I was recently informed of something interesting that took place last Sunday after the service. Andy, one of our lay pastors, had brought a message on the parable of the Good Samaritan. Upon leaving the building, those in attendance discovered a family in need that had pulled into the parking lot in hope of finding help. While I appreciate of the compassion shown by our wonderful members, I thought I might offer a few words of caution when it comes to our responsibility to the poor.

First, a little perspective. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty. Although his motives may have been completely altruistic, the results have proven disastrous as poverty in America remains unabated as a social ill. In the last 50 years, our country has spent over $22 trillion (about the same as our current national debt) on what has obviously been a losing battle.

Jesus’ words, “for you always have the poor with you,” remain pertinent (Matthew 26:11) because at the heart of all poverty and suffering in this world is sin. Sin has broken our relationships with God, ourselves and others, leaving us in need of reconciliation and restoration. As long as sin remains in this world, we make a fundamental error to suppose that material poverty can be eliminated without also curing spiritual poverty.

Therefore, any tangible mercy extended to those in need must be offered within the framework of the gospel. This perspective will help us in a number of ways:

1. We will not oversimplify the problem as a mere lack of resources.

Our culture has been conditioned to think money is the answer to everything. If that were true, paradise would have already been restored. Thinking we can solve poverty with money is an over-simplification. Addressing this issue Timothy Keller states, “Our real purpose must be to restore the poor person…Mercy must have the purpose of seeing God’s lordship realized in the lives of those we help.”

2. We will not be puffed up, thinking we are superior to those we help.

Seeing the poor through the lens of the gospel forces us to come to grips with our own brokenness. Bryant Meyers, in Walking with the Poor, speaks powerfully to this point:

“When the non-poor play god in the lives of other people, they have stopped being who they truly are and are assuming the role of God. Losing sight of their true identity leads the non-poor to misread their vocation as well. Instead of understanding themselves as productive stewards working for the well-being of their community, they act as if their gifts and position are somehow rightfully theirs, or earned, and hence solely for themselves and for their well-being.”

Mercy is most effective when it is extended by those who know they have received it themselves.

3. We will not grow impatient when our expectations are disappointed.

Most of those who seek to help the poor are often frustrated by the lack of results their efforts produce. Seeing the problem through a gospel framework reminds us that there are no quick fixes. Reconciliation and restoration usually require significant investments of our time and resources. In their book, When Helping Hurts, Corbett and Fikket point out that the objective is to see people’s lives restored so that “they possess capacity to make decisions and to effect change in the world around them; people who steward their lives, communities, resources, and relationships in order to bring glory to God.”

Mercy is most effective when it is extended by those who know they have received it themselves.

4. We will have a standard to determine our level of involvement.

There will be times when Christians are confronted with situations that require immediate action. Seeing the crisis through the gospel paradigm means that relief becomes a catalyst to open doors for relationships between the helped and the helper. This provides us with an opportunity to determine whether or not the person is culpable in regard to their plight, or if they are suffering from some form of victimization, and if they have already received assistance from other sources. Once relief efforts have stopped the bleeding, it is time to move quickly into rehabilitation, working with, not for the poor.

If those being served are unwilling to allow us into their lives the flow of charity must end, or in another sense, change form. Since the goal is to restore broken relationships at some point the claims of Christ must be presented. To quote Timothy Keller again, “In the final analysis, only mercy can limit mercy. We may cut off our aid only if it is unmerciful to continue it.” This aspect of mercy calls for wisdom and discernment. Let us walk in the Spirit, and so be led by him in all our dealings with this broken world.