Jesus Christ and Money with Integrity

Leviticus 19:35,36 - King James Version

35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.




Not a lot of Christians think in terms of money or currency in relationship to the Bible or Jesus Christ, as most of us operate under certain assumptions concerning it, and really don't understand the underlying factors affecting the money we used on a daily basis for the transactions we make in our lives.

But the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about money that has integrity, and the passage above encapsulates that very well.

Most of us, when we think of money from long ago, understand historically that people used gold and silver coins as part of the medium of exchange. That's why the reference to just weights and measures are mentioned by God in the passage above.

What we don't understand is even though we mostly use paper or digital currency these days, there is still the principle of the fact that money must have integrity if it is to be something we can predictably trust as a medium of exchange.

In other words, money shouldn't be allowed to be created out of thin air by central banks around the world (which is called fiat money), because it has a strong, negative impact on the value of the currency that is being printed, or these days, digitally added to the marketplace.

Before we touch on this, don't get overly concerned about what a "just ephah, and a just hin," means in the scriptures. The point isn't what they specifically were, but the fact that there was a standard that was understood by the people of that time, and that standard was to be adhered to by the order and command of Almighty God.

I say this because some people easily get sidetracked by this to the detriment of missing the point of the command of God, which was that money was to have integrity to it, and anything that undermines that integrity is disallowed by Jesus Christ.

That means people must be able to confidently engage in financial interactions where they can trust that the money is exactly what it is supposed to be. Fiat money, or money created by central banks around the world disrupt that confidence and predictability, whereby people and businesses are hurt by it because of the fact that just weights and balances are not being used.

How is that the case?

I'm not going to get into every probability and possibility concerning money and the forces bearing on it, as it would confuse most of you, and the frustration would probably cause you to abandon the idea of even trying to understand the basic premise behind central banks using unjust weights and measures in the eyes of God.

Instead, will look at what is the most important part of the equation, and that is when money is printed by central banks, including the Federal Reserve in America, it debases or weakens the U.S. dollar, resulting in less buying power by those using the currency.

Consequently, over time, inflation rises and rises, coming about from the release of money into the economy that is created out of thin air; money that has no backing or support whatsoever, other than people unfortunately trust in it because of the promise that it has the full backing of the U.S. government. Other governments around the world make similar promises, with many reneging on them after they basically destroy their currencies.

So every time a central bank releases money that isn't backed by anything such as gold, it effectually is participating in the unjust act of disrupting the weights and measures required by God. It does that be lowering the value of the currency in question. That's sin.

Period.

The majority of people don't understand this, including Christians, so they support the actions of central banks, or at minimum don't oppose or pray against them, as we should.

Why this is important is because the central banks give governments and corrupt politicians a blank check to spend whatever they want to, which not only adds to the national debt, which in the case of America is unsustainable, as well as other regions of the world, such as the euro zone, bringing the economies crashing down on the heads of unsuspecting people,

who don't understand the forces being applied upon them. They know something is wrong, but they don't know the why of it.

As sheep being led to the slaughter, and because governments and central banks have socialized people into accepting their actions as those that will save them, they continue to call for more spending and stimulus, even though that is one of the major reasons for the sick global and national economies.

What a gold or combined metal or commodity standard does is force governments and politicians to spend within their means. For Christians, that points to the government being kept very small and focused on its only God-given function, which is protection and the court systems.

For example, if there was a gold standard, or a gold standard combined with another commodity like silver or other metals, there could be no more spending than what the currency is backed up with. The result of that would be money that could be counted on to hold its value, and a more predictable outcome in the future.

Notice in the scripture above how God equates just weights and measures to the children of Israel, or the Old Testament church, being delivered from bondage out of Egypt. The result of the abandonment of money with integrity is bondage, and that's what we see today as money is created and thrown around by central banks.

To create money out of thin air is rebellion against God, and ever since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the value of the U.S. dollar has plummeted by over 95 percent. If the country you live in has had a central bank for decades, you could also check to see how the value of the currency you use has fallen as well. I guarantee it'll shock you when you find out what it is.

Fiat money, or money created by central banks without anything backing it up, is a devastating practice which is the major enabler of politicians trying to make a name for themselves in the earth. It corrupts them even further, and allows them to make the government into a healer and provider; something that is an abomination to God, and something He never intended.

Go and read the book of Daniel when he revealed and interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. It said that when Jesus Christ (identified as the Rock cut out of a mountain) would come, he would small the worldly kingdoms and empires. Anything that supports the idea of empire-building is a direct assault on the fact that Jesus Christ alone is king of kings and lord of lords. Anything supporting something contrary is an enemy to that reality. Central banks and money creation out of thin air falls within that category.

As for money, for it to operate as God intended, it needs to be backed up by something that provides a value to it. Anything else is a form of magic; only an idea or a thought - nothing else. The only thing allowing it to continue is because people who don't understand the mechanics behind money continue to have misguided trust and faith in it. They'll do that to their ruin.

Money is now flawed for the reasons mentioned above, and we need to pray for the return of money that actually has hard assets backing it. Anything else is built on shifting sand, and it will eventually come tumbling down.

That's not to say we are to trust in money in general. But we do need to be able to trust in the fact that money should be what it is asserted to be. It isn't.

It's like buying a car from someone who says it works great and has nothing wrong with it. We don't put our trust or faith in a car, but when we buy it for an agreed upon amount based upon its condition, we should be able to take possession of the car taking those assertions into account. We cannot do that with money, and the flawed U.S. dollar and many other currencies are a disaster that is no longer even attempted to be held in any type of check or balance.

Money must have integrity, and it no longer has any whatsoever. People, including Christians, will find that out to their ruin some day, as they continue to support the government and out-of-control politicians who believe they can continue to spend with impunity.

At its basic level, money needs to have something back it up. If it doesn't, it can be played with and manipulated by anyone who chooses to, and when you combine that with the governments around the world exceeding the mandate laid down by God, it's only a matter of time and when it'll come crashing down upon unsuspecting people.

We must pray that God will deal with central banks by removing them out of the world. We must pray for an honest currency; one that has substance and integrity to it and which holds its value over time.

Ron Paul on Competing Currencies

Ron Paul, among other things, has been a supporter of alternative currencies - which would compete against one another - being allowed to circulate among the American people, giving them other options than the failing U.S. dollar.

Before the United States House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, Hearing on Sound Money: Parallel Currencies and the Roadmap to Monetary Freedom, August 2, 2012, Paul said this:

One of the most pressing issues of our time is the push for monetary freedom. The only sound monetary system is one which protects sound money and allows consumers, businesses, and investors the freedom to transact in the currency of their choice. The importance of sound money is summed up nicely by Ludwig von Mises: "It is impossible to grasp the meaning of the idea of sound money if one does not realize that it was devised as an instrument for the protection of civil liberties against despotic inroads on the part of governments." It is no wonder that governments fight tooth and nail against sound money, as sound money protects the well-being of the middle class and the poor while preventing the expansion of government.

As we've talked here a number of times, Paul also noted that since the creation of the Federal Reserve, it has debased the U.S. dollar by 96 percent.

Over the past 100 years, the Federal Reserve has continually pumped new money into the economy, resulting in a 96 percent devaluation of the dollar. This devaluation does not affect everyone equally, as the banks who receive this new money first benefit from using it before prices rise, while average Americans suffer the price rises first and receive only a trickle of money well afterward. In this way the Fed enriches Wall Street while impoverishing Main Street, leading to a growing disparity of wealth.

Shaming the American government and the Federal Reserve by countries that already allow competing currency options in their countries, he cited Mexico, Singapore, and other countries in Asia as those already participating in the practice.

Mexican workers can set up accounts that are denominated in ounces of silver, and can take delivery of that silver whenever they want, tax-free. In Singapore and some other Asian countries, individuals can set up bank accounts denominated in gold and silver. Debit cards can be linked to gold and silver accounts so that customers can use their gold and silver to make point of sale transactions, a service which is only available to non-Americans. In short, Americans have far fewer options to protect their wealth than citizens of many foreign countries do.

The solution to this problem is to legalize monetary freedom and allow the circulation of parallel and competing currencies. There is no reason why Americans should not be able to transact, save, and invest in the currency of their choosing. Unfortunately, decades of government restrictions and regulations have hampered and prevented the circulation of parallel currencies and destroyed the familiarity of Americans with any sort of money aside from Federal Reserve Notes or bank deposits denominated in U.S. dollars. The thought of introducing parallel currencies undoubtedly scares many people who understandably wish to minimize their financial risk.

All financial activity is fraught with risk. Most people understand the risks inherent in stock or bond investment, but the risk of holding savings accounts or cash is still drastically under-appreciated. Everyone is familiar with the maxim "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" and investors and savers are constantly urged to diversify their portfolios, yet the U.S. government continues to set roadblocks that force Americans to transact and save in dollars that continue to depreciate.

Paul is absolutely correct in his assertions. Most Americans are subject to the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar and interest rates in association with it.

Now people have their money in savings accounts that generate almost nothing in interest, while inflation continues to run at about a 2 percent annual rate. That means the average American, or anyone in a country with no competing currencies, are subject to the practices of the central bank, which in America is of course the Federal Reserve.

The more Americans and people around the world understand the inherent risk in relying upon a single currency, the more they'll work towards eliminating central banking and also for the adoption of alternative currencies in their respective countries.

Jim Rogers Talks Ron Paul, Economy

Jim Rogers talks in this interview with the Financial Times about Ron Paul, the economy, and other topics like gold, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Constitution, inflation, and the U.S. dollar.

Jim Rogers Sees Commodity Supercycle

Jim Rogers has been a bull on commodities for a number of years, but he has even gotten more positive on the raw materials lately, saying he sees the supercycle has another 20 to 25 years to run before it slows down.

Also commenting on the decision by the Swiss National Bank to battle the appreciation of the franc against the euro, Rogers said it's ”a huge mistake,” adding “the market will have more money in the end than the SNB.”

Rogers said on CNBC that risk faced by the bank is it probably will “totally debase the Swiss franc trying to keep Switzerland ‘competitive’ which will then destroy the traditional Swiss financial industry.”

According to Rogers, he sees the Chinese yuan as the best place to park your money as far as a currency goes. He also likes the U.S. dollar over the short term, but sees it as the worst currency over the long term.