What the Bible Says About Helping Others

Helping others is a natural way to share God’s love. No matter how busy we are or how little we have to give, these Bible verses about helping others show how deeply God cares about us giving what we do have.

Truly helping can look different depending on the context or the recipient. Use these verses as a guide as you learn about loving others through practically helping them.

Helping People in Poverty

God calls Christians to remember the poor and do what we can to help. How much we have to give financially or even emotionally may fluctuate in the different seasons of our lives, but there is always something we can do.

The Scriptures listed below are great starting places for understanding how deeply God cares about his people helping those in poverty.

A practical way you can help others and share the love of Jesus Christ is to sponsor a child. By sponsoring a child, God will use you to bring hope and help to the family of a child in need—clean drinking water, educational opportunities, nutritional food, medical help, job training skills and other assistance.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

— Proverbs 19:17, NIV

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

— James 2:14-17, NIV

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

— 1 John 3:17, NIV

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.

— Proverbs 22:9, NIV

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

— Isaiah 58:9b-10, NIV

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

— Matthew 25:44-45, NIV

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

— James 1:27, NIV

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

— Proverbs 28:27, NIV

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

— Proverbs 14:31, NIV

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

— Proverbs 21:13, NIV

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

— Proverbs 29:7, NIV

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

— Proverbs 31:9, NIV

Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

— Proverbs 14:21, ESV

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.

— Acts 9:36, NIV

All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

— Galatians 2:10, NIV

“If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.”

— Leviticus 25:35, NIV

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

— 1 Timothy 6:17-19, NIV

If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them.

— Deuteronomy 15:7, NIV

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

— Matthew 25:35, NIV

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”

— Leviticus 19:9-10, NIV

Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.

— Psalm 41:1, NIV

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

— Isaiah 1:17, ESV

And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: This is what the Lord Almighty said: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.”

— Zechariah 7:8-10

God’s Help for People in Poverty

Our mission at Compassion International is to reduce the international poverty rate that strongly affects children. Help us in our mission today. Sponsor a child living in extreme poverty.

You have been a refuge for the poor,  a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall.

— Isaiah 25:4, NIV

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

— Psalm 68:5, NIV

I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.

— Psalm 140:12, NIV

My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

— Psalm 35:10, NIV

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”

— Psalm 12:5, NIV

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

— Psalm 9:9, NIV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

— 2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV

Instructions From Jesus on Helping Others

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

— John 15:12, NIV

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

— Matthew 5:42, NIV

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

— Matthew 5:16, NIV

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

— Luke 6:38, NIV

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

— Acts 20:35, NIV

“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”

— Luke 12:33, NIV

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

— Mark 10:21, NIV

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

— Luke 6:27-28, NIV

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

— Luke 6:31, NIV

“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”

— Luke 6:30, NIV

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

— John 15:13, NIV

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

— Matthew 19:21, NIV

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

— Matthew 5:13-15, NIV

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

— Mark 10:45, NIV

“But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

— Luke 12:48, NIV

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

— Matthew 10:8, NIV

Helping Other Believers

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

— Romans 12:13, NIV

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

— Galatians 6:2, NIV

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

— Hebrews 6:10, NIV

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

— 1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV

Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

— Luke 8:3, NIV

But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

— Exodus 17:12, ESV

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

— Galatians 5:13, NIV

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

— Romans 12:10, NIV

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. … If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

— Romans 12:6a, 8, NIV

Commands to Help Others

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

— Hebrews 13:16, NIV

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

— Proverbs 3:27, NIV

Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

— Philippians 2:4, NIV

If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner get it to its feet.

— Deuteronomy 22:4, NIV

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

— Ephesians 4:32, NIV

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

— Romans 15:1, NIV

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

— Ephesians 4:28, NIV

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

— 1 Timothy 5:8, NIV

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

— Ephesians 4:29, NIV

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

— 1 Peter 4:10, NIV

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

— Luke 3:10-11, NIV

Encouragement in Helping Others

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

— Proverbs 11:25, NIV

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

— Galatians 6:9, NIV

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

— Ephesians 2:10, NIV

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

— James 1:5, NIV

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ .

— Philippians 4:19, NIV