What Does the Bible Have to Say? 

Perhaps the most important, yet most difficult, aspect of our Debt Relief Educational Services (DRES) program has to do with what the Bible says about money, debt, usury (interest), repayment, forgiveness and a host of other equally relevant topics.

If you are someone who would like to do the program, but find it hard to understand how you could morally and ethically get rid of thousands of dollars worth of debt that you know you received goods and services for – then we at the Integrity Debt Option Group would ask that you take some time to patiently & thoughtfully explore this page as we attempt to share what we have learned from hundreds of hours of study of both the Bible (God's revealed word) and the moral issues surrounding the DRES program.

While not an exhaustive study of the topics, this page will hopefully explain the major reasons why we believe that DRES is not an unbiblical service nor is it encouraging irresponsibility, "debt avoidance", or the like. In fact, it's quite to the contrary! We encourage you to read on....

God's position on usury, interest and acceptable loan practices....

Deuteronomy 15:1 & 2 makes this perfectly clear:

1 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts. 
2 And this is the manner of remission: every creditor shall release what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD'S remission has been proclaimed. (NAS)

This seven year limitation on creditors and on loans was referring to unsecured personal debt, not loans on property or land (as mortgages would be). In Leviticus 25, God put a limitation on creditors regarding property and land loans and encumbrances to 50 years. Every 50 years would be the "Year of Jubilee", and all properties and lands would revert to their original owners debt-free and lien-free. A creditor would have to be mindful as to how many years were left until the next Jubilee in granting a loan. For instance, if the next Jubilee would occur in 20 years, the creditor would only have 20 years to collect the debt - or it would be forgiven. But, if last year was the Jubilee, a creditor could grant a 49 year loan.

But, in the case of a loan not involving property or land, God specifically put a limit of 7 years on a creditor to collect the debt. If he didn't collect it within 7 years, the debt was forgiven. The borrower was totally released from the debt. In fact, he was not allowed to pay it. 

Why would God make such rules? He knows that living under debt can become crushing and oppressive to a family. And, He also knows that those that have (the rich) have been known to take advantage of those that have not. When people are falling further and further into debt, they sometimes get desperate and are willing to borrow more and more - for longer and longer periods of time - just to get relief. This can lead to a sorrowful life.

So, God's limitation on how long a creditor could keep one in debt (7 years) also put a limit on how much they could borrow. For, if the creditor loaned them more than they could pay back in 7 years - the remainder was forgiven. So, the creditor had no advantage to "load up" a borrower with debt that would take a lifetime to repay. And, this prevented a borrower from being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous lender.

God even outlawed the charging of any interest on personal debt. He said that His people were not allowed to collect ANY interest from their neighbors and brothers. 

"If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest." Exodus 22:25 (NAS)

God knew that creditors could use interest to unfairly  "keep someone in debt" for the whole 7 year period, when the debt could have possibly be discharged much earlier if usurious interest wasn't collected.

Again, God was seeking to protect His people from those with means that would be willing to enslave those without means (and with serious needs - who may become desperate enough to accept whatever terms they were offered) from being taken advantage of. He, clearly, did not want people to be under the oppressive hand of debt for any more than a maximum of 7 years. And, He realized that there were some wicked enough to be willing to keep someone in debt to them for an entire lifetime, if not prohibited from doing so.

Now, how does this factor in to our modern system of borrowing and repaying? Is any of this applicable to today? Well, it is still a fact that God stands against those that use their riches to oppress and afflict others. Isaiah 10: 1 & 2 says the following:

 1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 
2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. (NIV)

And, God certainly does not approve of the rich closing ranks and all conspiring together to keep borrowers in personal debt for most of the best years of their lives - and that of their families.

But - is this what the banks are doing? 

Yes - according to the US Government and the New York Times. In 2004, the Government's Public Broadcasting System (PBS - funded by the Government) and the New York Times - together - did investigative research into how the credit card companies are conducting their business. The result of their research was a 1 hour documentary - written by the Government's PBS and the New York Times - and aired November 2004 nationwide on the PBS Network.

The History Page of this website (there is a Tab at the top) deals with this documentary. You can watch the entire one hour program, in five 12 minute segments, by clicking here:

Secret History of the Credit Card

Segment 2 of this program deals with the conspiracy among the banks, some 20 years ago, to enslave their customers to a lifetime of debt - largely as a result of the counsel of one of their major consultants, Richard Kahr.

Now - please follow this closely - Up until Kahr's intervention, credit card companies were charging 5% each month on the unpaid balance as the minimum payment - or $25, whichever was higher. With a high interest rate being 21% back then (1.75% per month on the unpaid balance) this allowed 3.25% of the balance to go to interest each month. This would retire a $10,000 debt in about 9 years. If a person had a lower interest rate, of 12%, they would retire a $10,000 debt in a little over 7 years.

Kahr convinced the major banks to drop the minimum payment to only 2% per month on the unpaid balance - and to increase the amount the people were allowed to borrow. So, people could now increase their credit card debt by 250% (going from $10,000 to $25,000 in debt) and their minimum payment would still remain as before - still $500 per month.

Desperate people quickly took advantage of this, unaware that this new system increased the time necessary to repay the debt from 7-9 years to 30-40 years, if still paying the minimum payment. By the time people had recognized this, many had spent to the max - and could barely afford the minimum payment. They had no way to escape from what had become a lifetime obligation of payment.

The banks closed ranks and, in collusion, quickly adopted this new plan - fully well knowing that they were trapping the unwitting borrowers into a 30-40 year obligation - from their original 7-9 year obligation.

Again, look at Isaiah 10:1 & 2

1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 
2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. (NIV)

Isn't this exactly what God has gone on record as saying He abhors? If the banks are not depriving the people of their rights, and withholding justice from the people - oppressing especially those without partners and fathers - then what are they doing?

Do you believe God was in favor of those who helped free slaves during the Civil War? Even though there were those in the South that disagreed?

Of course He was. (Remember, the only "slavery" permitted by God in the Bible was a system of employment - where a person willfully became "indentured" to someone as an employee to repay a debt - but only for a limited time. The Bible reports about the existence of other types of slavery, while not condoning it).

Do you believe that, even though God wants families to remain together, He wants people to be free of being forced to live with physical abuse and incest?

Of course He does. 

He always opposes the work of the wicked and applauds the work of the righteous.

Remember - the Laws of the United States say that there is no debt. The Banks say that there is. But, this is based on their rules - not our laws - and not God's.

And - remember that God said that 7 years was the limit on the time you could pay on a loan. That restriction was placed on the lender - not the borrower. The lender would be the wicked one for holding one in debt too long - not the borrower.

Consider this. If you have $10,000 in credit card debt at 21% interest - making a minimum payment of 2% each month on the unpaid balance - after paying for 10 years you will have paid the bank over $20,400 on your original $10,000 "loan" - and will still owe them about $7425. You have only reduced your debt by $2575 in the last 10 years. And you will be continuing to make your payments for more than 20 more years.

Now - consider what this means if your total credit card debt is not $10,000 - but $20,000, or $30,000, or $50,000 - or more.

The same God that wants a child and a physically abused spouse and a slave to be free - wants YOU to be free from the injustice and abuse you have suffered at the hands of the wicked who are operating according to the rules of this world system, "Get all you can - anyway you can."

We believe that the God who mandated rules many years ago to protect His people from this very threat from those who would be greedy at their expense wants to see you set free from those that are enslaving you unfairly today.

US Contract Law says that failure to disclose intent when signing a contract causes the contract to be null and void. Totally non-binding. Remember, the banks did not disclose to you that this was a 30-40 year loan. They did not disclose that they were not loaning you their own money. And, they did not disclose that they intended to greatly increase your interest rate - due to factors that do not necessarily have anything to do with the nature of your loan with them - or your payment record with them. Federal Law says that this causes the contract to be null and void. Again, totally non-binding.

Our program follows the Law entirely, as written and intended, for the purpose of freeing people from supposed "debt" that does not exist under the Law.

 We believe the question to be answered is not whether God will allow you to be free of the bank's tyranny over you. We believe the question is, "Why wouldn't He?"

The credit card companies are clearly the ones that should be wrestling with the moral and ethical issues here - not you. The Law is on your side. And, God's Word does not prohibit you from taking advantage of the provisions of the Law of the Land in areas where you have been unfairly enslaved and oppressed through the conspiracy of powerful people - and where the Law seeks to give you the protection you need.

These matters deserve your consideration for you, your family, and for the areas where God wants to see you invest your funds - your Church and His work.