Should a Christian business help the poor?

Christians are expected to be generous to the poor and needy.? God commands us in the Old Testament to do so. This message continues consistently through the end of the New Testament. There are literally, hundreds of passages promoting that message. But, is the responsibility to help the poor and needy apply only to individuals?? Should a Christian business help the poor and needy?

Let’s examine that issue together.

First, a little background

In The Good Book on Business, I uncovered the model for a Christian business: the Biblical household.? The Biblical household is an economic entity that consists of family, slaves, servants, and employees, under the direction of the ‘head’ of the household. The Biblical household has a presence and position above and beyond the collection of individuals who were employed by it. It was organized to accomplish some God-given task. In modern day terms, the Biblical household is a family business.

Businesses (Biblical households) had a major role from the very beginning of creation through the entire Biblical narrative. This included the establishment and propagation of the church in the New Testament.

Most of the Biblical businesses were agricultural.? Abraham, for example, was a wealthy rancher.? Growing and selling grain, growing, processing and selling wine, and raising livestock were common business, but not the only ones.? Joseph, for example, was involved in food distributor, while Bezalel was a custom jeweler, Jesus a carpenter, and Paul, a tent maker, to name a few.

Just like today, there are some things that only a business can do. Businesses generally have a larger collection of manpower, assets, and resources. Read the passages that provide directions that can only be accomplished by a business.

Here are two:

Leviticus 19:10?New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Likewise, you shall not pick your vineyard bare, nor gather up the grapes that have fallen. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the?Lord, am your God.

The law is directed toward vineyard operations.? It’s pretty straightforward – at harvest time, leave the fruit that falls on the ground. Don’t pick it up. The needy and the stranger can then follow your pickers into the vineyard, and help themselves to the grapes.

Leviticus 23:22?New American Bible (Revised Edition)

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not be so thorough that you reap the field to its very edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. These things you shall leave for the poor and the alien. I, the?Lord, am your God.

This is a very similar concept, focused on a different business.? Businesses that grow, process and selling grain, leave the corners of the fields unharvested. Leave the gleanings so that those in need can help themselves to it.

These directions are part of the Mosaic law and not binding on Christians today. Nevertheless, they express a concept that modern Christian businesses may want to mimic.

Four principles:

The four foundational concepts that are expressed and implied here are:

Principle 1

A small percentage less of raw materials won’t make a huge difference in your profit and loss.? You should be able to absorb a little loss of raw materials.

Principle 2

Finished goods were not given, but the excess raw material was made available to the needy. The finished goods from grain and... CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE