Question

3. What principles of Christian Ethics do you believe can be applied to public finance?

Answer 1

Principles of Christian Ethics that can be applicable to Public Finance are Borrowing and lending, Accept a reasonable Profit, Money and Financial Resources , Buying and selling of goods.

We are to seek neither unreasonable profits, nor unreasonable wages.

Proverbs 19:17 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Deuteronomy 15:1-23 ESV

“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord‘s release has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.”

Christian Finance Ethics : Money and Financial Resources :

“Money provides many opportunities to glorify God, through investing and expanding our stewardship

and imitating God’s sovereignty and wisdom, through meeting our own needs and thus imitating God’s

independence, through giving to others and imitating God’s mercy and love, or through giving to the church and to evangelism and thus bringing others into the kingdom.”

Christian Finance Ethics: Accept a Reasonable profit :

“The ability to earn a profit it thus the ability to multiply our resources while helping other people. It is a

wonderful ability that God gave us and it is not evil or morally neutral but fundamentally good. Through it

we can reflect God’s attributes of love for others, wisdom, sovereignty, planning for the future, and so

forth.”

Christian Ethics in Business : Borrowing and Lending:

“In this way, borrowing and lending multiply phenomenally our God-given enjoyment of the material

creation, and our potential for being thankful to God for all these things and glorifying him through our

use of them. In borrowing and lending, we can reflect many of God’s attributes. We can demonstrate

trustworthiness and faithful stewardship, honesty, wisdom, love, and mercy.”

God’s perspective :

In business and work, other people’s standards tend to become ours. We hear so many

arguments for "accepted practice" that we begin to believe them—even when we know the

accepted practice is questionable. Why make a fuss over "little" things that really don’t matter?

After all, the company plans for some of those little losses.

But fortunately, we do have guidelines for knowing what to do—from God’s perspective. And we

can use these biblical principles every day in our own lives and work