Question:  Dear Greg,

            In Deuteronomy 23:19-20 the topic of charging interest is addressed.  Would you please give some background on the text and its specification to us today?  We do lend out money to our family and have charged interest in the past.  But we do not want to go against God’s word on this issue.  However, I have found that unless we charge interest, no one seems interested in ever paying us back.  Any help in understanding this text would be greatly appreciated.

            Thank you,

            Marty

Answer:  Dear Marty,

            In brief, this text has no direct application to Christians today.  This passage is part of the old covenant dispensation, a part of the civil law for the Israelites, and is not part of the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), the body of Christ, the church of all races and nationalities (see Ephesians 2:11-22).

            Christians are told to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  We are not restricted to any specific financial practice, but we are of course told to be honest, to be fair, and to treat others as we would want to be treated.  This does not rule out asking for interest on loans that you may decide to give, or indeed, even deciding not to lend money at all in some cases.  Some advise that there are times when we “loan” something to a friend or family member that we should realize that the “loan” might become a gift in spite of our intentions, and that any return of the loan is a bonus!

            In short, the Bible does not require anything specific of you in terms of this question other than to be a Christian, as noted above.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht