Unmerciful to the poor (Cont’)
“You rich men, weep and howl.” The Bible does not teach that all rich people are ungodly. Nevertheless, what James is describing is characteristic of many people with wealth (vv.1-6;2:1-3). The exceptions are the rich people who are not possessed by their wealth and use it instead to advance the gospel and to help those in need.
“They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do,” (Gal 2:10) The Apostles were referring to the poor of Jerusalem. While many Gentile converts were financially comfortable, the Jerusalem church had suffered from the effects of a severe famine in Palestine (see Acts 11:28-30) and was struggling. So on his journeys, Paul had gathered funds for the Jewish Christians (Acts 24:17; Romans 15:25-29;1Corinthians 16:1-4; 2Corinthians 8).
The need for believers to care for the poor is a constant…
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