God clearly condemns bribery in many passages in the Bible. However, those verses almost always reprove those who accept bribes, especially judges, not those who give bribes. God is concerned about the perversion of justice. Bribery is also a companion of other sins, notably theft and murder. The church is not immune to this sin either. The qualifications for elders include "not greedy for money," a warning against every money sin, including bribery.
But then we encounter a surprise: some passages, such as Proverbs 17:8 and Proverbs 21:14, seem to condone bribery. These passages comment on the nature of bribes in a fallen world: they work, including pacifying anger. Biblical examples include Jacob meeting Esau and Abigail keeping David "from coming to shed blood." It is important to note, however, that these bribes were not sinful—they did not pervert justice, nor did Jacob or Abigail personally benefit from the bribes.
The Bible's criticism is straightforward: men are wicked if they accept bribes. But in this fallen world, the Christian may be forced into a position where a bribe is the only means of turning away anger or securing a righteous ruling from a judge who does not fear God, as in the parable of the Unjust Judge in Luke 18. For example, many believers have had to pay what amounts to a bribe to adopt children from a foreign country. The guilt rests upon those who demand and take such bribes, not Christians who agree to pay to adopt and, in many cases, rescue children.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
