The current political machinations regarding the national budget prompt consideration of how to apply GW to that topic, such as
Matthew 19:21 (part): “…Give to the poor…” and Ephesians 4:28 (part): “…He must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
Although Jesus said that we will always have the poor with us (MT 26:11), the New Testament indicates that we should try to alleviate poverty in various ways such as by helping widows and orphans (JM 1:27). Hopefully, if the rich share their wealth, then poor people will not need to steal in order to survive.
The apostle Paul said (in 2THS 3:10) that “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” and again (in 1TM 5:8) that “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” His desire (per 2CR 8:13) is that there might be “equality”, which in this context seems to mean an equal opportunity to earn a living rather than mandatory conformity to a communist system.
In summary, we can discern that the will of God is for people who are able to work to seek employment, so that earning a fair wage will provide at least the basic necessities plus something (a tithe per Malachi 3:8-10) left over for charity, but how does this understanding affect our opinions about how much to spend for healthcare, retirement income and national defense?
