Economics and Salvation

My daughter is taking economics this year. Sometimes I read the books assigned, which I did this week. It is interesting reading and I am excited for her to be in the class. Some time ago I read Freakonomics, which really opened my eyes to a broader understanding of the field. Probably, if I weren't in theology, economics would be something I would seriously consider pursuing. It has components of math, psychology, philosophy and history. It is also focused on the basic issues of life.

Like many folks, I have observed a great deal of news coverage on the congressional budget debates. I have a personal distaste for debt which drives me to pay things off early. I get fifteen year mortgages and add to the payment for that reason. So, a guy like me has a very difficult time understanding why it is a good idea to continually add billions of dollars of debt each year. I also understand that national economics is more complex than my personal financial life. Even so, I am upset that each year we pile on more and  more debt. The polluting influence of politicians doing their spin thing only makes it worse....

The word economy for me is forever changed because of an expression, "economy of salvation," which I first heard in seminary. The process whereby God does His saving work is in a context of a web of relationships. The interactions can be subtle and discreet, yet make huge impacts. Perhaps this is what Jesus was getting at when he talked about mustard seeds becoming large bushes. Or yeast in dough.

We are all in debt to God, and it isn't just sin. If we were sinless, we would still be in debt. "All things come of Thee O Lord" we frequently pray on Sunday. We owe God for everything we have. Sinning just compounded the entire process. Debts never disappear. When someone writes off a debt, they eat it. The debt is still there, it just isn't paid off by the one who owed it. But the debt remains. The one owed the debt just does not collect. The debt holder is the one who pays the debt. On a cosmic scale, God writes off the debt, which means God pays it off. The cost is seen on the Cross. Like all economic systems it is more complex. The cross does not explained everything. We do not understand how it works. We just know it does.

In the days ahead, when our nation collapses under the fiscal irresponsibility, there will be great suffering. There is also greater suffering in store for the sinful choices we make. Unfortunately, humans have a remarkable capacity to ignore approaching doom. People ignore the truth. People ignore the future cost of decisions. Perhaps that is why Jesus spoke so much about Judgment?