"Well, now, let's see. I know how to treat the poor. My taxes go to pay for  the prisons and the poorhouses; the homeless must go there." - Ebenezer Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol.

A recent year-end Barna report revealed that only 4% of self-identified Christians believe that poverty is an issue that is primarily the responsibility of the Church. Yet, an overwhelming majority of self-identified Christians (81%)contend that spiritual maturity is achieved by following the rules inthe Bible.

Here are some:

MATTHEW 25

Caring for the poor is not primarily the responsibility of government, but of God's people. We are not commanded to lobby the government to increase everyone's taxes to provide for the poor. We are commanded to sacrifice out of what God has blessed us with to take care of those who are less fortunate.

Effective Care for the Needy

Followers of Christ have the potential to be among the world’s most effective agents for social service. They have the example of Christ to follow. They have the motivation of doing compassionate work in His name. They have the structure, community life, and pooled resources of their congregations. And they have the model of the early church, which provided standards for the systematic, ongoing care of widows (1 Tim. 5:3–22).

We can learn a great deal about delivering services to the needy by carefully observing the principles that Paul set forth for Timothy and the believers at Ephesus. For example:

1. The care described here was regular and ongoing for people who were “taken into the number” (1 Tim. 5:9), that is, put on a list of continuing recipients of the church’s support. Presumably, the church was to give short-term support to people who needed help until they could get back on their feet, but not to able-bodied people who refused to work to support themselves (compare 2 Thess. 3:10).

2. The care was for “widows who are really widows” (1 Tim. 5:3). The Old Testament described a widow as a woman who had no one to support her and therefore depended on the protection of the community (Ex. 22:22–24; Deut. 14:28–29; 24:17–22; 26:12–13). If a widow had able-bodied children or grandchildren, she needed to depend on them for provision, not the church (1 Tim. 5:4).

3. A widow who was “taken into the number” incurred certain responsibilities in order to maintain her eligibility for the church’s charity. For example, she needed to be frugal lest someone reproach her for living an extravagant lifestyle and the fellowship for supporting it (1 Tim. 5:6–7). Likewise, she needed to meet certain criteria related to her earlier life and character (1 Tim. 5:9–10). The point was not to keep a widow out of the program, but to ensure that she served her fellow believers in every way she could if she was going to receive support.

4. Younger widows were expected to remarry and, as was common for that day, bear children (who presumably would care for their parents in old age). Again, the church needed to avoid offering long-term support to someone who had other options. To do so might contribute to wantonness, idleness, and gossip (1 Tim. 5:11–14).

These instructions to Timothy mirror principles about systematic aid found elsewhere in Scripture. For example, Paul told the Corinthians that financial support should go only to the truly poor. Likewise, the aim of providing care is to give people enough food, clothing, and other aid for survival and health. It is not intended to give anyone a free ride, even less to underwrite an inflated standard of living (2 Cor. 8:13–15; 1 Tim. 6:6–10).

First Timothy 5 specifically addresses the care of widows, but its principles apply to a much broader range of human need. By using this and other biblical texts to develop social programs, believers can effectively render care in a way that honors the name of Christ and provides real help to needy people.

Thomas Nelson Publishers: What Does the Bible Say About-- : The Ultimate A to Z Resource Fully Illustrated. Nashville, Tenn. : Thomas Nelson, 2001 (Nelson's A to Z Series), S. 419

Don't be a modern-day Scrooge and say, "My taxes go to support the unemployment system, the welfare system, food stamps, SCHIP, and everything else, so those who need help can go to Obama for it." Quite the contrary, Christians ought to be the primary resource for those who need benevolent assistance.