The gearbox on Chike’s car failed on the Third Mainland Bridge at seven o’clock on a Monday morning. He had been driving for a ride-hailing company for two years, and the car was his whole livelihood. The mechanic at Ojota said the repair would cost sixty-five thousand naira. Chike had eleven thousand in his account.
He sat on a bench outside the workshop and scrolled through his phone. He had seen the adverts many times: Instant loans. No collateral. Money in five minutes. He downloaded one of the apps. It asked for his BVN, a photograph, access to his contacts and permission to read his messages. He tapped Allow on every screen without reading. Within ten minutes, sixty thousand naira had landed in his account. He would repay seventy-eight thousand in fourteen days.
It felt like an answered prayer. The car was back on the road by Wednesday.
But fourteen days is not long. Fuel prices had gone up again, and the trips had been slow. When the repayment date came, he was twenty thousand short. A second app offered him fifty thousand, and he used it to pay the first. Then a third app paid the second. By the end of three months, Chike owed money to five different lenders, the total had grown past four hundred thousand naira, and he was spending more time borrowing than driving.
Then the messages started. Not to him, but to everyone in his phone. His mother in Nnewi received one. So did his pastor, his choir director, his old secondary school classmates and the young woman he had been courting for six months. This person is a fraudster and a thief. He has collected money and refused to pay. If you know him, tell him to pay or face the consequences. Some of the messages included his photograph.
His mother called him in tears. The young woman stopped answering his calls. On Sunday, Chike did not go to church. He sat in his room in Ketu with the curtains closed, and for the first time he understood what Proverbs meant by a word he had read many times without thinking about it.
Servant.
The borrower is servant to the lender
Proverbs puts it with startling bluntness:
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
The Hebrew word translated servant is ’ebed, the ordinary word for a slave or bondservant. Proverbs is describing a reality that every borrower eventually discovers. When you borrow, you hand part of your future to someone else. Your future income is already spoken for. Your choices narrow. Your time, your peace and sometimes even your reputation come under the influence of the person you owe.
The first half of the verse sets the scene: “The rich ruleth over the poor.” Proverbs is describing how the world works when money is unequal, without approving of it. Lending is one of the main channels through which that power flows. The one with money sets the terms. The one without money accepts them.
Chike learnt the truth of this verse in a matter of weeks. The apps had given him money quickly and painlessly, but the price was control. They controlled his phone, his contacts and his name. They decided when he could rest and when he could not. He had become a servant without ever signing anything he had read.
PunchlineThis is why Scripture warns us to take borrowing seriously. Borrowing creates obligations, and those obligations should be understood before the promise is made, not discovered afterwards.
Not every debt is a sin
At the same time, we need to be careful. Some Christian teaching treats all borrowing as sin, as if any believer with a loan has failed spiritually. Scripture does not say that.
The law of Moses made provision for lending and borrowing among God’s people. It regulated loans rather than forbidding them. Jesus Himself said, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). He assumed that people would sometimes need to borrow, and He told His followers to be willing to lend. In another place He went further: “lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great” (Luke 6:35). If borrowing were sinful in itself, Jesus would hardly have commanded His people to make loans.
There are times when borrowing is wise and responsible. A trader may borrow to buy stock that she will sell at a profit within weeks. A young family may take a carefully planned loan to secure a home. A farmer may borrow for seed and fertiliser at planting season. A family facing a medical emergency may have no other way to pay for treatment. In each case, the borrower must count the cost carefully, but the borrowing itself is not a moral failure.
So we must avoid two errors. One treats every debt as proof of sin and heaps shame on people who are already struggling. The other treats every loan as wisdom and ignores the warnings Scripture gives. The truth lies in taking both the freedom and the danger seriously.
What God required of lenders
We often think of debt only from the borrower’s side. But Scripture has a great deal to say to lenders, and much of it is uncomfortable. The law of Moses gave this instruction:
If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
Look at the heart of this law. When you lend to a poor person among God’s people, you must not behave “as an usurer.” You must not exploit his need. If he gives you his outer garment as security, you must return it before sunset, because it may be the only covering he has to sleep in. And then God adds a sentence that should make every lender tremble: “when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.” God listens to the cry of the exploited borrower.
Deuteronomy adds that God’s people were to lend generously to a poor brother: “But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need” (Deuteronomy 15:8). Interest-bearing loans to fellow Israelites were forbidden (Deuteronomy 23:19-20), though they were permitted in commercial dealings with foreigners. The concern was the protection of the vulnerable. A loan to a struggling neighbour was meant to be an act of mercy, not a business opportunity.
When Nehemiah returned to rebuild Jerusalem, he found that wealthy Jews were lending to their poorer brothers at interest during a famine. Families had mortgaged their fields and vineyards, and some had been forced to sell their children into servitude to pay their debts. Nehemiah was furious. “I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother” (Nehemiah 5:7). He called a public assembly and made them restore the land and cancel the interest.
These passages speak powerfully to our situation. Many digital lenders, loan sharks and informal moneylenders in Nigeria charge rates that would horrify Moses, and some use methods of collection that shame and terrify borrowers. Christians who lend should not imitate them. If you lend to a brother or sister in need, lend with compassion. Agree clear terms in writing. Do not charge crushing interest to someone in distress. Never use public humiliation as a weapon. And be prepared, where it is right, to turn a loan into a gift.
Christians who are in a position to influence policy, run businesses or serve in finance should also care about these things. Justice in lending is part of loving our neighbour.
The righteous pays what he owes
Now Scripture turns to the borrower. David writes in Psalm 37:
The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD : and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
“The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again.” The wicked person borrows with no intention of repaying, or treats repayment as optional once the money is in his hand. Scripture calls this wickedness. It is a form of theft.
We have all seen it. A church member borrows from another member, promising to pay at the end of the month, and then avoids him for a year. A relative borrows “small money” for an urgent need and never mentions it again. A businessman collects goods on credit and disappears from the market. These things damage trust, destroy friendships and bring shame on the name of Christ. A believer who borrows must treat repayment as a sacred obligation. “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5).
But we must make a distinction. There is a difference between the person who will not pay and the person who cannot pay. Chike had not borrowed with the intention of cheating anyone. He had made a series of poor decisions under pressure, and now he genuinely could not meet the demands. The wicked man in Psalm 37 is the one who refuses to pay. The struggling man who is honestly trying to repay is not in the same category.
If you find yourself unable to pay a debt, do not hide. Go to the person you owe. Tell them the truth. Explain what you can pay and when. Ask for more time if you need it. Honesty does not cancel the debt, but it honours the lender and keeps your integrity intact. Silence and avoidance turn a financial problem into a moral one.
Then notice the contrast: “but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.” The righteous person repays, and he is also generous. And later: “He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” In God’s vision, the righteous are lenders of mercy, people whose resources are available to help others.
And look at the promise in the middle of the passage: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” A believer in debt has not been abandoned by God. He may fall, but he will not be utterly cast down.
Owe no man any thing
Paul gives a short instruction about debts that has been read in more than one way:
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
The context matters. Paul has just been speaking about the believer’s duties to governing authorities, including the payment of taxes. “Render therefore to all their dues.” Whatever is due, pay it: taxes to the government, customs duties, respect, honour. Then he continues: “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.”
Sincere Christians understand this verse differently. Some read it as a complete prohibition on borrowing. On this view, a believer should never take on any debt at all, and should save rather than borrow for every purchase. Those who hold this view are often admirably free of financial pressure, and their conviction deserves respect.
Many others read the verse in its immediate context, as a command to pay what is due when it is due. The verb Paul uses is in the present tense, and it can carry the sense of “do not keep on owing” or “do not leave debts outstanding.” On this reading, Paul is not forbidding every loan, which would be hard to reconcile with Jesus’ command to lend. He is forbidding the believer to leave his obligations unpaid. When a payment falls due, pay it. Do not let what you owe others sit unsettled.
What both readings agree on is the direction Paul is pointing. A believer should be free of the burden of unpaid obligations as far as possible, and should take debt seriously. And there is one debt that can never be fully paid: the debt of love. “But to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Every other debt should be paid off and closed. The debt of love stays open for life.
Every other debt should be paid and closed. The only debt a believer should carry for life is the debt of love.
The danger of standing surety
Proverbs gives repeated warnings about a specific form of debt: becoming surety, or guarantor, for another person’s loan:
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter , and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
To “strike hands” was the ancient gesture of agreement, like a handshake on a deal. The person who did this for a friend’s debt became legally responsible if the friend failed to pay. Proverbs urges anyone who has made such a promise to get out of it urgently. “Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter.” Go and humble yourself. Plead with your friend to release you.
Why such urgency? Because standing surety commits you to a debt you do not control. Your friend’s choices now determine your financial future. Another proverb puts it vividly: “If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee?” (Proverbs 22:27).
In Nigeria, being asked to stand as guarantor is common. A cooperative society loan, a bank facility, a car purchase or a tenancy may require one. Family members and church friends ask each other. Many believers have lost large sums or damaged relationships because they signed as guarantor without understanding what they were promising.
This does not mean you must never help another person with a loan. But Proverbs counsels caution. Never guarantee more than you could afford to lose. Understand exactly what you are signing. And if you want to help someone, it may be wiser to give them what you can afford as a gift than to sign a guarantee for what you cannot.
Before you sign
NuggetThe heart of wise borrowing is to understand the obligation before the promise is made. Here are some questions worth asking before any significant loan.
What is the money for? Borrowing for something that will produce income, like tools, stock or training, is very different from borrowing to fund consumption. Borrowing to buy aso ebi for a cousin’s wedding, to host a lavish birthday party or to keep up appearances is almost never wise.
What will it really cost? Look past the amount you receive to the total you will repay. A loan app that charges twenty or thirty percent for two weeks is far more expensive than it first appears. Ask about fees, penalties and what happens if you are late.
How exactly will I repay it? Name the source. If the answer is “God will provide” without any practical plan, pause. Faith does not mean signing promises you have no realistic means of keeping.
What happens if my income fails? Fuel prices rise. Businesses slow down. Salaries are delayed. A wise borrower plans for the possibility that things will not go as hoped.
Who else will this affect? If you are married, your spouse should know and agree. If you are asking someone to guarantee the loan, consider what you are asking of them.
What permissions am I giving? With digital lenders especially, read what you are agreeing to. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission now registers digital lenders and receives complaints about abusive practices. Check whether a lender is registered before you borrow, and never give an app access to your contacts.
And be very wary of anyone who promises that a financial gift to their ministry will cancel your debts. God is not against His people prospering, and He can and does provide in remarkable ways. But a “seed” given under pressure, in the hope of making debts disappear, often adds to the burden of the poorest people in the congregation. Wealth is never the measure of His favour, and debt is never a sign that He has abandoned you.
Getting free, and staying free
There is a story in 2 Kings that has comforted many people under the weight of debt:
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD : and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
The woman’s husband had been one of the sons of the prophets, a man who “did fear the LORD.” He had died, leaving debts, and the creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves. This was the reality of debt in the ancient world. She came to Elisha with nothing but a pot of oil.
God provided miraculously. But notice what Elisha told her to do with the provision: “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” The first use of God’s provision was to pay the debt. The prophet did not tell her that her creditor deserved nothing, or that her faith would make the debt vanish. He told her to pay what she owed, and then to live on what remained. God honoured her obligation, and He honoured her.
Notice too that she was helped by her neighbours. She borrowed vessels “of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.” Getting free of debt is rarely a solitary journey. It often involves the help of others.
For those already in debt, here are some practical steps.
Stop borrowing to repay. Taking a new loan to pay an old one usually makes the hole deeper. Chike’s five apps began with a single loan to pay off the first.
PunchlineList every debt. Write down what you owe, to whom, the interest, and the due dates. It is painful, but you cannot address what you will not look at.
Talk to your creditors. Explain your situation honestly. Many will agree to a repayment plan if you are open with them.
Prioritise. Pay the debts that carry the highest costs or the most serious consequences first, while keeping the household fed.
Seek help. A trusted pastor, a mature believer who understands money, or a qualified financial counsellor can help you see clearly and plan wisely. If a lender is harassing you or your contacts, report it to the regulators.
And refuse to let debt define you. You may be in debt, but you are not a debt. You are a child of God. Jesus taught us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Behind every financial debt lies a greater one, the debt of sin we could never pay. Christ paid it in full. He was “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:14). The believer in financial trouble stands before God free of the debt that matters most.
It was an elder in his church who found Chike that Sunday. The pastor had received one of the messages and had asked the elder, a retired bank manager, to go and see him. He knocked on the door in Ketu until Chike opened it.
They sat on the edge of the bed, and the old man asked him to write down every app, every amount and every due date. It took an hour. Chike was ashamed to show him. The elder looked at the list and said quietly, “Now we know what we are dealing with.”
Over the next few weeks, the elder helped him report the apps that were harassing his contacts. Two of them, it turned out, were not registered at all. He helped him negotiate with the others. The church’s welfare committee gave him an interest-free loan to clear the most expensive debts, with clear written terms that Chike signed and kept. He drove longer hours. He sold his second phone. He stopped sending money he did not have to impress people at home.
It took him eight months to repay everything, including the church loan. The day he made the last payment, he went to his mother’s house in Nnewi and told her the whole story. She held his face in her hands.
A year later, a young man in the church choir came to Chike after rehearsal. His motorcycle had been seized, and he was thinking about downloading a loan app. Chike sat him down on the bench outside the church. “Before you sign anything,” he said, “let me tell you what it means to be a servant.”
Teaching Companion
For Reflection
- What has been your attitude to debt: fear, carelessness, shame, or wisdom? Where did that attitude come from?
- Do you currently owe anyone money that you have been avoiding? What would it look like to be honest with them this week?
- If you lend money, how do the instructions in Exodus 22 and Nehemiah 5 challenge the way you lend?
- How do you understand Romans 13:8? What practical difference does your understanding make?
- Before your next significant borrowing decision, which of the questions in the section “Before you sign” will you need to ask most carefully?
This Week
Make a complete list of your debts this week: every amount owed, to whom, the interest or cost, and the due date. If you have no debts, list any guarantees you have signed or promises you have made to lend. Pray over the list. Then take one concrete step: contact a creditor you have been avoiding, stop one form of borrowing, cancel a loan app’s access to your contacts, or set aside the first amount toward repayment. If the list overwhelms you, share it with a mature believer you trust and ask for help.
A Prayer
Father, thank You that Christ has paid the debt I could never pay, and nailed it to His cross. I bring You every obligation I carry. Forgive me for borrowing carelessly, for promises I have not kept, and for any way I have treated others unfairly when they owed me. Give me honesty to face what I owe, courage to speak to those I owe, and wisdom to borrow only with understanding. Make me merciful when I lend and faithful when I repay. Uphold me with Your hand, and teach me to owe no man anything but love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Truth received brings freedom. Truth believed establishes the heart.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. · Illustrations using first names only are composites unless stated otherwise.