Galatians 2:10 Remember the Poor, For the Gospel Comes In Word and Deed

Galatians 2:10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.

Though the gospel consists in words, it also consists in actions. The gospel will be believed as the world sees the genuine love of Christians for others; especially for those who belong to Christ (John 13:35). Remembering the poor, the widows, the orphans, and those in prison is an essential part of Christianity. I exhort you, brothers and sisters, to make every effort to help those who are needy. So many are going to come to Christ on the Day of Judgment and ask Jesus to allow them entrance into the Kingdom, only to be turned away because they were those “who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). Test yourself and be certain that you are of the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you are not doing the deeds of God (for personal righteousness, the glory of His name (good theology), and helping the needy), then you may be proving yourself to be only a nominal Christian (cf. Matthew 7:15-20).

There is a clear practical side to Christianity, as it is not a religion of mere theologies. Brothers and sisters, remember those who are in prison, suffering with them even if it means the defamation of your character or the loss of personal rights—this occurs more often in countries other than the United States, so I say this especially to missionaries, of whom there are far too few (Hebrews 10:34; 13:3). I also implore you to go to orphanages, visit the widows and shut-ins of your local church, and to give to the poor (throughout the Old Testament, God identifies those who remember the widows, the orphans, and the aliens and poor with those who are the true covenant people; not because their actions in themselves are pleasing (cf. Hebrews 11, as it is faith God desires), but because these actions reveal the true penitent nature of their hearts—cf. Exodus 22:22, Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 13:28-29, Malachi 3:5).

God is most certainly a God of social justice. However, He is never a God who is a God of social justice to the exclusion of the gospel by any means (if you help people physically without ever preaching the gospel to them, you are actually helping to send them to Hell (cf. Romans 10:9-17). Paul makes this clear when he tells the Galatians that the Jerusalem council told he and Barnabas “to remember the poor.” Yet this is what Paul had intended to do. He knew the need for good works to justify the Christian faith in the eyes of the world, as did all the early Church fathers (in early apologies by Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and many others, they call the Romans to look at their actions and see that Christianity is true by the way Christians live; such as remembering the poor and taking in children who were exposed).

Today, it seems, that there is a gap between those of good theology and those who do the works. This is known as hypocrisy for both groups. The liberals seek for social justice, yet live immoral lifestyles and do not care about God Himself. Those who have right beliefs tend to live moral personal lives but fail at helping the poor. This may be because they have been swept into the American way of life (those of right belief that is). They either care only for themselves or they want to be the stand-out in American churches (they want to be the Martin Luther of their generation). I urge you, brothers and sisters, consider heaven and remember that there is a resurrection of the dead. Those who are last and servants to all will be first, according to Christ our Lord. Therefore, gladly take the roles that receive less praise and honor from the lips of men; then your reward in heaven will be great. It is not how many people you impact, but what you do for the Kingdom of God in Christ that matters. Remember the poor!