Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Some people believe this Passage of Scripture shows that God promotes socialism. Does it? We need to look deeper into the Scriptures to determine the answer to that question. First, let's look at the circumstances surrounding this particular Passage. Acts 2:42-43 And they continued steadfastly in the Apostle’s Doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles. And all who believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need.
The people united together due to persecution. The animosity toward them by the Jews was so severe it caused great fear to come upon every soul. They were uprooted from their homes and businesses so they joined together and shared with each other. This is not socialism. This is unity for survival in a time of oppression.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. The Word of God strongly encourages work and speaks against the sluggard who is too lazy to work.
Mark 1:18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
John 20:10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Job 1:3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.
Throughout the Bible, people owned their own homes, boats, equipment, livestock, jewelry, clothes, etc. They worked and accumulated possessions in a free market system.
Matthew 4:21-22 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father, and followed Him. This indicates that these people had a family business that provided for the members of their family.
Luke 20:25 And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Jesus taught that the government had a role in society and that taxes were needed. However, He did NOT say to render unto Caesar all you have so everyone can an equal amount and maintain the same standard of life.
Proverbs 19:18-19 Chasten your son while there is hope, And do not set your heart on his destruction. A man of great wrath will suffer punishment; For if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
To rescue people over and over again is not condoned by the Word of God. Helping people and encouraging them to be self-sufficient and provide for their families is God’s way, but continually enabling someone only results in destruction.
Jesus was merciful and charitable. We are to be the same as we seek to be Christ-like. Jesus encouraged His people to be charitable but it was always voluntary. Jesus taught total surrender to Him and the Kingdom of God, but nowhere does Jesus command His people to give everything they have to the government or the elders of the church so they can redistribute it to whomever they choose.
Everything of God comes by way of the free will God has placed in the soul of every person. Free will is freedom to choose. We have all been given that right by God. It is an unalienable right bestowed upon us by our Creator. The government has no right to infringe upon our God-given rights.
The Word of God truly spoken will……..turn the tide
That’s the way I see it, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
