Christ & Welfare

Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. Welfare. One in six Americans are on it. No matter your political affiliation, you probably have a viewpoint on this divisive subject. In it’s Genesis, welfare was an act of mercy designed to help those who could not help themselves. I think that most caring individuals are all for the thought of helping others that are helpless. Looking back, if the Church would have fulfilled God’s design to help and restore the oppressed, there would have been little need for the government to fill that role. Looking forward, nothing causes more stir than welfare recipients who think they are owed Welfare, are without thankfulness for the aid, and have no plans to move forward and overcome their situation. Stories of welfare fraud by millions of its presumptuous recipients are at the center of the Conservative movement to slash it. Success stories when welfare has acted as a bridge for a better tomorrow for some Americans, or simply sustained the most needy are the fuel for liberal calls to increase its breadth. Could it be that both the left and the right are sincere and correct in the core of their Welfare theology? I think so. There is a need for grace and mercy, but in the cases where the recipients are able to work, that grace is supposed to trigger a change in activity. The moment that grace is thanklessly consumed and presumed upon, it will become the help that hurts and seals your fate. I believe this is exactly what Paul is saying in terms of Christ’s Grace in Romans 2 as he writes to the church in Rome. The Grace and Mercy of God through faith in Jesus are a necessity. We need them to overcome our sins, approach God and live in peace as our actions have earned us nothing but hurt and anxiety. Our praise for a savior is accelerated when we contemplate His work and our futile attempts at pleasing God. Conversely, if we presume upon the riches of Christ, we can think that are owed His love. We aren’t owed anything but death. His love is designed to change us, as his grace stimulates repentance and we turn from our desires and begin to delight in Jesus alone. So His grace has an effect that is much more than head knowledge. The knowledge leads to fear of God, which leads to praise of Christ, which leads to living your life joyfully obedient to Him as king. So what is happens when you contemplate the Grace of Christ? Casual acknowledgement or a burning desire to praise Him, beg for forgiveness and celebrate His righteousness. It’s a good question with a lot hanging in the balance based on our answer. Let’s think it through!