Hi Mike,

Considering the current discourse on socialism in our culture, I was surprised that someone hadn’t brought this question up sooner. It’s a valid question for our country which was founded on individual freedoms as opposed to living under the heel of a tyrannical government.
Your response was helpful for this individual on one level, but I think there is more to the issue than laziness or being responsible for filling your own lamp. Scripture does exhort us to physically and spiritually contribute to our brother’s well- being. Following are a few examples of this thinking:

1Co 12:12  For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [ is] Christ.
1Co 12:13  For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [ we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [ we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14  For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17  If the whole body [ were] an eye, where [ were] the hearing? If the whole [ were] hearing, where [ were] the smelling?
1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19  And if they were all one member, where [ were] the body?
1Co 12:20  But now [ are they] many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23  And those [ members] of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely [ parts] have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24  For our comely [ parts] have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that [ part] which lacked:
1Co 12:25  That there should be no schism in the body; but [ that] the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

While Paul acknowledged in 2 Thessalonians that while he had the right to request the support of the church but did not, so as to be an example to them, he also encouraged the church to support the weak and infirmed (spiritually and physically) in the 20th chapter of Acts:

Act 20:33  I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Act 20:34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

The apostle James approached this from another angle:

Jas 1:27  Religious observance, pure and undefiled with our God and Father, is this—to be visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, unspotted, to keep, himself, from the world.

Christ himself made it very clear in this passage:

Mat 10:42 And whoever should be giving one of these little ones only a cool cup to drink, in the name of a disciple, verily, I am saying to you, by no means should he be losing his wages.

And again in Mar 9:

Mar 9:41 For whosoever should be giving you a cup of water to drink in the Name, seeing that you are Christ’s, verily I am saying to you that by no means should he be losing his wages.

Finally, this passage is one that clearly commands us to make ourselves responsible for our brother’s needs:

Jas 2:14 What [ doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Jas 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [ doth it] profit?
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Having said all of this, none of this takes away from what you said regarding our own responsibility to work and provide for our own needs. I despise the progressive’s agenda to try to re- distribute the wealth in our world by taxing those who work harder or smarter as if somehow it is unfair that they benefit from their labor. I’ve seen the results of disincentivizing the poor who sit on their porches all day and pay for their groceries with EBT cards while they’ve obviously spent sizable amounts on things like acrylic jeweled nails.
What the person you were responding to was asking had much to do with what a Christian should do when it comes to helping those who are not in great need. Your response to that was right on. What many confuse for socialism in the original church was the church taking care of itself, not the world or even Israel/ Judah. That confusion exists in the church today, with the multiple ministries feeding the poor and housing the homeless, etc. We should be taking care of our brother where absolutely necessary, but not as an ongoing crutch where we support addictions and laziness.
Christ spelled it out in no uncertain terms when answering the question of which commandment was the greatest,

Mat 22:36 Teacher! which commandment, is greatest in the law?
Mat 22:37 And, he, said unto him—Thou shalt love the Lord thy God—with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind:
Mat 22:38  This, is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39  The second, like it, is, this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  In these two commandments, all the law, is contained, and the prophets.

Loving your neighbor as yourself does mean being willing to give up your life if necessary:

Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
[Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.]

… but does not necessarily mean you must give away everything you acquire to those who are capable of providing for their own,

2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2Th 3:11  For we hear that  there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
2Th 3:12  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

These were some additional thoughts to the excellent ones you explained in your letter.

Your brother in Christ,
R____

Hi R____,

I really do appreciate what you have added to this subject. This helps to add balance and more of the sum of God’s Word on what the scriptures teach about our need to help others when that help is warranted.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with me. I will now share it with others.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike