Biblical Perspective on "Government Welfare"

Scripture teaches...

"If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land’" (Deuteronomy 15:7–11).

Government welfare in the United States today is incredibly tragic. Superficially intended as a means to provide financial assistance to those in need, protect children and elderly, compensate for unemployment, and combat poverty, welfare programs first instituted by Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) in 1935 and more notably expanded upon by Lyndon B. Johnson (D) in 1965 have done nothing more than enslave millions of Americans to financial bondage, perpetuate generational poverty, promote entitlement, expectation and lack of accountability, and essentially destroy the nuclear family unit. The challenge is that while the concept of welfare is Biblically supported, it has transformed over time into a governmental responsibility which has minimized Christian ministries from being the main source for meeting needs and promoting personal accountability. If anything, the Covid-19 pandemic currently plaguing our nation's psyche has proven this point emphatically. We have learned firsthand over the past 7-months that U.S. citizens are far more dependent on the government for help in times of need than the church of Jesus Christ; and that Christian churches, subject to the government authority, are virtually powerless to keep their doors from closing via executive orders by state governors. Therefore, what need is there for churches in times of crisis? There once was a period in our nation's history when Christianity was the guiding light of social reform and pastors organized peaceful protests and boycotts, enduring persecution, harassment, beatings, imprisonment and even death in order to enact positive change. Unfortunately, that season has long passed and a spiritually lost generation dependent on handouts via unwarranted demands, reparations, violent protests, looting and riots has brought us to the brink of disaster in our nation. Make no mistake, we essentially sold our birthright for a bowl of soup when we allowed government welfare programs to supplant personal responsibility and Christian ministry in our nation, and we are now reaping the consequences of our actions tenfold.

"Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, 'Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!' Jacob said, 'Sell me your birthright now.' Esau said, 'I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?' Jacob said, 'Swear to me now. So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:29–34).

Keep in mind, giving is a foundational tenet of Christianity modeled by God Himself. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:16–17). Therefore, as born-again, Bible-believing followers of Christ, we are called to give to others in the same way God gave His Son as a ransom for our salvation. There is simply no greater example of love in this world than the love of Jesus, and our emulation of His example plays out in our ability to not only identify needs or call others to action, but personally take it upon ourselves to meet those needs with purposeful intent, directly at the source of the problem with immediate urgency and no personal glory in return, per Scripture's instructions. 

"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:15–17).

"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:2–4).

"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6–7).

The Bible is abundantly clear. We are called by God to lead the charge in our communities and help meet the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves by doing ministry together and serving others. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13–16). Why then are we abandoning our responsibility to care for one another by substituting our divine call to action for government intervention which does not necessarily share our personal theology of the Bible as absolute truth? Jesus taught, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s" (Mark 12:17). Therefore, the welfare of our nation is best served when the body of Christ accepts personal responsibility, implanted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, to love one another in submission and obedience to God without reservation. Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34–35). Granted, there may be dire circumstances when greater collective effort is necessary to help others temporarily rather than permanently, of which the government can assist if needed (i.e. pandemic, natural disaster, terrorist attack, etc.). However, the government is ultimately NOT our savior in any way, shape or form. ONLY Jesus Christ saves. 

What we must remember in the universal debate is that government welfare should be the exception, not the rule. The problem with the state of welfare in America is that far too many subsidies are provided without personal accountability or consideration for the detrimental effects welfare has on the back end. In other words, as Kim Holmes of The Heritage Foundation wrote in his book, Rebound: Getting America Back To Great, "The welfare state… substitute[d] a check for a father, a social worker for a caring mother or grandmother, and a slew of civil rights organizations for the neighborhood church." In some cases, it is more financially beneficial for a working, single-mother NOT to get married to avoid any risk of losing financial incentives based upon the federal poverty line threshold. Consider the example chart below provided by the Heritage Foundation concerning the financial opportunities available, free of charge, through publicly-funded, U.S. government welfare programs in 2015 to a single-mother of two school-age children, working full-time year-round (52-weeks), and making minimum wage ($7.25/hour).

Based on this example, why would any single-mother decline the financial provision/temptation before her and forfeit 3.5X her annual salary in additional welfare benefits by getting married or working to pull herself above the federal poverty line? Getting married and providing children with a proper foundation of both parents in the home essentially forfeits government protection and subsidies! Unfortunately, situations like these are all too common today which is why according to the CDC, the percentage of black babies born to unwed mothers rose from 11% when New Deal welfare programs began in 1935 to 70% in 2018 (white babies born to unwed mothers increased from 3% to 28% over the same time period). Whether intentional or unintentional, the welfare system has destroyed the nuclear family especially in the black community, and its carnage is widespread across inner-cities with teen pregnancy, abortion, gang violence, crime, substance abuse, prison incarcerations, child obesity, child abuse, behavioral issues, and school drop outs running rampant, thus subjecting children to continued poverty and misfortune (as noted by the National Fatherhood Initiative). 

Without fathers present and active in the home, children are left to fend for themselves with little to no boundaries, discipline or moral example to sharpen their character and countenance. Women simply cannot be expected to shoulder the weight of being both mother AND father to their children. Unfortunately, that does not seem to matter today because the government has replaced a father's provisional role for his family. Moreover, it has allowed fathers to wash their hands of any moral obligation to shepherd their families spiritually and model hard work, determination, personal accountability, love, respect, etc. However, Scripture warns, "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" (1 Timothy 5:8). Moreover, "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Therefore, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Love begins in the home, but without fathers present a child is robbed of the tools necessary to avoid sin and temptation in this world and live for righteousness. Granted, fathers present in the home are not a guarantee for success (one can be physically present but emotionally or spiritually absent), but they emphatically increase the opportunity for success by committing to love, serve and provide for their families "till death due us part" in the Biblical covenant of marriage.

The apostle Paul wrote, "But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs" (1 Timothy 6:8–10). Sadly, fathers have been reduced to mere commodities by the government and substituted for love of money, so why would they desire to provide for their families when the government has stepped in and become the "sugar daddy" in the home? The problem with government welfare is that it does not fix the problem. It merely puts a band-aid on poverty and creates a more dire situation of fatherlessness in the home. Moreover, welfare predominately perpetuates generational welfare because the system has enslaved people to government subsidies as a means to help make ends meet, not truly solve the problems plaguing those in poverty. Granted, there are ample welfare opportunities available, but unfortunately the majority of those come by making a deal with the devil. In other words, there is a trade off where personal responsibility and marriage are substituted for financial assistance. However, the end result is not prosperity but bondage. Welfare programs are not designed to help transition someone from lower class to middle class economically (and certainly not upper class). The majority of those on welfare STAY on welfare. Why? Because welfare provides just enough to keep its constituents loyally faithful for political gain (i.e. +90% of blacks vote Democrat), and entitlement is a powerful tool when recipients (of ALL ethnicities) are trained to believe society owes them something to compensate for their poverty. Consider the perspective of Walter E. Williams, professor of economics at George Mason University and a distinguished leader in the black community from his article, Before and After Welfare Handouts, for further review. 

"Before the welfare state, charity embodied both a sense of gratitude on the behalf of the recipient and magnanimity on the behalves of donors. There was a sense of civility by the recipients. They did not feel that they were owed, were entitled to or had a right to the largesse of the donor. Recipients probably felt that if they weren’t civil and didn’t express their gratitude, more assistance wouldn’t be forthcoming. In other words, they were reluctant to bite the hand that helped them. With churches and other private agencies helping, people were much likelier to help themselves and less likely to engage in self-destructive behavior. Part of the message of charitable groups was: 'We’ll help you if you help yourself.'

Enter the federal government. Civility and gratitude toward one’s benefactors are no longer required in the welfare state. In fact, one can be arrogant and hostile toward the “donors” (taxpayers), as well as the civil servants who dish out the benefits. The handouts that recipients get are no longer called charity; they’re called entitlements — as if what is received were earned."

Bottom-line, it is imperative we (the body of Christ) strive to MINIMIZE government welfare and MAXIMIZE personal involvement aimed at spiritual welfare. For if we truly desire to make a difference in our communities, we must be willing to invest OUR time, OUR attention, and OUR resources by partnering with ministries devoted to meeting temporary needs, not permanent dependency on government subsidies. The whole point of ministry is to show people we truly care about their well-being by helping in whatever way we can to foster a healthy relationship, which in turn allows us opportunity to speak truth in love and point them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ where true heart transformation begins. That should always be our ultimate goal concerning welfare. But as long as government welfare replaces the need for church involvement, people will remain enslaved in their circumstantial poverty with no eternal hope, because true peace and contentment comes only through Christ, not the world. Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19–21). Therefore, if we selfishly look out for our own benefit with no consideration for the welfare of others, is our faith in Christ even genuine and real? Scripture warns, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like" (James 1:22–24).

In the end, the welfare debate is far more about the body of Christ stepping up and being the hands and feet of Jesus to a lost and hurting world than lobbying for legislative policy reform. Are changes needed to reduce our government's involvement in order to truly fix the problems plaguing Americans and blacks in particular? Yes. Should Christians get more involved in the political arena to ensure those changes are made. Absolutely. However, our involvement in welfare cannot begin and end with the government maintaining full autonomy, control and responsibility to combat poverty. Scripture reminds us, "For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land'" (Deuteronomy 15:11). Therefore, we must realize that our God-given purpose to meet the needs of those around us is not a burden but a privilege, and we must hold one another accountable as brothers and sisters in Christ to come together within ministerial and philanthropic organizations to eradicate the need for government welfare altogether. Success begins on the home front, most importantly, and we must do everything we can to resolve fatherlessness and help others see the necessity, blessing and freedom of Biblical marriage, which will not solve poverty altogether but dramatically shift the tide where personal responsibility and accountability are esteemed and children are given the foundation they need to be successful. However, true success in life is dependent on one thing, and that is complete surrender to God's authority and obedience to His Word by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. In other words... 

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15–17).