"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
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Acts 2:42-47
Is Acts 2:42-47 Communist? Some people think so. The disciples live together in a “communal”
sort of way. The rich sell their land
and give to the poor in the “commune.” Some would say that this is what Karl Marx was
talking about in his Communist Manifesto.
However, it’s quite the opposite.
Karl Marx steals from Acts 2:42-47 in his Communist manifesto, then cuts
out Jesus, leaving the commune powerless, since all power is found in Christ.
Many young people today are enamored with Communism…some say we live in a “late-capitalist” society, or a society in which capitalism has gone too far unchecked. I am not saying any of that, nor am I disagreeing with any of that, but I will state some unfortunate facts that I believe dismay God: we have 40 million people in the richest country on earth living below the poverty line (roughly $19,000 a year for a two-person household), and we have record individual debt in the nation, and record numbers of people going into massive debt to get an education. Some young people look at this today and see an answer in another worldly system: communism. We need to offer them the true alternative: Jesus.
When we depend on worldly systems (systems not created by God and not mentioned
in the Bible, but created by man) to answer our problems, we will never find
the answer. The answer to avoiding a “communist
takeover” in this country that so many people are worried about is not to
promote the benefits of capitalism.
Capitalism is not the answer to your problems, or anyone else’s
problems. Jesus is the answer to all our
problems. There is no inherent truth in
capitalism because it is not based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is based on the powers of self-interest
and ambition. These are not inherently
good things, and when these things exist apart from following Jesus, they can become
very destructive.
So Jesus is not inherently in capitalism – He’s just not. If you don’t believe me, read Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations.” He “made” capitalism with this book, and he never mentions Christ, the Bible, or any Biblical concepts. Even so, let’s go back to the example at the beginning: Acts 2 and communism. As I said before, some people think that because of this passage, Karl Marx’s communism is correct in its intentions, just “off a little bit” in rejecting religion. I used to be tempted to believe this. I used to be tempted to believe that any system which emphasizes kindness to the poor is a basically good system. After all, Jesus Himself says to be kind to the poor, and the uber-rich capitalists in this country *certainly* weren’t doing that.
Those who were the
most pro-capitalist seemed to be the most ambivalent about the poorest, “least”
in society who resort to abortions or stealing to survive. They condemned them instead, when Jesus
commands us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do
not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Because while we
hate the sin, we are told to love the sinner.
And though I still believe it is true that a lot of uber-rich
capitalists in the country have little or no regard for the poorest in society,
that doesn’t mean I have to embrace communism or hate rich people. The Holy Spirit has taught me that Acts 2:42-47
existed thousands of years before communism.
He has taught me that the teachings of Jesus bring about all good things
in this world. Though the “rich young
rulers” of the capitalist world (Mark 10:17-31) may walk away when Jesus tells
them to sell everything they have, give it to the poor, and follow Him, that doesn’t mean we
have to change our economic system – it means we have to pray to change the
hearts of the rich young rulers. We have
to pray for their souls, that they turn from their ways of coveting, give to
the poor, and follow Him. Hate the sin…love the sinner.
Though it may be tempting to lean toward revolution (either a
communist revolution or a revolution against socialism in the country), it is
not Jesus’ way. The 100 million plus
believers in Communist China who have been around since the 90’s have not united
for an armed revolution. You know
why? Paul commands against it in Romans
13. In fact, we are commanded to pray FOR
our governing authorities. No matter who
they are. At the time, the governing
authority was Rome, which persecuted and killed Christians. God appoints authorities for His own
purposes, completely beyond our human understanding. “Consequently, whoever rebels against the
authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves (Romans
13:2).” It is very convenient to cite
Romans 13 when our pick for President or Congress succeeded in the
election. The real sign of whether or
not we are true to the Spirit of God in obedience to authorities is when we pray
for someone we didn’t vote for or who persecutes us.
I have trouble with this, as I’m sure most readers do, but I’ve
felt God telling me to pray for a certain imperfect authority I didn’t like,
because I am also imperfect, and Jesus tells us not to judge or condemn. I need help with this, but when the Holy
Spirit shows me my failings, I try to repent. I am not trying to tie a heavy load on your
back and not lift a finger to help you with it, as the Pharisees did in Jesus’
time (Matthew 23:2-4). If you need help
with this, all you have to do is pray for help in this area, and pray
persistently as Jesus tells us to in Luke 11:5-10. Ask, and you will be given the power to be
gracious to your enemies. Seek peace
persistently through prayer, and you will find peace of mind in praying for
someone who you believe is ruining the country.
Love Jesus, and you will find the ability to love others who don’t love
you. Jesus promises this, and I believe
His promise. Our cup will overflow with
the love that Jesus gives us, and it will flow out to all those around us in Jesus’
name.
So in summary, the answer to the problems with capitalism is
not the eradication of capitalism, and the answer to the problems with
socialism/communism is not the eradication of socialism/communism. The answer to the problems of both is Jesus. We should pray about everything, give to
those in need, shine the light of the Gospel in the darkness through our lives
and our actions, and pray that others join us in following Jesus’ kindness to
the poor so we can give the young people in this country the only true
alternative to capitalism and communism – Jesus. He came to eradicate the kingdom of
Satan. Through healings, miracles, and
giving His Holy Spirit so we could also perform healings and miracles. Most importantly, our salvation gives us the
key to unlock the mysteries of the Spirit – things no human being can learn if
they do not know Christ. Mysteries like
love for enemies, praying for those who persecute you, and bringing God’s
kingdom here on earth through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Gospel includes the communal love, prayer,
and giving revealed in Acts 2.
The word “communal” is defined by Google as “Of or relating to a community,” not of or relating to Communism. Communism excludes Jesus from the community, and without Jesus, there is no Acts 2:42-47, because the one thing that kept everyone together was their belief in Christ. It’s what kept the community from becoming a cult. When everything is Jesus-centered, things tend to go according to God’s will. When everything is world-system centered, big problems happen, no matter which world system people are following. Let’s encourage each other to follow the true “communal living” example that the Bible gives us. That of a Christian community living in the harmony and peace of Christ. Accepting the Truth of the universe, Jesus, as opposed to rejecting Him in favor of worldly powers, and giving to the poor according to their need out of free will and not by violent force. Communism will not fix our problems, and neither will capitalism – only Jesus can do that.
In part 2, we will speak more on how the answer is not in capitalism or communism, but Jehovah-Jireh: "God who provides."
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