In the last post it was concluded that every Christian should prayerfully consider how to best approach the ministry of mercy in both church and community. Before moving to some of the common problems of benevolence, there are a few principles worth mentioning.

Individual or Corporate?
First, there are some who suggest that the ministry of mercy is for individuals and not churches. That is, each individual Christian has the obligation to give to the poor, but churches do not. While I am convinced that there are many sincere Christians who believe this, a careful look at the Scriptures bring us to a different conclusion. There are several passages in New Testament (not just the Old Testament) that imply congregational action. The most important pericope may be found in Acts 6:1-8. It should be noted that the church in Jerusalem, not just the individuals, had a very sophisticated and organized way of handling the physical needs of the people. Also, though I realize I am skating on thin ice hermeneutically, we need to remember that verses such as Romans 12:20 are not just written to individuals, but the corporate body (1:7). In addition to this, one can hardly deny that Paul’s admonition to Timothy to care for widows (1 Tim. 5:3) is just to the pastor. Certainly the Apostle expects the church to work together at this.

As a follow up principle, there may be times when the church as a body cannot in good conscience give to a particular need but individual Christians are encouraged to do so. For example, some churches are hesitant to give money to families who have their kids in private schools. Not that churches are against private education, but since funds are limited, they believe that benevolence should be reserved for emergencies: food, shelter, perhaps medical care. However, in situations like these that fall outside of the congregational policies, there may be individuals in the congregation that feel led to give to such a cause. Thus, there are occasions where individuals can meet needs beyond the corporate policies.

Theology?
We should also pause to consider the theology that underlies any ministry of mercy. We are encouraged to do benevolence because God Himself is benevolent. He is a good God that delights in taking care of the widow and orphan (Ps. 68:5, 10). Deuteronomy 10:18 speaks to his compassion for the weak: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” If the treatment of our enemies is to be patterned after God (Matt. 5:45) how much more our love for the poor? “Pure religion” (Jam. 1:27) is “pure” because it is the very heart of God. There is no greater place to witness God’s love for the weak and poor than in the Gospel itself: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). If God became poor for us, it is just reasonable that we should be willing to do the same for each other.

Saved, Lost or Both?
One final thought that is worthy of consideration is whether or not benevolence should be given to the lost or reserved for the needs of the church itself? There is little debate that the early church gave indiscriminately, to both the saved and the lost. One of the earliest Christian treaties, The Didache, admonishes, “Give to everyone who asks thee, and do not refuse.” There are scores of examples of Christians giving to the poor in time of famine (see Alvin J. Schmidt’s Under the Influence, 125-50). The well worn quote of the Roman emperor Julian drives this point home: “Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of the Christians as their charity to strangers...the impious Galileans provide not only for their own poor, but for ours as well.”

Though the early church surely gave financially to unbelievers, the Bible must be the final word on the subject. And in this case, I think the early church got it right. We can see a principle for giving to unbelievers in the Law (Lev. 19:10). Once again, Romans 12:20 helps us answer this question: “[I]f your enemy is hungry, feed him” (cf. Prov. 25:21). So we can way with a degree of certainty that some of our benevolence giving should go to the needs of unbelievers. As the rains falls on the just and the unjust, so should our mercy. We must however, make one qualification: Christians in the local church should have priority when funds are limited. Paul seems to make this clear when he admonished us to “do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10).