By: James Sherk

9 July 2003 Christian Charity and the State: Why God does not call upon Christians to use government to help the poor.

Many Christians support, on moral grounds, the prescription drug benefit for the elderly that Congress and the President are about to enact. They believe that Christ's call to help the poor and the needy extends beyond the realm of individual action to the state, and that the government has a moral imperative to provide for the poor. Some more liberal Christian groups, such as the National Council of Churches, seek to use the power of government to "end poverty." They believe that Christ's love can be expressed through government social programs, and that Christians should morally support welfare and entitlement programs that benefit the poor.

No matter how well meaning these Christians are, however, they fundamentally misunderstand the nature and purpose of Christian charity. They fail to appreciate that Christ's kingdom is not political or of this world, that good works must stem from faith and love of God, and that an important purpose of charity is a witness to non-believers. Additionally, American anti-poverty programs are based on the un-biblical notion of entitlement. Government programs do not further the kingdom of Christ, and Christians should not mistakenly believe that Jesus' call for individual acts of charity extends to the government.

Faith versus Works
In this controversy, it is important to understand that the essence of Christianity is faith in Christ. With Christ's death and resurrection, God established a new covenant with mankind. While sinful and fallen men could not obey the Law through their own power, Christ Jesus fulfills the law, and through faith in Christ all may receive salvation. Men have done nothing to merit salvation, but through faith it is a gift freely given. The apostle Paul clearly expresses this when he writes that

Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24).

It is through faith, not any merit or good work on the part of man, that God provides salvation. By its very nature, faith must be voluntary and freely undertaken, and it must involve true inner transformation, not mere outward works. In Christ's words, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). No man can force another to change their beliefs against their will. True Christians freely and voluntarily believe in Christ, and this faith is the center of their life.

The State and Coercion
As such, the natures of worldly governments and the Kingdom of Christ are diametrically opposed. For while Christians are united with God through faith, the essential characteristic of the state remains coercion and force. Citizens might have some role in crafting a government's laws, but once enacted, legislation is not voluntary. Citizens may not choose which regulations they will follow or taxes they will pay, they must uphold them all or the state will sentence them to jail. By its very nature, governments must force their citizens to obey laws that they would not voluntarily subscribe to. While this coercion is often necessary and justifiable, it is irreconcilable with faith. You cannot force someone to believe in Christ.

This is one of the reasons why the Kingdom of Christ and worldly governments are separate and distinct. Jesus expressed this distinction in his reply to the Pharisees "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matthew 22:21). While secular government plays a legitimate role in society, nothing in the New Testament remotely suggests that Christ wants his servants to utilize the coercive powers of the state to spread the gospel. John records that the Jews wished to serve Christ as a political Lord, but "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself" (John 6:15). Christ also demonstrated that while he had the power to use force, he would not.

"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26: 52-3).

Again in the gospel of John, Christ emphasizes the difference between secular authorities and his rule: "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place'" (John 18:36). The state has a legitimate role in society, but it remains a coercive instrument and separate from Christ's kingdom. Christians should recognize that attempts to utilize the power of the state to achieve Christian ends are inherently contradictory and fly in the face of scripture and the example set by Christ. God tells us to give to those in need, but nothing in scripture suggests extending that mandate to the government, which has nothing of its own to give, but can only redistribute the wealth of its citizens. Government programs that aid the poor, such as welfare, Medicaid, and food stamps, have worthy goals but achieve them using non-Christian means - the coercive power of the state. While God, in His providence, certainly has the power and ability to use the state to achieve his ends, Christians should nonetheless seek to use more direct and scriptural means to help the poor.

Love Is the Basis of Christian Charity
Those who support anti-poverty programs on the basis of God's commands not only misunderstand the nature of Christ's kingdom, they have an improper conception of the nature and purpose of Christian charity. Christians do not help the poor for the sake of doing a good deed. No one can obtain salvation through any amount of good works or giving to the poor. Paul writes in Ephesians that

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

Christians do not help the less fortunate in any expectation that it leads to salvation. Rather, Christians are saved by faith, and as a result of faith they help their neighbors.

While charity, in and of itself, does not save, Christians will nonetheless love others because of God's love. John expressed it clearly when he wrote "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Christian charity results from faith in and love of God and is performed voluntarily. Christians see the depth of God's love towards us, even though we are sinful and fallen individuals, and are moved to freely love and help others. Without faith and love, charity is meaningless to a Christian. While God tells us that good works lay up a treasure in heaven, that is not why Christians help others. Paul writes that "each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7) and again "if I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). Giving to others is a service to God, and should be done cheerfully and in a spirit of love and gratitude for the many gifts God has given us.

Involuntary government programs, in contrast, do not fulfill this Christian duty to love and serve others. The vast majority of Americans, including most Christians, do not pay the taxes that fund social programs in a spirit of love towards God, they pay them because if they refuse the government will sentence them to jail. The programs might help the poor, but they have nothing to do with loving your neighbor or serving Christ. The government cannot force its citizens to give out of love, and using the power of government to force others to help the poor is not a Christian act. Whatever their effects, welfare programs remove the Christian motive and moral foundation for helping the poor.

Government Charity Decreases Christian Witness
Besides serving as acts of love and service to God, Christian charity has an important purpose, it demonstrates Christ's love to non-believers. Over and over scripture emphasizes the importance of good works as a witness of the gospel to the world. Paul wrote that

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else (2 Corinthians 9:13).

Christ commands his followers to let their "light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Peter advises believers to "live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us" (1 Peter 2:12). Because of their faith, Christians love and serve their neighbors. Through this love and these acts of kindness they witnesses God's deep love for all people to the world. The world is self-centered and self absorbed, but, through their selfless love for others, Christians demonstrate that life consists of more than pleasing yourself. Christian charity is an important vehicle in preaching God's word.

Government programs, however, do nothing to preach the gospel. Welfare recipients do not praise God for their checks, they do not see individuals defying the values of the world. They receive money from the government, which taxes its citizens to pay for the program, whether they want to or not. Government spending, by definition, is divorced from faith and voluntary sacrifice to others, and cannot witness God's love. When government programs supplant private religious charities, they decrease the opportunities available for Christians to preach God's word.

The Entitlement Mentality Has No Christian Support
In addition to the theological problems inherent with any government aid program, the United States government bases welfare programs on the completely extra-biblical notion of "entitlement." The philosophy that the poor have a "right" to assistance from the government, that as human beings they are "entitled" to government aid in times of poverty, irrespective of the cause of that poverty, underlies Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and most other New Deal and Great Society programs. This philosophy is fascinating, but has no scriptural basis. Christians don't help the poor because the poor have a right to assistance, charity does not consist of providing what is rightfully owed. Rather, the poor have done nothing to merit aid, but out of love Christians help them anyway. This is why Christian charity serves as such a powerful witness to unbelievers.

Furthermore, the bible explicitly repudiates the notion that Christians have a duty to help the poor under all circumstances. Charity is a gift, not an entitlement, and only the deserving should receive it. Those who can help themselves, but choose not to, should not receive assistance that will only allow them to indulge in their laziness. Paul expresses this clearly when he writes that

We command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us … we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." We hear that some among you are idle … such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. (2 Thessalonians 3: 6-12)

Paul clearly states that Christians must work to earn their daily bread, that they should not abuse the generosity of others if they are capable of providing for themselves. Even Paul, who had every right to claim assistance from his fellow believers as he spread God's word, did not. Anyone who is capable of providing for himself ought to do so, and has no "right" to receive charitable aid from others. Bush's prescription drug benefit, for example, will be available to all seniors, regardless of their income or ability to provide for themselves. Any moral justification for providing "entitlement" payments must come from a source outside the bible, for the Christian doctrine of charity is irreconcilable with the notion of an entitlement to aid under all circumstances.

Conclusion
God's revealed word in scripture provides no moral basis for using the power of the state to take from the rich to give to the poor. The well off should give voluntarily, but, if they do not, the state has no Christian justification for getting involved. Christ repeatedly rejected the notion that he is a political ruler. His kingdom is not of this world. Unlike the governments of this world, Christ's kingdom is based not on force but on faith. Christians voluntarily place their faith in God, and express their faith and gratitude for God's many gifts by freely serving others. Their selflessness witnesses God's love and mercy to the self-centered world. Consequently, government programs are antithetical to Christian charity. They stem not from faith and love, but from coercion, and do nothing to spread the gospel. Additionally, scripture explicitly repudiates the entitlement philosophy underlying most programs that aid the poor. As Christians, we are called by God to love our neighbors, but God does not direct us to use the power of worldly governments to coerce those unwilling to give to the needy, and Christians should feel no moral obligation to support government anti-poverty programs.

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