16 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.
If Christians have widows in their family, they need to care for them rather than putting that burden on the church.
16 If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them,
Paul turned again to the principle that caring for widows should principally be the role of the family, not the church.
and do not let the church be burdened,
The local church has no cause to support a widow with believing relatives.
that it may relieve those who are really widows.
Paul was still speaking about genuine widows, not pretenders.
PRINCIPLE:
Distribution of widow funds should be done with care and wisdom.
APPLICATION:
The distribution of church funds should be handled with extreme care and not summarily handed out to anyone who comes along.
