I am interested in knowing what can the church do for the widows? There is a lady who is a widow and a member of the Lord’s church. She has five grown children. Can the church pay for her husband’s funeral out of the treasury? What if all members quit paying their life insurance and demand the same treatment?<\/p>\n\t
“Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these things command, that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work. But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some have already turned aside after Satan. If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows<\/em>” (I Timothy 5:3-16)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The church steps in to help members who are true widows, that is those who have no surviving family to care for them. In addition, Paul states that the church’s obligations only extend to elderly widows (by implication, those who are unable to support themselves) who have been exemplary members. The woman you asked about, having five grown children, is not qualified to receive aid from the church.<\/p>\n
The church is not a social welfare organization. The family’s obligation comes first. The church steps in when there is no family and the widow has shown herself to be a faithful member. The latter qualification would eliminate “conversions” just for financial aid.<\/p>\n
What about widows who don’t meet the qualifications Paul laid out and who don’t have a family to depend upon? This then becomes an obligation of the widow’s fellow Christians. “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world<\/em>” (James 1:27).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I am interested in knowing what can the church do for the widows? There is a lady who is a widow and a member of the Lord’s church. She has five grown children. Can the church pay for her husband’s funeral out of the treasury? What if all members quit paying their life insurance…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[194,448,193],"class_list":["post-4015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-benevolence","tag-church","tag-individual-vs-church"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16783,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wouldnt-a-new-testament-church-realize-that-we-are-our-brothers-keepers\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":0},"title":"Wouldn’t a New Testament church realize that we are our brothers’ keepers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: On\u00a0the home page, it says that you really don't participate in community activities, fundraisers, home missions, or anything like that, in the way I interpreted it anyway. Wouldn't a New Testament church realize that we are our brothers' keepers? And that James said faith without works is dead? I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23797,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-distinguish-the-needy-from-the-wanters\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":1},"title":"How do you distinguish the needy from the wanters?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi! I came across your site and subsequent Bible studies while trying to research the subject of giving but not in the traditional sense. Since my on-line searches are not producing the answers I am looking for, and since I noted that you are a preacher, I thought I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32171,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/individual-or-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":2},"title":"Individual or Church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jimmy R. Mickells I was recently given a bulletin with an article in it that asked this question: \"Where does the Bible make a distinction between the individual member and the church in the work of the Lord?\" May we notice together that the word of God answers this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16850,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-you-think-about-a-church-funding-a-school-or-senior-housing\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":3},"title":"What do you think about a church funding a school or senior housing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was just wanting to get more information on schools in the Lord's church. Our minister is in the process of obtaining funds from the church to open up a school in order to teach the children to read. He also mentioned opening a home for the seniors with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9482,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-the-church-isnt-a-social-organization-then-how-are-the-needy-cared-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":4},"title":"If the church isn’t a social organization, then how are the needy cared for?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: \"The church has no bowling league, no softball team, nor does it sponsor a Boy Scout troop. We have an air-conditioned building with several rooms for Bible classes, but there is no kitchen, no banquet hall, no gymnasium, or party room. Perhaps you are wondering what kind of church\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57431,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/individual-group-distinctions\/","url_meta":{"origin":4015,"position":5},"title":"Individual-Group Distinctions","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bryan Sharp I Timothy 5:16 tells us, \"If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. 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