God’s Word teaches us to do business fairly. God has called us to live honestly and to maintain fairness in business dealings. We need to remember that we are doing God’s work, so we must set an example of righteousness in this work.
In business, we may be owners or employees, but we must remember that we are God’s children. The way we behave in our business clearly expresses our relationship with God. We must never deceive anyone, and love and respect everyone.
The Bible offers a golden rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. We don’t want anyone to deceive us or treat us badly. In the same way, we should not treat others in this way.
God is telling us to never cheat customers. God hates it, and He will answer it in time. God wants us to always live uprightly and keep ourselves from all kinds of wrongdoing.
It would be a big mistake if we thought we would get something by cheating on someone. God never wants His children to cheat others and fulfill their own interests. Even though there are hardships in our lives, let us never get in the way of unrighteousness. If we indulge in sin out of greed for the least amount of money, we must remember that God will not help us in times of trouble.
Let’s look at the Bible scriptures below that talk about fairness in business.
Leviticus 19:13 : —
“Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning”
Leviticus 19:35-36 : —
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measureJust balances, just weights, a just ephah, a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt”
Leviticus 25:14 : —
“If thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another”
Deuteronomy 16:19-20 : —
“Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, pervert the words of the righteousThat which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee”
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 : —
“Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gatesAt his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord , it be sin unto thee”
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 : —
“Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great a smallThou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great a smallBut thou shalt have a perfect just weight, a perfect just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth theeFor all that do such things, all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God”
Proverbs 10:9 : —
“He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known”
Proverbs 12:22 : —
“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord : but they that deal truly are his delight”
Proverbs 13:11 : —
“Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase”
Proverbs 13:20 : —
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”
Proverbs 14:31 : —
“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor”
Proverbs 16:11 : —
“A just weight balance are the Lord ‘s: all the weights of the bag are his work”
Proverbs 19:1 : —
“Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, is a fool”
Proverbs 19:17 : —
“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord ; that which he hath given will he pay him again”
Proverbs 20:10 : —
“Divers weights, divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord”
Proverbs 20:23 : —
“Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord ; a false balance is not good”
Proverbs 21:3 : —
“To do justice judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice”
Proverbs 21:6 : —
“The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to fro of them that seek death”
Proverbs 22:1 : —
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, loving favour rather than silver gold”
Proverbs 22:16 : —
“He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want”
Proverbs 22:22 : —
“Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate”
Proverbs 28:20 : —
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent”
Proverbs 29:7 : —
“The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it”
Proverbs 31:8-9 : —
“Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destructionOpen thy mouth, judge righteously, plead the cause of the poor needy”
Proverbs 3:27 : —
“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it”
Micah 6:11 : —
“Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, with the bag of deceitful weights?”
Isaiah 1:17 : —
“Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow”
Isaiah 33:15-16 : —
“He that walketh righteously, speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, shutteth his eyes from seeing evilHe shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure”
Isaiah 58:6-7 : —
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, that ye break every yoke?Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”
Jeremiah 22:13 : —
“Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, giveth him not for his work”
Ezekiel 45:10 : —
“Ye shall have just balances, a just ephah, a just bath”
Amos 8:5 : —
“Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, the shekel great, falsifying the balances by deceit?”
James 2:1-4 : —
“My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of personsFor if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, there come in also a poor man in vile raimentAnd ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstoolAre ye not then partial in yourselves, are become judges of evil thoughts?”
James 5:4 : —
“Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth”
Colossians 4:1 : —
“Masters, give unto your servants that which is just equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven”
Romans 12:17 : —
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men”
Romans 13:7 : —
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour”
Romans 2:11 : —
“For there is no respect of persons with God”
Luke 6:31 : —
“As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise”
Matthew 5:37 : —
“But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil”
Matthew 7:12 : —
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law the prophets”
Hebrews 13:5 : —
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”
Psalm 112:5 : —
“A good man sheweth favour, lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion”
Psalm 15:2-5 : —
“He that walketh uprightly, worketh righteousness, speaketh the truth in his heartHe that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbourIn whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord . He that sweareth to his own hurt, changeth notHe that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved”
Psalm 37:21 : —
“The wicked borroweth, payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, giveth”
Psalm 82:3-4 : —
“Defend the poor fatherless: do justice to the afflicted needyDeliver the poor needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked”
Zechariah 8:16-17 : —
“These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth peace in your gatesAnd let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord”
Malachi 3:5 : —
“I will come near to you to judgment; I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against false swearers, against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, the fatherless, that turn aside the stranger from his right, fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts”
Job 31:13-14 : —
“If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with meWhat then shall I do when God riseth up? when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?”
Ephesians 6:9 : —
“Ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him”
Philippians 2:4 : —
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”
Philippians 4:8 : —
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things”
Exodus 22:25 : —
“If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury”
Exodus 23:6 : —
“Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause”