The Christian as Debtor Across Time and Station

We are debtors—not to the flesh, but to Adonai and to one another across the ages. This threefold obligation structures the Christian conscience.

First, we owe debts to all times. To the past, we are indebted to those who preserved the Scriptures and maintained the Church's purity; we must repay by safeguarding these truths for descendants. To the present, we live in a marvellous age with unprecedented appliances for doing good—our work equals and perhaps exceeds our forefathers'. To the future, we sow well knowing others must reap; we are fountains whose streams must remain pure.

Second, we owe debts to all classes, particularly the poor. The wealthy are debtors to those who labor to create their riches. The believing poor—who toil day after day for bare subsistence, who serve their Church unhonored—deserve our remembrance. Few comprehend how a poor man's prayer brings blessing upon us.

Third, and supremely, we are debtors to our covenant God. Born as His creatures, we owe Him obedience. When we break His commandments, we incur a debt to His justice we cannot pay—yet Christ has paid it. We are debtors to God's love, power, and forgiving mercy. As His sons and Christ's brethren, we owe a filial debt that a lifetime of obedience can never fully discharge.

This doctrine demands humility and zealous service.