one of my close friends filed for bankruptcy. This was not a decision that was taken lightly, but, with an overwhelming amount of credit card debt brought on by bad decisions and no foreseeable way out, this seemed like the best option. 

    Many people in American society see filing for bankruptcy as a cop out, a way to take advantage of the system. There is a "pull yourself up by the boot straps" mentality that if you only work hard enough and sacrifice enough, you'll make enough money to eventually pay off your debt. Yes, there are people who can do this and filing for bankruptcy is not the best choice for everyone. However, the attitudes that people have regarding bankruptcy got me thinking about God and salvation.

    Salvation is receiving pardon for a huge debt that we can never repay. In order to receive this gift you have to come to a place of admitting that there is no way you can earn pardon from God. You can't "pull yourself up by the boot straps". You can't earn favor by your works. Yet that is what so many people try to do. They want to prove themselves worthy before God by going to church or reading the Bible or helping the poor. When you ask them on what basis they believe they will go to heaven, they will probably say "I'm a good person and I do x, y & z." They are not ready to admit that they are totally bankrupt before a Holy God and throw themselves completely on His mercy.

    One other thing I learned from my friend is that once your bankruptcy has been discharged (your debts are cleared), you begin to receive a mountain of mail from credit card companies, car dealerships and so on. This didn't make logical sense to me. Why would someone want to give you a new credit card when you just filed for bankruptcy and caused the credit card industry to absorb the loss of the money you owed? However, he explained to me that once you file for bankruptcy you cannot do it again (or at least not for a long time). The credit card companies know that if they get you back you will likely run up a big debt again but this time you will be forced to pay the high interest rates because you will have no other recourse. Does this sound familiar?

    Did you ever notice that once you have been saved and your debt of sin has been paid, suddenly the temptations to sin become even greater than before? Satan knows that you are trying to stay away from sin so he starts to send you lots of "mail". He wants to produce sin, guilt and shame in the life of a Christian. He wants us to believe that God cannot forgive us again and that we are taking advantage of Him. However, the place where this analogy breaks down is that unlike bankruptcy, which only offers pardon once, God continues to extend forgiveness to His people. We can only be saved once but the effects of that salvation are eternal.

    Have you ever filed for bankruptcy? What has God taught you through that experience?

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