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iQuestions Faculty, Ron Blue 
 
 
Question: 
 
Which has a higher priority…debt repayment or giving? 
 
Answer: 
 
You know, I get this question a lot, “Should I, because I’m in debt, 
decrease my giving?” And the answer to that question begins with a 
principle, first of all, or a truth, and the truth is this: God owns it all, 
and He’s interested in all of it.  
 
And so, if I believe that God owns it all—and it says that in many, 
many places in scripture, that God owns it all—then it’s all His. “The 
earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1) He created it. 
So, if He owns it, and I’m a steward or a manger of it, I can draw a 
conclusion that every time I spend money, I am making a biblical 
decision, I making a stewardship decision, a scriptural decision. So, if I 
am paying off debt, I’m using God’s money to pay off debt. If I tithe, 
I’m using God’s money to tithe. He’s the One that gave it to me. 
 
We begin by saying, from a scriptural standpoint, is there no 
difference, in terms of using God’s money, whether I pay off debt, or 
whether I give, because it all belongs to Him. Now, I do think it makes 
a difference, however, that when you give as the highest priority, you 
begin to set the right priorities on your money. 
 
So, if I have debt, should I decrease my giving, in order to pay off 
debt? I would say no. I would increase. I would continue to do my 
giving. That would be the highest priority. 
 
 
 
If you’re in a crisis situation, where you can’t give and pay off debt, 
my counsel is this: get some counsel, get some accountability, and if 
you’re going to reduce your giving in order to pay off debt, it needs to 
be in accordance with a plan, and it needs to be with accountability. 
 
The best accountability is to go to your pastor, and say, “Pastor, this is 
what I’m thinking of doing. Will you hold me accountable to it, and do 
you agree with this decision?” If you’re using your giving dollars to get 
out of debt because you’re in a crisis situation, do it with accountability 
and do it with a plan. Don’t just do it. 
 
 
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