The Poor: A Cornerstone of Christian Generosity

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

The following is an excerpt from The Secret of Generosity, an excellent book on what the Bible says about the power of generosity. The author has kindly allowed me to publish excerpts of his chapter on "the poor" in support of my Red Kettle Challenge to help the needy.

“Remember the poor.” (Gal. 2:10)

At first I was hesitant to add a chapter on poverty for fear that it would turn holiness into humanitarianism.  There is a very real temptation to reduce the Bible's instructions for our giving to nothing more than alleviating the pains of poverty—to minimize the spiritual redemption found in biblical generosity to mere social reform.  This critical mistake focuses only on physical need and neglects spiritual, mental, emotional, and eternal purposes.  That being said, when we consider how much God's word has to say regarding the poor, needy, and afflicted, it would be foolish not to give them due attention.  In light of all these things, we must move through this chapter remembering that caring for the poor is a fruit, not the root, of biblical generosity.  We have to avoid the temptation to minimize God's eternal word to economics.

In addition, it is difficult to discuss the hardships of the poor without struggling against waves of guilt.  Considering the impoverished, destitute, fatherless, and forsaken will engage our emotions, but we must remember what we discussed in an earlier chapter:  Guilt-induced giving is not gospel-induced giving.  My hope for this chapter is that we will all get caught up in the redemptive, restorative heart of our generous Father, and step out with Him into a broken and needy world rather than try to medicate our guilt by writing a few random checks.  I pray earnestly that the following pages will inspire us to join the Lord as He rescues the weak and needy (Ps. 82:4), and gives the helpless hope (Job 5:16).

God's heart

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy...is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD.” (Jer. 22:16, NIV)

The poor and needy have an undeniably special place in the heart, plans, and purposes of God.  From Genesis to Revelation, the Lord makes His thoughts towards the poor and afflicted known.  With astonishing clarity, God shows His favor towards those in need.

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” (Ps. 113:7)

“The needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Is. 29:19)

“He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.” (Prov. 14:31)

“Did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith?” (Jam. 2:5)

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.” (Luke 6:20-21)

On countless occasions, God calls Himself the Rescuer, Restorer, and Redeemer of those in need.  He goes as far as to say that the manner in which we treat the poor is a reflection of our treatment of Him.  Jesus continued this line of thinking in His teaching as well.

“Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?'...The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (Matt. 25:37-40)

God unmistakably connects caring for the poor to His own Presence.  When we are generous to the poor, we honor the Lord, bear His image, and reflect His heart.  Conversely, when we neglect to do so, we taunt our Maker (Prov. 14:31).

“Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'  Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'  Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:41-46)

Jesus, along with the rest of the Bible, makes a clear distinction between the righteous and the wicked based upon their treatment of those in need.  “The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, the wicked does not understand such concern.” (Prov. 29:7)  According to scripture, a genuine concern for the less fortunate is one evidence that the Spirit of God has entered our hearts.

Please hear me clearly:  I am not saying that we are saved by caring for the poor.  What I am saying is that the Bible consistently draws a line in the sand as to whether or not the Spirit of God truly resides in our hearts based upon our treatment of those in need.  Consider the following:

“He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered.” (Prov. 21:13)

“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (Jam. 2:14-16)

“Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17)

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy...is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD.” (Jer. 22:16, NIV)

“Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matt. 19:21)

Throughout the Old and New Testament, the treatment of the poor is an indicator of much deeper spiritual realities.  Caring for the poor is part of what God said it means to know Him and part of what Jesus said it means to follow Him.

“According to Jesus, you can tell someone is a follower of Christ by the fruit of his or her life, and the writers of the New Testament show us that the fruit of faith in Christ involves material concern for the poor.  Caring for the poor is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts.  If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts.” - David Platt

Avoiding the obvious errors of legalism, we must take the time to reflect over this crucial component of God's heart in our own life.  Are we engaging the heart of our Father and His restorative work with those in need?

In all honesty, we typically consider ministry to the poor as an extra-curricular activity—resume material for the spiritually high achieving.  Yet, the Bible clearly indicates that caring for the broken, needy, and afflicted is basic, fundamental Christianity.  I pray that Christ would meet us here.

Widows, orphans, and aliens (strangers)

Before going further, I feel the need to broaden our definition of “the poor” beyond those simply lacking financial resources.  Throughout the Bible, God extends His commands to care for the poor to include widows, orphans, and aliens (strangers, travelers, or temporary residents).  The scripture clearly indicates that these subgroups have a special place in the heart of God.

First, the Old Testament Law gave specific commands to leave behind portions of produce for widows, orphans, and aliens to gather up (Deu. 24:19-22).  Secondly, every three years a special tithe was collected to provide for their needs (Deu. 14:28-29).  Finally, the New Testament goes as far as calling the care of widows and orphans:  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless.” (Jam. 1:27, NIV)

The reason behind these commands is that God calls Himself a Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows, and the Place where the orphan finds mercy (Ps. 68:5, Hos. 14:3).  One story buried in the Old Testament shows this attribute of God well.  In a litany of curses and judgments God is pouring out on the land of Edom through the prophet Jeremiah; He tells the Edomites to flee for He will strip them bare and destroy them as He pours out the cup of His wrath.  In the middle of this pronouncement, He stops for a moment and says:  “Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in Me.” (Jer. 49:11)  Then, without missing a beat, God continues declaring His judgment against the land of Edom.  The Bible clearly attests of the special care and concern the Father has for widows and orphans.

Jesus comforted His disciples by saying:  “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)  Let us follow His example.  I pray we would begin to reflect the caring compassion of the Father to the fatherless to our broken world.

Comments

[Keith]

A long post, but well worth reading. Thank you FMF for bringing these truths to us.

[Luis]

"...minimize the spiritual redemption found in biblical generosity to mere social reform. This critical mistake focuses only on physical need and neglects spiritual, mental, emotional, and eternal purposes."

I take umbrage with this statement it sounds oddly like a political attack immersed inside a biblical personal finance blog.

[Mary Kay]

FMF,

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about whether Christians should do more than just give to the needy. I know some people will always be unable to take care of themselves/their needs and we shoud donate to them, but what about those that could help themselves given the right opportunity? Should we be using some of our resources to hire others to do jobs we could do ourselves becuase it would be a Chriatian thing to do. A friend of mine knows someone in her church that had their hours cut at work. This person is willing to clean houses to try to make up for her lost income. I don't pay someone to clean our house but we could afford to do so if we wanted. Is the Christian thing to do to hire this person that wants to work and has been vouched for by my friend? It almost seems like that would be a Christian thing to do.

[FMF]

Mary Kay --

I think we're all called to help the poor, though our help may come in different ways. If you're feeling led to give those who need help a leg up, then that sounds like a great way to bless the poor.

[rob @ dollars and doctrine]

This is Rob (author of post).

Keith, thanks for your kind words.

Luis, I think your umbrage has to do with the fact that this post is one excerpt from one chapter of a 200 page book. In the overall context, I don't think you find anything political about my book. In fact, I think we actually agree...let me explain. The point I am trying to make is that biblical generosity is about a whole lot of things (God's glory, spiritual transformation, physical restoration, etc.) and I am concerned some people use bits and pieces of scripture to fit a social or political agenda rather than looking at the whole of what the Bible teaches. So, I think we actually may agree, and I appreciate your comments...they always help me learn how to get my points across with better clarity.

Mary Kay, I think FMF did a great job answering your question.

[Kelly@goodmoneysense]

Before I read the second part of your post, the one thought running through my mind was that the "poor" is a much broader category then just those with less than ideal financial circumstances. Those who are poor in this day in age can be of various categories; those who lack family support, those who lack self-appreciation (drug abusers, alcoholics), even those who lack social skills (mentally challenged individuals, children with autism or other diseases). Our humanity is most cetainly calculated by how we treat people in these situations. Not only is it our responsibility to take care of those in horrible financial crisis, but also those who struggle with internal crisis's. We are no more humane by giving a homeless person some extra change, then we would be by taking the time to talk with a child who has been given up for a adoption because they were born with downs syndrome. We are only as good as the compassion we show for less fortunate individuals, whoever they may be.

[Briana @ Prairie EcoThrifter]

I try to help anyone in need, whether they're poor or just going through a hard time. I think Christianity has a lot of roots in giving, rather than receiving. FMF, you seem like you do a lot of giving, so kudos to you!