Beth-El Baptist Church

08/22/2010

Greg Tomlinson


Should Christians live on government welfare or government disability?


There are many people who live for many years by receiving money from the government either as welfare payments or of some type of disability payments. There are some people who work for a few months and then deliberately seek to get fired so that they can receive welfare or seek some way that they can begin receiving disability checks.


  1. Where does the money come from for government welfare?

Luke 2:1-5 Matthew 22:17-21

1 Kings 12:2-18


The money that is paid to welfare recipients and disability recipients comes from taxes. Whether the taxes are collected from the people or from businesses, the source of the money is the same. Note that the payment of taxes to the government is not voluntary but it is mandatory. Thus a Christian who is living off of welfare or disability is living off of the results of the hard work of others.


  1. What provision does God make for the poor and disabled?

Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 16:10-14; 24:17-22 Isaiah 1:17-18; 10:1-2

James 1:27 Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22

Ruth 2:2-3 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

Romans 15:26 Galatians 2:10

James 2:2-4 1 Timothy 5:3-7


Provision shall be made for the poor and disabled out of the tithe given to the church as well as the field owners are to leave some of the crop on the trees and in the field for the poor and disabled. Care for the poor and disabled then is to be both a work of God's people and of the poor themselves. As much as possible, the poor should work for their food. While there may be some cases in which some people are physically incapable of working, they should seek to do the best that they can in exchange for the assistance that they do receive.


  1. Aren't tax dollars supposed to be used to help out the poor?

Romans 13:1-8 Exodus 22:25-27

Leviticus 19:15; 25:35-40 Deuteronomy 14:6-15

Psalm 82:3-4 Proverbs 10:4-5

Isaiah 3:14-15 Ezekiel 16:48-50

Amos 2:6-7 Zechariah 7:9-11


The primary purpose of the government and thus the use of government funds it to defend the helpless and to remove society's evil ones from being able to victimize more people. Unfortunately there are many poor people who are poor because they are lazy and do not want to work. It is necessary to be diligent and to work hard in order to escape the problems of poverty. The scriptures do not indicate that one of the jobs of the government I to take care of the “poor”. The government is not to oppress and abuse the poor but it is not responsible for their overall wellbeing. The care of the poor lies within the realm of the believers.


  1. What happens to those who live off of government welfare?

Proverbs 22:7 Matthew 20:8-12


More often than not, when someone lives off of government welfare, they become dependent upon the government and the money that they receive. They will seek to preserve their way by submitting themselves to the government and doing whatever the government (lender) desires them to do. They are now servants of the government rather than servants of Christ.


  1. What is the difference between government welfare and the support the early church gave to the poor?

Acts 2:44-45 2 Corinthians 9:7

Proverbs 1:14-15


The primary difference between government welfare and church support of the poor lies in the area of obligation. The government obligates the individual to give taxes to support the poor. The church gives to the poor out of the funds it has willingly received of its people. The church then has a obligation before God to utilize the funds in the best possible manner.