Christian Beliefs about their Responsibility to the Poor

1090 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Christian teachings about poverty

There are many reasons that Christians believe that they have a responsibility for the poor.

One of these is the teaching and guidance of the Bible. A good Christian should follow the teachings of the Bible and listen to the guidance it offers. The word of the Evangelists and the other books that make it up should have great authority as they reveal the teachings of God through his prophets and his Son. If we are to be Christians then we should follow the way of Jesus. ?Christian? literally means ?Belonging to Christ?.

There are many Gospel teaching on how Christians should help alleviate poverty, both locally and on a wider scale. One of the most important of these is the Commandment ?Love thy neighbour as thyself?. Jesus himself stated that it was the most important.

?Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."(Matthew 22:37-40).

This is important as it emphasises the stance that Christians should have towards their fellow men, one of complete untainted love. If this commandment were to be kept then there would be no need for the rest as in keeping it you would not murder, nor steal or covet your neighbour?s wife.

Jesus set an excellent example in both his actions and his words. The parables he used to relate some very important messages about the nature of god. A good example of this is the Parable of the lost sheep.

?See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off??

This implies that Jesus is never willing to give up on anyone who might be saved from hell. No-one is any greater than another in his eyes. As we are all part of God?s creation we are all one family in God. If we ignore the suffering of our Brothers and Sisters then we ignore God.

Show More
Related

  • The Piety Myth

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article “God’s Heart for the Poor,” Dr. Jay W. Richards, a famous author, claims that Christians should have both heart and mind in order to help the poor and become a true, good neighbor. He uses some Bible verses to teach the readers about the importance of being a good neighbor and uses The Piety Myth to explain how Christians should “exercise prudence” and connects this concept to the economics.

    Read More

  • How The Television Entices Me To Break The Ten Commandments

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    The First Commandment. The first commandment is Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

    Read More

  • Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice b) Every disciple, every authentic Christian, must be on the road: not yet arrived or perfect, but moving, striving, falling and restarting in hope, and this ethos applies to the tackling of Third World poverty and injustice. Over one billion people are living in poverty today. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. All over the world, disparities between rich and poor, even in the wealthiest of nations is rising sharply.

    Read More

  • Christian Beliefs on Religion, Wealth and Poverty

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    of 2.5% of their wealth a year. This is if you can afford it, it goes

    Read More

  • The Old Testament and Principlism

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...his was the reason God gave the commandment not to eat blood, as the blood represents life, and most of all represents the blood of Christ poured out for all sinners. This command was so important that it carried over to the New Testament. This reflects the fourth approach of Principlism, applying an Old Testament law to the New Testament. This law is repeated as Christians are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is to be remembered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and therefore the Old Testament law still applies to Christians today.

    Read More

  • Human Flourishing In Ayn Rand's Unleashing Opportunity

    482 Words  | 1 Pages

    Children that start out in poverty are already starting behind in life because their parents aren’t highly educated that and kids that grow up in a single parent house hold are also behind because they don’t get the attention they need. Their parents are too busy to teach the child words throughout their childhood, and they don’t get the one on one time they need to establish a good start to flourish in their education, and in life to get out of poverty is the man goal for these kids. As a Christian we need to encourage are society, and Christians need to become a part of the community. A quote from Unleashing Opportunity states, “…is that every child be raised in a family, within the context of a larger society that supports parents…” (Unleashing, 29). This states that as a Christian it’s our job to bring a community together to support those the single parents so they can spend time with their children. Also as a community we need to strive for the common good, meaning that as a larger society the picture is

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Christianity And Christianity

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whenever one thinks of Christianity and the Christian church, one cannot avoid Jesus Christ. This is understandable because, for without Jesus, Christianity would not exist; Christianity is based on Jesus. Jesus has become so well associated with Christianity that it is assumed and widely accepted that Jesus was a Christian. Followers of Christianity often use the reference “being Christ-like” as a model for ideal human behavior (meaning to use the life of Jesus as a blueprint).

    Read More

  • Nineteenth Century Views on Charity as Depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Life and Novel, Jane Eyre

    953 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christianity propagated charity as one of the necessary acts that a good Christian should follow. Graham Gordon believes that in Christianity, "Charity is considered chief of the Christian virtues," and that "Charity is commended by St. Paul for being the true way to the end which religious practices seek"(10). We can see that in being a chief virtue, charity is highly encouraged in the sense that helping others is considered to be a great deed of good doing. Therefore, we can draw the notion that those who wish to follow the "true way to the end," are those that contribute the most to the poor, as opposed to those mentioned by Walsh who see themselves as "not responsible for the welfare of human beings.

    Read More

  • The Five Teachings of Jesus

    304 Words  | 1 Pages

    The five of the teachings of Jesus are the following: Be Merciful (Luke 6:36, Matthew 5:7, Forgiveness (Luke6: 37), Seek Goodness (Luke 6:45), Respect Others (Luke 14:11), and Be Kind (Luke 6:31).

    Read More

  • Christian Poverty And The Ethical Views Of Christian Ethics

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are countless social justice issues that Christian ethicists have the opportunity to address. The aim of Christian ethics is to determine one’s moral responsibility based off of a biblical framework. When discussing many social justice issues, it is easy to decipher precisely what scripture has to say, and what humanity’s moral stance should be. Yet, in many ways, humanity will still struggle to accept that moral and ethical responsibility, even when that moral stance is clearly mapped out in scripture. One such issue is poverty. This paper will look closely at the biblical teachings on poverty, the key ethical standpoints of sacredness of life, love, and justice, as well as the moral responsibilities Christians face. It seems,

    Read More

  • Homosexuality as a Sin

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mark 12:30-31; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

    Read More

  • Religion Essay

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    This passage reflects what Christianity care teachings “taught by Jesus” are to good by everyone, which can be observed i...

    Read More

  • God Is Dead Analysis

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    I have found that people who consider themselves Christian do not follow the Christian “Code of Morals,” the “Ten Commandments” and “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Envy, gluttony, and greed are among the sins listed in the “Seven Deadly Sins” but are the most obvious committed by Christians. People always want the biggest and best possessions and seem to be in a competition with their neighbors. They find pride in owning the largest, most expensive televisions and flaunt their 2016 cars like toys. The flaunters have no sense of empathy when it comes to less fortunate. Several times I have seen people speed past the Shriners men in their new cars simply because they have too much pride to donate any change to people in need. We westerners do not always appreciate what we have. We always seem to have the money for the newest iPhones but cannot donate a simple dollar to the third world countries.

    Read More

  • Ten Commandments Research Paper

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christianity is a religion based off of the teachings of Jesus Christ, known as the Son of God and “the Anointed One”. It teaches us that there is and continues to be but one divine God of our universe who died on the cross for our sins. We all, as human beings, live in a broken world where only he can save us. Through a combination of reading passages of the Bible, a collection of Christian scriptures, prayer, and worship one can reach salvation and live with him in the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Christianity is based on having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, our savior.

    Read More

  • Poverty in Developing Countries

    590 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most basic teachings in the Catholic Church is to ?Love one another as I have loved you.? This can be implied towards people living in poverty as we can follow the steps that Jesus had undertaken to love other people even if they are your enemies. By showing love and compassion we can create a world that is aware of poverty issues and help the declination of poverty. Countless organisations are heavily involved in carrying missions to help ultimately eradicate poverty. These charities and organisations include CARITAS, World Vision, Oxfam, St Vincent de Paul and many other non profitable organisations which help carry out work to help those who are in need.

    Read More

More about Christian Beliefs about their Responsibility to the Poor

Open Document