Bono, the lead singer of U2, said, “To me, a faith in Jesus Christ that is not aligned with the poor…it’s nothing.” From a Scriptural perspective, Bono is onto something. Let me explain what I mean by that. Apart from Christ, we are all spiritually destitute. We brought nothing to our relationship with God but our needs—a need for forgiveness, redemption, mercy, grace, and every other form of provision. How we treat the poor and oppressed serves as an indicator of how well we understand what God has done for us in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Bono is echoing what James said: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (Jas. 1:27).
God’s people are called to care about the same things God does, and the Bible makes it clear that God cares about the poor and oppressed. When people are unkind or ignore the poor, God takes it personally. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon went as far as to say, “The one who oppresses the poor person insults his Maker, but the one who is kind to the needy honors him” (Prov. 14:31 CSB). To oppress the poor means to “denigrate the significance, worth, and ability of someone or something.”[1]
In American culture, people often assign value to other people based on societal standing, possessions, connections, and degree of wealth. But these things are an inaccurate barometer. Scripture teaches all people have value because we are all created in God’s image, including the poor (Gen. 1:27). Our possessions or lack of them doesn’t give us value—God does. The poor have an elevated status along with all of humanity because of their Creator. To oppress the poor is equivalent to showing contempt to the God who created them.
On the other hand, Solomon wrote, “But one who is kind to the needy honors God” (Prov. 14:31). In the ancient world, the “needy” were virtually destitute and depended on other people to survive.[2] Solomon wrote, “The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends. It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy” (vv. 20-21).
Do you want to honor God? Be kind to the poor. There are numerous ways to do so. You can get involved with opportunities to serve at your church, local non-profits, food banks, hospitals, rescue missions, homeless shelters, charities that serve refugees and immigrants, single-mothers, the elderly, and at-risk youth. You can donate time, money, resources, prayer, or all the above. I’ll leave you with a couple of things to think about:
Thoughts to Ponder:
- What is your attitude toward the poor? Do you ignore them, look down on them, or question their life choices or motives?
- What would your life look like apart from God’s grace?
- How can you help?
[1] Bruce C. Waltke, The International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Proverbs Chapters 1-15 (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 2005), 607. [1] Ibid, 607.
