The Bible and Economics
Imagine one morning you wake up and you’re suddenly the only person living on the planet.[1] How would you respond? After realizing the surrounding events, you might take up residence in that house you’ve always dreamed of living in. You can now drive anywhere you want, because, well, gas is free. You might decorate your home with the rug from the Oval Office and take all the food you want from the grocery stores.
However, several problems begin to arise. No one comes to pick up the trash. No running water becomes a problem for your sewer system. No one growing crops creates problems for your food supply. This scenario reveals something basic to us about wealth and poverty. Wealth is not a physical object; it is dependent on the work and creativity of image-bearers.
Some Christians do not view economic issues as topics for moral discussion. However, some attention is being given to the relationship between wealth and poverty.[2] Were the early Christians modeling a form of Communism in their communal sharing found in Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35?[3] Some are wondering if Jesus was a Socialist Himself.[4] These are important questions to consider.
In the beginning, God’s intention for creation was for it to flourish. Since Biblical flourishing encompasses all of life, economics has moral aspects to be considered. In this essay, we’ll see how the Bible addresses basic economic issues. In particular, we’ll see how a free-market environment supports human flourishing and creative minds that reflect the imago Dei.
A Biblical View of Wealth
One of the more important distinctions to understand is the difference between possession of wealth and love of wealth. We know for certain that Scripture condemns the love of wealth (1 Tim. 6:10). The love of wealth manifests an idolatrous heart in which wealth becomes a source of trust instead of God. However, Scripture also speaks to the possession of wealth.
These passages mentioned also reveal that all wealth originates from God Himself. God has invested in this earth an abundance of natural resources. Since all wealth originates from God, He owns it all. Furthermore, He has entrusted human beings as stewards to use these resources wisely. He gives humans dominion over this earth and the ability to take things like iron ore, petroleum and melt and refine them into things like iPhones, cars, and buildings. In summary, wealth is for our responsible enjoyment, and for use to achieve God’s purposes in His world.
In the Old Testament, wealth is presented as a blessing from God to be enjoyed (Eccl. 5:18-20). In the same context mentioned above, Paul tells Timothy that God provides wealth to His people for their responsible enjoyment (1 Tim. 6:17). In the following verses, Paul teaches that this responsibility should include an attitude of generosity and willingness to share (1 Tim. 6:18). This generous spirit springs from an internal generosity to God’s goodness.
Communal Sharing in Acts
There are some who would advocate that the communal sharing practiced in Acts presents a model or example that Christians should follow. This leads us to wonder, was the early church communitarian? Here is how the book of Acts describes the first church in Jerusalem:
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common…There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need (Acts 4:32-35).
On the surface, this sort of model looks like Communism. But several problems result with this view.
First, the communal-type sharing living shown here in Acts is a narrative account, not a prescriptive teaching. Therefore, it should not be viewed as normative.[5] However, this should not lead us to conclude that Christians should not care for the poor. This passage above clearly indicates that individuals are morally responsible to their neighbors. The mistake is made when someone makes the claim that we should live in a socialistic economy based from this particular text. We should not jump to prescription from narrative accounts.
Second, another reason this view is problematic is that nowhere in Scripture are Christians called to pursue and guarantee material equality. Rather, believers are called to promote economic justice. Inequality of possession is typical in a world where God creates individuals different, with various gifts, talents, and abilities. For example, consider Jesus’ parable of the talents (cf. Mt. 25:14-30).
Lastly, we see at least two differences between the economic example found in Acts and Communism. First, no one in Acts has their belongings seized. As Ron Sider puts it, “Sharing was voluntary, not compulsory.”[6] Second, this was a temporary arrangement made in the early church, not an enduring system. This communal sharing was never meant to be a model for how the entire church should operate, let alone to justify government controlling private property. In fact, this type of sharing was an emergency aid-based event to take care of the thousands who came to faith in Christ at Pentecost (Acts 2:41). While these narrative texts should not lead us to specific prescriptive teaching, Scripture does speak to areas on wealth and poverty issues.
Free Market Economy
Free market economics certainly deserve a fair share of criticism.[7] Like any worldview or philosophy, it must be examined through the lens of Scripture. In regards to examining economic systems, we should ask questions like, “Will this promote or prohibit human flourishing?” Our goal is to be in harmony with God’s desires for us as human beings and the way He has structured this world. It is then that we find our talents being used more effectively to bring about flourishing.
In his helpful book, Money, Greed, and God, Jay Richards offers a helpful illustration to understanding the benefits of free enterprise. He asks the reader to imagine a “trading game” in which students in a classroom are randomly given gifts such as a paddle board, Double-mint gum, Silly Putty, etc. The teacher gives the students the opportunity to trade with the person next to them. After trading, the teacher will then have the students rate how well they like their gift on a scale of one to ten. As the game goes on, the teacher finally gives the students free reign to trade with anyone in the class. As you can imagine, the total rating went up since each student obtained the desired gift through free trading. Richards concludes, “An exchange that is free on both sides, in which no one is forced or tricked into participating, is a win-win game. It’s a positive-sum game.”[8] This illustration teaches some of the basic lessons of economics.
In the game, notice it was voluntary and not coerced. The overall scores increased once the teacher introduced more trading partners. The students were not allowed to steal from each other in some sort of free-for-all or survival of the fittest. Exchange must be free on both sides in a free market economy. However, is this possible in a fallen world bent by sin?
Jay Richards recognizes this question against a free market economy in a fallen world filled with sin. He states, “The question isn’t whether capitalism measures up to the kingdom of God. The question is whether there’s a better alternative in this life.”[9] Indeed, that is the tension we live in as Christians: already, but not yet. Communism failed to realize this reality as it tried to draw heaven down to earth. We are bent towards disorder and destruction. No one is exempt from sin’s effects. The good news is that God will establish a kingdom of perfect peace and justice—a new heaven and a new earth. However, God doesn’t reserve the promises of this kingdom for just the future. Christians have the unique opportunity to obey God’s commands in this world and give a preview of that coming kingdom. This opportunity includes our economic and political life. Biblical flourishing includes all of our being.
Conclusion
Since Biblical flourishing encompasses all of life, the economy is a profoundly moral topic for consideration. We do so because Christ is Lord over the whole domain of our human existence. Therefore, the type of economy we implement matters in our world. Wealth is dependent on the work and creativity of image-bearers and we should do everything in our power to build a society that promotes human flourishing.
There is a way that leads to human flourishing. It includes the freedom for every man and women to discover their talents and potential. It allows for image-bearers to keep the fruits of their labor without coercion.[10] These freedoms belong to every human being because dignity matters to God. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, the body of Christ contains many members. These members are image-bearers with the capacity to create wealth, discover new ideas, start businesses, and invent new products for the glory of God.
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For Further Study:
Chad Brand, Flourishing Faith: A Baptist Primer on Work, Economics, and Civic Stewardship (Grand Rapids: Christian’s Library Press, 2012).
Jay W. Richards, Money, Greed, And God: Why Capitalism Is The Solution And Not The Problem (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009).
“Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics” www.tifwe.org
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[1] This is how the first episode of The Last Man On Earth begins.
[2] See John Piper, “How Should Christians Think About Socialism?” Read or listen here: http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-should-christians-think-about-socialism.
[3] For the purposes of this essay, we should note the differences between socialism and communism. Art Lindsley defines socialism as a “system under which the government owns the means of production and through coercive taxation and wealth redistribution allocates resources and makes decisions over property, prices and production.” Furthermore, communism is a progression from socialism. Lindsay states further that communism “is both a political and economic system which would abolish private property and give to individuals based on need.” Read full article here: https://tifwe.org/resource/does-acts-2-5-teach-socialism/
[4] See Larry Reed, “Was Jesus a Socialist?” Read it here: https://tifwe.org/was-jesus-a-socialist/.
[5] This is referred to as an “incidental fallacy.” The fallacy occurs when we get ‘ought’ from ‘is.’ See “Seven Common Fallacies of Biblical Interpretation” here: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2010/02/seven-common-fallacies-of-biblical-interpretation/
[6] Ronald J. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity, 20th anniversary revision (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997), 78.
[7] Merriam-Webster defines a free market as “an economic market or systems in which prices are based on competition among private businesses and not controlled by a government.”
[8] Jay Richards, Money, Greed, and God (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009), 63.
[9] Richards, Money, Greed, and God, 32.
[10] Even though there is no government coercion in a free market economy, the government still plays a role in enforcing rules. The people within the economy are not allowed to coerce or steal from each other. Jay Richards writes, “A free market is not a free-for-all in which everybody can do what they want. That’s anarchy, in which the strong can steal from the weak…A free market isn’t like that…you need an outside enforcer” (Richards, 63).
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