What God Says About Quid Pro Quo. Part [10] 12/25/2025 (Morning thought)

Numbers 22:7 And the elders of Moab and elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak. 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they.

If churches accept payments, or funding from governments and politicians they could obviously be under some pressure to have their congregants vote a certain way, in the benefactor’s favor and then the churches in question will feel obligated to have the politicians use their pulpits to further their agendas. Also, wherever this is the case, those affected by the practice of quid pro quo would be under pressure or even threat of removal of funding, unless they bring their moral beliefs, and practices into harmony with the funder’s wishes.

This in turn can, and will ultimately affect adversely, the freedom of religion and thus, a denomination or church, that is supposed to be a moral compass in a world gone wild, will feel pressured to acquiesce on very important moral issues such as marriage. It all has to do with the concept and practice of quid pro quo, where you scratch my back and I would be expected to scratch yours.

It is quid pro quo that got Balaam into trouble, for he was promised monetary benefits and high positions in Balak’s government in exchange for doing what he knew was wrong. The pressure was turned up several notches as the highest, ranking members of Balak’s government, in their efforts to bribe the prophet, made additional and costly offers in return for the favor of cursing God’s people.

Numbers 22:16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, let nothing I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

What God Says About Quid Pro Quo. Part [9] 12/25/2025 (Evening thought)

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Again, on a personal level, the practice of salvation by works is based upon quid pro quo where persons do good and right things expecting to receive some benefit in return. Doing the right thing, in any form or fashion, where the primary motivation is a return on investment, falls short of the gold standard, and should be strictly avoided wherever possible. According to the Bible, when Jesus comes the 2nd time, many people will be expecting to be ushered into His kingdom based upon meritorious work.

They kept a list of the many good things that they did and now, as far as expectation goes, they believe it is time for Jesus to return the favors, with a one-way ticket to glory.  But too late persons find out that God’s kingdom is not based on quid pro quo, and now, even though they make mention of their long list of good deeds, Christ isn’t buying it because their motivations were not honorable. In other words, they were doing the right things for the wrong reasons.

[2] Quid Pro Quo on a church/ state level. Quid pro quo is so pervasive that it can be observed also, on a church level where politicians may offer to fund certain programs and educational endeavors of the church, in exchange for some favor. Remember, the foundational principles of quid pro quo involve a favor or advantage that is granted, or expected in return for something. When this occurs it very often blurs the lines between the church and state.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!