Apparently to justify their undying support of the Republican so-called 'free' market agenda, Evangelical and other conservative Christian leaders have invented an axiom seemingly taught religiously to their congregations, that only individuals and, not nations collectively, should help the sick and poor.
Fortunately for the sick and poor and, unfortunately for those who promote such nonsense, various prophets in the Bible and God himself seem to have the opposite opinion. Rather than debate with folks who apparently believe Jesus was a capitalist, let's see what the Bible actually says about this:
In Leviticus 23, God commands the nation of Israel: "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger. . ."
From Wikipedia: "On one of the two occasions that this is stated in Leviticus, it adds that in vineyards, some grapes should be left ungathered, a statement also found in Deuteronomy. These verses additionally command that olive trees should not be beaten on multiple occasions, and whatever remains from the first set of beatings should be left. . . Deuteronomy commands that it should be left for widows, strangers, and paternal orphans."
Imagine if in the modern United States, 10% or even 5% or even 3% of all taxation was devoted annually to house and feed the poor. Soon enough, there would be no poor people left to house and feed. Or, imagine if 10% of all monies collected by religious organizations was earmarked annually for helping the poor. Likely the same result would soon occur.
Both Malachi 3:6 and Zecharia 7:10 warn us not to oppress immigrants and the poor but rather, help them. In Exodus 22, unlike the Trump and Biden administration, God says: "you shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him. . ." And, God is strongly against charging any interest to the poor, rather than the 30% plus often charged by modern capitalist banks.
Jesus in the New Testament, teaches us to take the stranger in, rather than build a wall to keep poor refugees out and far worse, deliberately separate immigrant children from their weeping parent's arms. And in the so-called "dark" ages, it was considered barbaric to charge more than 5-6% interest.
According to the prophet Ezekiel (16:49), a primary reason God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is because they were a proud and haughty people who refused to help the poor and needy. Virtually all of the prophets were angry with political leaders and the nations of Israel and Judah for not helping the needy, poor and oppressed and, for often making their lot worse, like the Republican agenda does in modern-day America.
In Nehemiah chapter 5, Isaiah 3 & 10, Jeremiah 7 & 22, Amos 6 & 8, Michah 2 & 3, Zephaniah 3 and Habakkuk 2, the prophets are angry with political leaders and the nations of Judah and/or Israel for not helping and worse, often harming the poor. Moses likewise admonishes the children of Israel as a collective nation, to open their hand to the poor and needy.
In the New Testament, early followers of Jesus shared all things in common, distributing to each according to need. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the foundation of socialism is "to each according to need". Conservative Christian leaders call socialism "evil", even though the real followers of Jesus seem to have believed giving our excess to the poor is Godly, moral and correct.
Early "assemblies" of Jesus, that is groups of people, not buildings or religious organizations, often took up collections for the sick and poor. They seem to have forgotten to take up collections to build temples made with hands or for anything else that modern so-called 'churches' typically do.
It's rather difficult to imagine Jesus deliberately attempting to take healthcare away from the sick and poor, like Republicans have repeatedly tried to do. And, rather than attempt to list the myriad of places where Jesus teaches in both word and deed to help immigrants, the sick, the poor and the otherwise oppressed, it is wise to check out the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament for our self.
You are taking a real biblical command to care for the poor and
using it to push a political system the Bible never teaches.
No Christian should ignore the sick, the poor, the widow, the orphan, or the stranger. Scripture condemns greed, oppression, dishonest gain, and hardheartedness.
But that does not prove socialism, open borders, government healthcare, or any particular tax plan.
Israel was a covenant nation under laws given directly by God. The gleaning laws did not tell the government to seize crops, collect taxes, and redistribute everything through a bureaucracy. Landowners were commanded to leave part of the harvest, and the poor went out and gathered it. Ruth did not receive a government payment. She went into the field and worked.
You also say that if enough tax money were spent, poverty could be eliminated. Scripture says otherwise: “For the poor shall never cease out of the land” ~Deuteronomy 15:11. Jesus said, “For ye have the poor always with you” ~Matthew 26:11. That does not excuse anyone from helping the poor, but it does prove that government cannot create the kind of perfect society you are describing.
Acts does not teach socialism either. The believers shared voluntarily. Peter said to Ananias, “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” ~Acts 5:4. The property was his. The money was his. There was no government seizure and no forced redistribution.
Paul said, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity” ~2 Corinthians 9:7. “Not of necessity” matters. Christian giving is commanded, but it is not the same thing as the government taking money by force.
The early church helped people in need, but it also required personal responsibility. Paul said, “If any would not work, neither should he eat” ~2 Thessalonians 3:10. He also said that a man who refuses to provide for his own household “hath denied the faith” ~1 Timothy 5:8. In the same chapter, families were told to care for their own widows “that the church be not charged” ~1 Timothy 5:16.
That is not the system you are promoting.
You also keep using verses about strangers as though they erase borders and civil law. They do not. Scripture condemns mistreating strangers.
It does not say a nation must ignore its laws, remove its borders, or accept everyone without restraint. You are reading your political conclusions into the text.
Ezekiel 16:49 does condemn Sodom for pride, abundance, idleness, and failing to strengthen the poor. But the next verse says, “And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me” ~Ezekiel 16:50. You cannot stop reading when the rest of the passage no longer supports your argument.
Jesus was not a capitalist, and He was not a socialist. He did not come to endorse Republicans or Democrats. He came to save sinners, and He said, “My kingdom is not of this world” ~John 18:36.
Christians should give generously, help the poor, care for widows and orphans, and stand against oppression. But you do not prove socialism by quoting voluntary charity, Israel’s covenant laws, and God’s rebukes against injustice.
You are not simply asking what the Bible says. You are using the Bible to support your politics, then accusing anyone who disagrees with you of not caring about the poor.
That is not honest Bible study. That is politics dressed up in Bible verses.
