Shouldn't the Church help only needy Christians?

Shouldn't the Church help only needy Christians?

Answer: No, we are to love others and give freely.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith”.

-- Galatians 6:9,10

                Galatians summarizes the answer to this question and echoes what is said throughout the scriptures – “let us do good to everyone”. It is clear in this passage that the “everyone” includes those outside the church. In Deuteronomy, God calls us to love the stranger – “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” And in the parable of the Good Samaritan the “neighbor” was someone the Samaritan never met. The scripture teaches us we are responsible for our “neighbor”, the “stranger”, and even our “enemy” (Matthew 5:43-48). Our “neighbor” is anyone God has placed in our lives that we can serve.

The scripture warns us not to turn a blind eye to suffering around us (whether near or far) – “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” (Proverbs 21:13) “Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.” (Proverbs 28:27). God calls those in His Kingdom to have open hands to those who are in need - “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You will freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’” (Deuteronomy 15:1) We are to be extravagantly giving and hospitable, just as God extravagantly gave us all things richly in Jesus Christ.

                Galatians summarizes another aspect of this question – “especially to those who are of the household of faith”. Paul states in 1 Timothy 5 “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”. Paul is not writing here about the American nuclear family, but the extended family. In Israel there was the idea of the kinsman redeemer (which is a foreshadow of Christ). Basically, families looked after one another and if a close or an extended family member fell into poverty, the family helped them to get on their feet again. Paul is saying here that this is an essential attitude to the Christian. Paul in talking about widows states that they should be first taken care of by the family, and then; if needed by the church. Galatians 6 extends the responsibility of care beyond the biological family to those “who are of the household of faith”. As a body we are to take care of the needs of those in the church. We are not to consider ourselves above another, but are to care for the needs within the church as if they are our own.  

                The scripture challenges us to love and to genuinely care about the needs of others. Whether it is our own biological families, the household of faith, or a neighbor, or the stranger, or an enemy, we are called to love them and to love well and to love extravagantly. Our attitude should be as Christ who on this earth continually gave and then gave all He had on the cross. Paul writes us all,

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:1-11)

Jesus said, “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)