Getting Out of Debt
Many people today are struggling with financial debt.
The bible does not explicitly prohibit debt but does encourage paying off debt as soon as we can, for example:
"Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:7-8)
Some debt is almost inevitable in our society. For example, most people need a mortgage to buy a home. However, with so many ways to borrow such as bank loans, hire purchase, credit and store cards, debt easily gets out of control. When circumstances change unexpectedly, perhaps redundancy or ill health, debt can become a curse on our lives.
If you are facing debt problems, the sooner you act the better. You don't need to pay for advice, there are a number of charities that offer debt counselling as a completely free service, for example:
- Christians Against Poverty
- Consumer Credit Counselling Service who offer Debt Advice on their website and have prepared this Guide to get you started.
- Citizen's Advice Bureau
- Debt Advice Foundation
- National Debt Line
- Life Beyond Debt booklet is a free resource available from the Evangelical Alliance
We cannot endorse any of these services, but offer them as possible sources of help to anyone who is struggling with debt.
We do not recommend any organisations that charge for their services. Using them can only make a bad situation worse.