The scriptures are clear. The responsibility for the well-being of widows, fatherless children, and the indigent is on the shoulders of all who call themselves Christians, or believers. Many people are blinded by racism, lack of finances, and a lack ofeducation to its role in social reform. It is understood that no Christian can rescue a community from the ravages of poverty as they did two thousand years ago when Jesus walked the land, but still today the Christian can point others towards Christ through love and action, which is a reflection of Christ’s divine Love (Rom 5:1).
Luke 4:18–19 NKJV “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the bliind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;”
Paul reminds us in this scripture that everyone that calls upon Christ must minister according to their gifts and abilities. Ministering to one in need has much more influence than wealth or personal standing. A person with little possesses no tangible advantage over someone with everything to be admired by society because of what they don’t have—patience, humility, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and compassion. This type of character is God ordained, and only given to the one that loves God, knows His word and practices His ways.
Romans 12:10 CJB “Be constantly eager to do good to each other and to everyone else.”
Christians are called to be laborers, with the capacity to do all things in God; they are endowed with spiritual insight and understanding. But above every blessing promised to them is this promise that they will do great exploits for the name of Jesus Christ. Their thought process and actions are carried out of love of God, not out of fear, as is stated in scripture below. But, many times the world cannot see it as such because the flesh works in opposition to the spirit.
Job 36:12 CJB “If these were realized, you would both see and discover that God is great, and does whatever he wants;”
Isaiah 55:2–3 KJV “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live;”
1 Corinthians 13
Many do not know that there are three primary divisions of love in the scriptures. They are Fatherly Love, Divine Love, and Royalty Love. Fatherly love is unconditional love, of course, we don’t mean biological father here, we mean love that washes over, encompasses, and transforms the being into “more” than what it was before. Fatherly love is God’s love; His essence. Divine love comes from the biblical concept of giving without receiving, and finally royal love, which is doing a loving task to feed, clothe, house, and employ the lowliest among us. This can include caring for widows, fatherless children, and the elderly. All acts of royal love come under the headship of Christ, and Jesus Christ is the head of all authority on earth. Therefore, there is no place where there is authority for anyone or any group to dictate what constitutes Christian righteousness, and it is foolish for anyone to state otherwise.