Regarding the poor and poverty, God’s word says:

1. We should extend a helping hand to those who are poor or in need. God expects this from us on both the individual and social level (Deuteronomy 15:7-11).

2. Helping the poor is an act of righteousness God promises to reward in the age to come (Matthew 6:3-4).

3. Helping the poor by providing them with opportunities to work and learn to provide for themselves is God’s preferred solution (Leviticus 23:22). If people are poor because they will not work they should not be taken care of (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

4. We should not favor the legal rights of the poor over the rich, nor the rights of the rich over the poor (Exodus 23:3; Leviticus 19:15). Righteous judgment addresses all people equally.

5. Poverty will always be with us in the present evil age (Deuteronomy 15:11).

6. Poverty will be properly addressed and eradicated in the age to come (Micah 4:1-4).

Jesus told His disciples, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me” (Mark 14:7 New International Version). Jesus said this to those disciples who thought that the primary goal of Jesus’ ministry was helping poor people. They were horrified that expensive perfume worth a year’s wages was used to anoint Jesus’ head rather than sold to help the needy (Mark 14:3-6).

This statement tells us a lot.

It is not God’s purpose or plan to eradicate poverty, or to remedy the unequal distribution of wealth in this present evil age, otherwise He would do so. God is all-powerful and He could eradicate poverty if He chose to. We must accept that He does not choose to do so at this time.

Even so, He expects us to help the poor.

Why would God choose to allow poverty and inequality?

To effectively eradicate poverty and inequality our Creator would have to drastically reduce freedom of choice for humanity. God’s purpose for this age is to set before us a choice between His way of living and our own way of living. One leads to life, the other to death; His desire is that we choose life.

God does not force His will upon us. Instead, in this present age, we are free to set up governments and cultural traditions apart and separate from God. He also allows each of us freedom to make personal choices about how we live our lives.

Poverty might come from bad personal choices, bad family choices, bad cultural norms, or even bad government policy. Some forms of poverty can be remedied by better personal decisions, some forms of poverty are beyond our control as individuals.

God has laid out principles and laws to deal with poverty in a meaningful and helpful way. Many of these laws and principles are found in the instructions God gave Israel, with additional clarifications in later writings, including the New Testament. When individuals or even governments choose to follow these principles good things happen.

However, the vast majority of humanity consistently rejects God’s instructions on such matters. Jesus’ observation that there will always be poor people is not cynical resignation, but a deep understanding of the human heart.

When Christ returns to establish the rule of God on earth, the necessary remedies for poverty will be applied to all humanity.

What does God want you to do?

God’s word tells us to work diligently to provide for ourselves and our families (1 Timothy 5:8). With what extra we have, we should offer assistance to people who are in need as we have opportunity (Ephesians 4:28).

Our assistance to those in need begins by taking care of our families, then those close to us within the household of faith, but potentially extends to cover all people (Galatians 6:10).

For now, the enduring presence of poverty in this present evil age serves God’s greater purpose of testing and training the human heart for eternal life. Will we act with generosity, and judge righteous judgment when it is in our power to do so? Or, will we act with indifference?

Leaving humanity free to act and think creates problems. Poverty is one of those problems. Yet, this freedom also provides the best possible environment for our Creator to see the truth about what is in your heart. And, if you are willing, to teach you valuable lessons about generosity, personal integrity and compassion.

Learning these lessons is part of what it means to be "in Christ." Those who are Christ’s at His return will be raised to life and assist Him in establishing the rule of God on earth. At that time the solution to humanity’s many problems—including poverty—will be put into effect as a demonstration of how God’s way of life produces better results than anything humanity has ever been able to think up on our own.

For a more in-depth look at human suffering in this present evil age please read our free Bible study aid: Why Does God Allow Suffering?

For a more in-depth look at the age to come when the rule of God is established on earth please read: Christ’s Reign on Earth: What Will It Be Like?