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When Not to Give a Handout
When Not to Give a Handout
An author named Steve Corbett remarked, “Not all poverty is created equal. You turn on the news and see that a tsunami has devastated Indonesia, leaving millions without food and shelter. The next segment interviews homeless drug addicts in your city, who are also without food and shelter. In both situations, the people need food and shelter. But there is a nagging feeling that the people in these two crises are in very different situations and require different types of help” (When Helping Hurts, p. 103).
Jesus said, “give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you” (Matt. 5:42). But this statement is not without qualification. There are some circumstances when it’s best not to give.
When a person’s need is due to circumstances largely outside his control, help is appropriate. The list of Scriptures to contemplate regarding compassionate aid is very long; see Exo. 22:21-27, Lev. 23:22, Deut. 10:18-19, 14:28-29, Psalm 10:14, 68:5, 82:3, Isa. 1:17, Acts 4:32-37, James 2:15-16, 1 John 3:17-18, for starters. We’ve seen Christians do amazing things: giving days of effort to cut up trees, giving thousands of dollars to pay for storm expenses, opening their homes to the displaced.
So, be sure your own family is cared for (1 Tim. 5:8). Then, as Eph. 4:28 says, save some to share with those who are in need. “Do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). Help the destitute, lift up the hurting, volunteer at a food pantry, contribute to good organizations, foster a child, donate blood, and do it all in the name of Christ, so that from time to time you can speak about your heavenly Savior who motivates you. “Let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:9-10).
But we live in the age of meth and multigenerational welfare. I have never accepted the sentiment: “It’s my duty to give him money; what he does with it is between him and the Lord.” On the contrary, Paul told Timothy, “do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others” (1 Tim. 5:22). So, when is it loving and godly to refuse to give a handout?
First, when it would put you in danger. Don’t fall for lures or scams. Jesus said, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16).
Third, when it would enable sin. Giving cash to a panhandler does not help him get off the street. One mustn’t support undisciplined lifestyles (2 Thess. 3:6-13). This doesn’t mean we offer no help, it just means we offer the right kind of help—helping to find a job, helping to recover from substances. Obviously, that’s hard to do with a random stranger but, I’m convinced a handout of cash to a stranger is never helpful. He needs to learn stewardship of his own resources and responsibilities, to use his God-given talents to provide for himself. But we can offer to pray and point him to salvation in Jesus (Acts 3:1-10). --John Guzzetta
