Question: Bob, if God does not want Christians to go into debt, does that make a home mortgage wrong? Response: Great question Peggy. Recall from several of our times together here and on the radio, you discovered that God’s Word does not prohibit borrowing. Yet, most young couples need to borrow to buy a house—they need a mortgage. The problem is that a home loan often results in what the Bible calls surety, which is taking on debt without a sure way to repay. Avoiding surety is a biblical principle; it is not biblical law. It is a biblical principle that if ignored may result in some significant negative consequences. For example, if you borrow to buy a home, then if for whatever reason, you cannot afford the mortgage payments, the bank will repossess and sell your home. If the sale price is less than you owe, you will not only lose your home, you will also need to sacrifice other assets to pay the difference between the sale price and the amount remaining on your mortgage. Ouch! So, what can you do? You can prayerfully work to avoid the consequences of surety by making certain that your home is worth more than what you owe. How? First, only borrow to buy a home based on what your cash flow will support–this means you must be living on a budget. Second, make a commitment to quickly reduce your mortgage to the point the house is worth more than you owe. Finally, get some help–do some homework to figure out how to pay off your mortgage as early as possible.