How should Christians respond to global poverty and hunger?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Christians are called to respond to global poverty and hunger with compassion, justice, and practical action. The Bible consistently affirms God's concern for the poor and commands His people to defend and care for them (Proverbs 31:8–9; James 2:5). While we trust God to ultimately end suffering, we are to reflect His love by meeting needs, advocating for the oppressed, and giving sacrificially. Our response should be guided by prayer, discernment, and a willingness to serve both locally and globally. Although the problem is massive, every faithful act of love and justice contributes to God's work in the world.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• God talks about His role of bringing justice and comfort to the poor (Psalm 9:17–18; 12:5).
• Psalm 140:12 says, "I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy." The task of responding to the poor and afflicted belongs to us who are God’s representatives, although ultimately, meeting all the needs of this world cannot be accomplished in our lifetime.
• One day God will end poverty once and for all. In the meantime, however, God commands us to advocate for and take care of the poor. King Lemuel’s mother taught him, "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8–9).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• In John 12:1–8 when Mary of Bethany took expensive spices to anoint Jesus’ feet, Judas chided her. However, Jesus commended Mary for understanding who Jesus was. He told the disciples “the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” This is a statement of fact, and the Lord teaches us how to care for the poor: extravagantly, lovingly, and selflessly.
• In Matthew 5, Jesus blesses the merciful and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. He calls His followers to be “salt and light,” meaning they should actively bring hope and justice into a broken world, including through compassion for the poor and hungry.
• Jesus teaches not to store up treasures on earth and warns against serving both God and money (Matthew 6). He encourages trust in God's provision and urges believers to seek God's kingdom and righteousness, which includes caring for the needs of others rather than living in selfish luxury.
• Jesus explicitly identifies Himself with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned in the parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25). True faith is demonstrated through acts of compassion—feeding the hungry and clothing the poor are seen as serving Christ Himself.
• Acts 2 & Acts 4 show the early church responding to needs in radical unity. Believers shared their possessions so that "there was not a needy person among them." Generosity and communal care were central to their witness and worship.
• 1 John 3:17:
• This verse asks how God’s love can abide in someone who sees a brother in need but refuses to help. It challenges believers to express genuine faith through tangible acts of generosity and compassion.
• James 2:1–13 says a lot about not showing partiality by giving preference to the rich above those less fortunate, because they also belong to Christ: “has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Billions of people live in poverty worldwide. Hundreds of millions suffer from hunger and do not have access to clean drinking water. Many of these issues are caused by corrupt governments which oppress their people. As Christians, God has commanded us to love our neighbor and to care for the poor. The overwhelming need is evident, but how do we approach such a monumental problem?

Our first step is to trust in God. While the situation may seem hopeless, God is in control. He knows our most basic needs and provides for them (Matthew 6:25–34). He abhors evil and will one day bring an end to all the suffering on earth.

Next, we need to have compassion for others. With our trust in God and our hearts full of compassion, we are then ready to take action. Prayer is always a good place to start. We need to pray for God's intervention on behalf of the poor, the work of those combating poverty, and direction for how we can help. We should advocate for the poor by standing up for them when they are mistreated or forgotten. We should serve the poor whether through giving our time or resources.

We also need to pray for guidance in how and when to help. Sometimes what we think is helping is actually harming. We might inadvertently be removing opportunities for economic freedom, communicating messages of defeat, or providing resources that don’t actually work, thus not actually helping people out of poverty. On the other hand, some people seem to be happy to be poor and contribute nothing to society, and our help might be enabling (2 Thessalonians 3:10). So we must evaluate each situation, seeking God for guidance and availing ourselves of the wisdom of experienced others. Taking time to get to know those we desire to help and asking them what it is they need is a good step. Vetting organizations that serve the poor to understand their theoretical framework, their actual work, and its results is wise before joining in their work.

In your own community you can serve at a homeless shelter or provide clothes and food for the less fortunate. You can set up support systems for the needy in your church. You can also donate money or volunteer for the numerous organizations that fight against poverty worldwide. A few notable organizations include Compassion International, which shares the gospel in addition to meeting physical needs of children in poverty; Mercy Ships, which provides surgeries and medical care to the poor; and CURE, which operates charitable hospitals serving children worldwide.

UNDERSTAND

• God cares for the poor and hungry, as He sees and cares for everyone.
• God commands us to care for the poor with justice, compassion, and selfless love.
• While we cannot solve poverty alone, we reflect God's love by helping locally and globally, partnering with others to bring hope and relief.

REFLECT

• In what ways have you allowed selfishness or comfort to keep you from noticing or responding to the needs of the poor?
• How do you discern whether your help is truly serving others or unintentionally harmful or enabling?
• What is one practical step you can take this week to reflect God’s compassion toward someone in need?

ENGAGE

• What does it look like for believers to respond to global poverty with both compassion and discernment?
• How can we balance trusting God to provide with taking responsibility to act against poverty and hunger?
• How might we unintentionally show partiality in how we treat or value the rich over the poor, and how can we correct that?