Proverbs 6:1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
Whatever the Christian does or does not do, the word of God should sit squarely in the forefront of his mind, instructing, informing, and guiding his every decision, so that a "Thus saith The Lord" may be clearly written on his thoughts, motives and actions. The above passage addresses a very common occurrence which many of us have faced at some point in our experience, and it is always good to know what the scriptures say on the matter. The passage does not say that as Christians, we should never stand security for anyone, even though the verses do specify friends strangers as those we should exercise due caution with. What the scriptures do say is that there are dangers that are associated with the practice of co-signing, or being a guarantor, and as history shows, these risks can turn out to be very costly at times. As a general rule of thumb, the Bible raises a red flag of caution whenever this favor is requested by anyone, for it does carry with it obligations that must be met, regardless of the outcome.
For instance, a guarantor is obligated to pay whatever is required in a contract if the borrower should default on that which is loaned, and this obligation is to be held as a sacred vow being made in the sight of God and man, and therefore cannot be rescinded for any of the many reasons that are often used to contravene one's word. When as Christians we co-sign on a document for someone, we should be prepared to bear the full brunt of the responsibility of the contract should the need arise, even though it may cause us great financial hardship, for according to Psalms 15:4, those who will enter in through the gates of heaven are those who swear to their own hurt and change not. Furthermore, the scriptures give us a concise view of God's perspective on the matter of making vows. Let's read:
Ecclesiastes 5:2 "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error" ..... 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
In our day, the practice of co-signing has done much good, but it has also produced very much evil, for friends have been alienated, and families have been torn apart, and worse yet, an unforgiving spirit has been cherished in many cases where contracts thus entered into were violated by the one who sought the favor. The word of God is very practical in its instructions to us, and as such takes a proactive and preventative approach in dealing with the many problems and afflictions with which be are buffeted from time to time, and therefore it is of critical importance when deciding whether or not to co-sign, that we first seek the Lord in prayer, and then wait for Him to guide us with wisdom and discretion in all the ways of His choosing.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us the all-important lesson of taking all of our burdens and concerns to God in prayer, for if we do, He has promised that He will both hear and answer, according to His good will. Let's read:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own "mis" understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!