Homelessness from a Biblical Perspective

The Biblical Case for Helping the Homeless

Homelessness is a problem. It is conceivable that every city in the United States has an issue with people living on the street. The debate of how much responsibility the government should take for helping the homeless is heated. One side of the isle will claim that these people, who are mostly drug addicts and alcoholics, are responsible for themselves. The other side will argue that as a society it is the duty of the people to help others in need. What does the Bible say about the homeless and the poor? Does God have an opinion on whether or not the impoverished are society’s responsibility?

The word “poor” occurs 205 times in 197 verses in the KJV Bible. God’s view on the poor is very clear. Before we discuss God’s commandments on how we should treat the poor, let us first look at what God’s opinion of the poor is. Jesus is an excellent example of what a poor person was in his day. In fact, it is safe to say that Jesus was a homeless person at least some of the time (see Luke 9:58). The people that Jesus associated with were homeless and poor as well. Paul, who was a close follower of Jesus wrote “even until now we…have no certain dwellingplace” (see 1 Corinthians 4:11). And finally, Paul writes that God’s only begotten Son became poor although he was rich for our sakes (see 2 Corinthians 8:9). It is very evident in just these three verses, that God loves poor people very much. If God made Jesus, his one and only Son, a poor and homeless person, then it is safe to say that God actually esteems the poor and glorifies them.