1Samuel 8:3: ‘And
his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes,
and perverted judgment’.
Although the Bible is
not silent on the issue of bribery, only a few Christians have firmed up their
thoughts about it, because, ‘times are
hard and life is all about survival of the body’. One of the greatest
struggles of people therefore, is how to stand against bribery and corruption.
We are constantly faced with the problem of fines or court bookings by the
policeman, waiting for a long time to get our passports issued or a public
service carried out. Should I have gone through all this trouble waiting? Isn’t
it wise to just give the guy some money to get your work done? Can we actually
get anything done without actually bribing?
What is a “Bribe”?
“Bribe”
can be defined as “anything given to
people to persuade them to do something they would not ordinarily do” or “anything
given to people in authority to persuade them to do something wrong.”
A
gift on the other hand, is something which is voluntarily transferred by one
person to another without compensation. Note that, unlike bribes, gifts involve
no demands or expectations and are given voluntarily. However, Proverb 17:8 says “A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it:
whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth”. Therefore when you are occupying
an influential position, you need wisdom and tactfulness to take gifts.
What does the Bible
say about bribes?
The
Old Testament has much to say about bribes. The New Testament however, does not
use the word “bribe” but some bribery situation occurred in Acts 24:26kjv. The
Bible repeatedly commands God’s people not to accept bribes, and also condemns
people who do. In addition, refusing bribes is always right. The Bible always
condemns extorting from others, whilst always viewing the extorted person as a
victim. Further, the Bible does not condemn the giving of gifts, as long as the
“gifts” are not intended as bribes.
Read from the King James Bible: 1Samuel 8:3; 1Samuel 12:3; Job 15:34; Psalms
26:10; Isaiah 33:15; Amos 5:12 for more information.
Effects of Bribery
Christians
come to different conclusions about whether or not they should give or take
bribes. Some argue in favor of giving bribes under certain circumstances that a
“bribe” is really just a tip, a gift, or a donation; in many cultures people cannot
get what they want without providing some ‘financial incentives’ or the bribe provides
additional income so the underpaid workers can support their families. However,
the effects of bribery can be cunningly illusive but consider the under-listed reasons
against giving bribes under any circumstances:
·
When
you pay, you help corrupt the one you bribe.
· bribery may have unintended social consequences
and make a culture corrupt.
·
Paying
bribe shows a lack of faith in God to accomplish His purposes.
·
Giving
bribes sears the conscience of the giver.
· Trusted people may lose confidence in you
if they find out you paid/received a bribe.
·
Bribery
may cause dissension if others have different convictions about it.
What
should one do? —And not do?
Deciding whether or not to give a bribe
is not simply a matter of putting up arguments for both sides and coming to
some conclusion. The best thing one can do is to take preventive measures
to avoid being asked for bribes.
If faced with the issue of bribery, there
are some things one should not do. For example, do not accept bribes, and never
give a bribe to cover up something wrong. When confronted with a bribery
situation, the following four thought-provoking questions may be helpful:
Q1: Is it a bribe, a gift, or extortion?
Q2: Is this sinful?
Q3: Is this legal?
Q4: Are there other considerations?
Know this
Every time we give in
and pay a bribe instead of keeping our stand, we make a statement that
Christianity is fine with this system of bribery. Should we just keep silent
and play along with the existing system and never speak up on matters like
this?
Job 15:34
says “for the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall
consume the tabernacles of bribery”. Therefore, any work, ministry, church, political
system, corporate systems, or financial systems built on bribery will surely
burn and not prosper. When we continue to play along with the system in our
nation and refuse to stand up for what we believe, we are also turning a blind
eye to its destruction.
Finally
I hope and pray that a day will come when
it will be well known and understood all over that Christians won’t pay or take
bribes, no matter how much they have to struggle for the same. That is the
example that New Testament saints like Apostle Paul has shown us, (Acts 24:26kjb)
and let us follow the same.
Proverb 20:17 says “Bread
of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with
gravel”. Amen!
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