Saving is simple Christian wisdom, meant to serve love and strengthen households for ordinary burdens. But Jesus warns against turning money into a false refuge and against letting worry rule the heart. Start with a plan: give first, save steadily, and entrust outcomes to God’s fatherly care.
Thesis 13: “After the fall, free will exists only as a concept, and as long as it acts in accordance with itself, commits a deadly sin.”
Thesis 14: “After the fall, free will only has the power to passively do good, but it is always able to actively do evil.”
Thesis 15: “Further still, free will could not remain in a state of innocence, much less actively do good, but the will is only able to do good passively.”
Debt is not automatically sinful, nor is being debt-free a badge of righteousness. Scripture speaks with truth and mercy. Borrowing can serve love and vocation, yet it can also quietly bind us. This week, we consider when debt is wise, when it becomes slavery, and how Christian households can walk in honesty, responsibility, and hope.
Thesis 9: “To say that works without Christ are indeed dead but not mortal sins seems a perilous rejection of the fear of God.”
Thesis 10: “Indeed, it is very difficult to see how a work can be dead and at the same time not a culpable, or mortal sin.”
Thesis 11: “Arrogance cannot be avoided nor can true hope be present, unless the judgment of damnation is feared in every work.”
Thesis 12: “As a consequence, in the sight of God sins are truly venial when human beings fear them as mortal.”
The parable of the workers in the vineyard pokes right at our instinct for comparison and grievance. Christ doesn’t train us to negotiate God’s generosity—He teaches us to receive it, and then to live out that same generosity toward our neighbor.
Thesis 7: “The works of the righteous would be mortal sins were they not feared as mortal sins by the righteous themselves out of pious fear of God.”
Thesis 8: “All the more are human works mortal sins when they are done without fear and in unadulterated, evil self-security.”
“Do not steal” reaches further than obvious crimes. God protects your neighbor not only from robbery, but also from the quiet, respectable ways we can take—through dishonesty, carelessness, or taking advantage. And Christ frees us to live differently: with clean hands, open hearts, and practical love.
Thesis 5: “The works of human beings—we speak of works which appear to be good—are thus not mortal sins as if they were crimes.”
Thesis 6: “The works of God—we speak of those that are done through human beings—are thus not merits as if they were sinless.”
Prices aren’t a judgment on your worth, and they aren’t an excuse for greed. They’re one of the ordinary ways God lets people coordinate life in a world with limits—so needs get met, work gets rewarded, and neighbors can deal with one another honestly.
Thesis 3: “Although the works of human beings always seem attractive and good, it is nevertheless probable that they are mortal sins.”
Thesis 4: “Although the works of God always seem unattractive and evil, they are nevertheless really immortal merits.”
