Affirmative Attitudes

Regarding a Christian approach to providing opportunities for disadvantaged people, the things to consider are whether to HELP or CONTROL the situation (actions) and whether to be ANGRY or SAD about it (attitudes).

 

The Bible, in identifying both the problem and the solution, provides a clue as to which we should choose. The problem is sin. People are disadvantaged by their own sin, the sin of others, and living in a sinful world. The answer to sin is always salvation in Jesus Christ. Salvation is the ultimate advantage.

 

It may be just that simple. There is a sense, in Scripture, that the issue is primarily spiritual and not physical—not at all about worldly opportunities or disadvantages. Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? . . . your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:25, 32-33). God is less concerned about the body, more about the soul—“do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

 

But Christians are also called to love our disadvantaged neighbors, even if (especially if) they’re our enemies (Mark 12:31; Matthew 5:45). What’s the most loving way, then, to provide opportunity? Do we help or control?

 

Helping is getting people going in the right direction, but leaving them to decide what they’ll do next. Controlling is putting them on a path and keeping them on it. Help is provided by individuals and smaller institutions like the church. Control is often instituted by the government.

 

Scripture rarely discusses politics or worries about social structures, but more often addresses human hearts. God is concerned with individual responses to his call of salvation. Christians should want to help disadvantaged people be responsible; decisions can’t really be controlled anyway. Actually, God set up governments solely for the purpose of punishing wrongdoers (Romans 13:4), not necessarily for helping, and certainly not for controlling. Christians don’t want to rob the disadvantaged of their opportunity to respond to God. We want to be helpful, but not get in God’s way; the circumstance just may be a saving opportunity.

 

Loving neighbors is helping and not controlling, but it must be done with the right attitude. Many Christians help but are mean about it; they assume the worst in disadvantaged people. Some Christians are self-righteous; they get angry when others don’t respond the way they think they should. This is most unloving.

 

We should instead be sad; we should “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). Disadvantages due to our own sin, to the sin of others, and to living in a sinful world makes for a sad situation. The pain and suffering many feel is heartbreaking, and that there may be little we can actually do about it is frustrating. Government can’t control society out of its sin; we must be saved from it. And getting heated at the disadvantaged doesn’t help, it only cools needed compassion; anger is always counterproductive. Sorrow, however, gets to the heart of it. When we’re sad we reflect. We confess, we cry out to God, we come together with the Christian community to serve others.

 

The thing about controlling people is that it doesn't work; people will always resist it in the end. And the problem with trying to balance everything out is that in pulling someone up, someone else inevitably gets pushed down. The temptation in all this is to get mad, to shout fairness or merit, but sorrow, it seems, is really most helpful.