5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Chronicles 10-12
Acts 4:32-5:16

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Acts 4:32, 34-35 (CSB): “Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common… For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

I’ll never forget when someone confidently told me that the Bible taught communism. As a justification for their false claim, they pointed to Acts 4, the verses I have chosen for today, and said that everyone shared with others. Since then, I have had a few other people make the same erroneous claim.

I was a teenager when Ronald Reagan became our 40th president. I keenly remember him speaking often against the dangers of communism. I didn’t realize just how serious communism was, nor how much of a threat it would become to the United States at that time.

As I write this, some current American politicians brazenly embrace the term “socialist.” As Ronald Reagan used to say, “While socialism is not the same as communism, there is merely a difference of degrees.” Since so many Americans are aware of the evils of not just communism but also socialism, current American socialist politicians often soften their stance by attaching a modifier: “democratic socialist.” However, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.

So, does the Bible advocate socialism and/or communism? Do passages like Acts 4 teach socialism and/or communism?

Absolutely not!

Simply put, socialism and communism are the forced sharing of assets. The government oversees the reallocation of assets through coercion.

In the Christian worldview, assets are private property and must not be “shared” through forced reallocation. While the Christian worldview allows for reasonable taxation (Mark 12:13-17), it does not allow for “robbing from the rich to give to the poor.” Instead, what we see in the verse I chose for today is a free-will offering that came from fellow believers who determined, on their own, to share out of their abundance with other believers who were in need.

With socialism and communism, someone in a position of power and authority forces those under them to share.

In the Christian worldview, no one forces anyone to share. Christianity acknowledges property rights. So, it is the owner of the wealth who determines whether or not to share with others. If a property owner decides to relinquish ownership of their property in order to use it to benefit others, they have that right.

Just read the verses I chose for today and see if this isn’t the case.

Acts 4:32, 34-35 (CSB): “Now the entire group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but instead they held everything in common… For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.”

Clearly, each person made their own choice, without any outside coercion, to share with others in need. They made the determination, on their own, that they wouldn’t cling to their property but, instead, help those who were struggling.

Any other passage of Scripture that talks about people sharing with those in need also acknowledges the rights of the property owner and encourages them to make the choice, without coercion, to share with those in need.

So, the Bible doesn’t teach socialism and/or communism. Instead, it calls us to share.

And that’s where the rubber meets the road. Do you have a heart that is ready to share with others (the Bible prioritizes fellow believers) who are in need?

1 John 3:17-18 (CSB): “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him—how does God’s love reside in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to cultivate a heart within you for those who are in need.
  • Ask God to enable you to hold onto your possessions loosely, so that you can willingly share with others in need as He leads you.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what the Bible says about sharing, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Does the Bible support Communism?”

“What does the Bible say about sharing?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)