By Laura Zee
According to a 2019 YouGov poll, 70% of millennials (27-42 years old) said they would vote for a socialist.1 A Gallup poll that same year showed that 47% of Americans of all demographics would vote for a socialist for president of the United States.2
Should Christians be among the ranks of those who support socialism? Did Jesus and the disciples teach principles consistent with socialism? We will offer 10 reasons socialism isn’t compatible with biblical Christianity. But first, let’s define socialism.
Defining Socialism
Socialism is “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution…by the community as a whole, usually through a centralized government.”3 In other words, businesses, as well as the land, capital, and equipment needed for producing goods and services, are not owned by individuals, families, or shareholders, but rather by the community as a whole. In theory, everyone is an equal owner of hospitals, clinics, farms, markets, grocery stores, and every other business and industry. But in practice, someone has to be responsible for operating and maintaining those businesses. People typically don’t volunteer to operate businesses knowing they can’t build up equity, have control over the decisions made, or keep the fruits of their labor. So, the government steps in and takes over.
This is very different from the free market in which individuals decide what they need and want (known as demand) and those who produce each good or service provide it accordingly (known as supply). Without supply and demand to determine how much of each good and service is produced and how much they cost, the government makes these decisions for everyone.
Such a system is inconsistent with the teachings and lives of Jesus and his disciples for several reasons.
1. Jesus and the disciples taught voluntary giving, not government redistribution.
People sometimes cite accounts like Matthew 19:16-30 in which Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow him as evidence that Jesus would favor socialism over a free market economy. However, such accounts are more in line with a free market economy because Jesus always called for voluntary giving. He did not call for government taxation and redistribution, community confiscation, or seizure of land and businesses. In fact, we see affirmation of private ownership and free decisions in the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.
Ananias and Sapphira were members of the early church who sold some of their property. They kept some of the profit for themselves and donated the rest to the church. But they lied and said they donated the full amount of their property. Peter rebuked them for lying, saying,
Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God. (Acts 5:3-4, emphasis mine)
This was the perfect opportunity to condemn private ownership, but Peter did the opposite. He affirmed that the property, as well as the proceeds from it, were theirs to do with as they pleased. His only condemnation was that they lied about what they did.
Jesus and the disciples didn’t condemn private ownership; rather, they assumed we have personal possessions and taught us how to steward them wisely since, ultimately, everything belongs to God, and we are accountable to him for our decisions. This is the primary difference between a free market economy and socialism. The former is based on free trade, while the latter is imposed by force of law. In contrast to government confiscation and redistribution of wealth, when we voluntarily give away what we have earned, that’s charity and it’s praiseworthy. The voluntary component makes all the difference.4
2. Jesus and the disciples taught care for fellow Christians first.
Several New Testament passages emphasize the importance of Christians caring for one another first before extending that care to others outside the community of faith. For example, Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” Similarly, Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” We see this lived out in Acts 2:42-47 in which the believers had everything in common, even selling their belongings in order to give to one another as they had needs.5
This may come as a shock to some Christians, but when the government takes your tax money, they don’t send it to Women in Apologetics, Christian missionaries, or your pastor who is struggling to make ends meet. They don’t send it to Wayne Grudem so he can write more books, to William Lane Craig so he can do more debates, or to Frank Turek so he can speak at more universities. They don’t send it to Christian schools, Christian churches, or Christian publishers.
The reality is that secular governments have a different worldview than Jesus, and spending always reflects the values of the purse holder. Socialism would provide the secular government with even more of Christians’ earned income and property that would otherwise be available to support the community of believers.
3. Jesus and the disciples taught accountability within the community of believers.
The most common passage I hear to support the claim that the Bible teaches socialism is Acts 2:42-47:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Once again, we see that this giving among Christians was voluntary, not government-imposed. This passage assumes the Christians owned private property, kept their earned income, and were free to share it with fellow believers.
Additionally, there was accountability here that the government simply couldn’t provide. The text says the Christians met together daily. They knew the details of one another’s lives. There was accountability in how they were living. These Christians were not giving their money to people who were obstinately sexually promiscuous, doing drugs, promoting unbiblical beliefs, and choosing not to work. They were giving to fellow Christians.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). And the early church practiced church discipline. Those who willfully disregarded the commands of the Lord were not rewarded; rather, they were told to leave the community of believers.6 The central government isn’t capable of (or interested in) providing this kind of moral accountability, which makes all the difference between helping those in need versus subsidizing and incentivizing self-destructive behavior.
4. Jesus wasn’t concerned with equal financial wealth for all.
Jesus is most concerned with our spiritual well-being, not our temporary financial comfort. This is made clear in Luke 12:13-15 in which a man in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” This would have been the perfect opportunity for Jesus to affirm the man’s request and teach that everyone must share equally in the wealth available to them, but that’s not what he did. Rather, Jesus refused to oblige the man and warned against greed, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Socialism is the demand for the same financial outcomes for everyone, regardless of skills, hard work, investment, risk-taking, and personal decision-making. It’s a demand that has some parallels with Luke 12:13. and it’s a demand that contradicts Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
Although some may point to the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16) to show that all the workers were paid the same amount regardless of how many hours they worked, it’s important to remember that this is a parable about the kingdom of heaven (v. 1), not instruction for how much to pay one’s employees. The main point of the parable is that God’s grace is not earned by human effort and that all genuine believers receive the gift of eternal life, whether they follow the Lord faithfully for 90 years or repent with their dying breath.7
Nonetheless, if we’re going to look to this parable for present-day application, we must at least acknowledge Jesus’ affirmation that the landowner has the right to do what he pleases with his own money, as well as his condemnation of envy (v. 15). This brings us to our next point.
5. Jesus and his disciples condemned envy and resentment.
Although socialism is frequently presented as being motivated by compassion for those who have less than we do, it’s also driven by envy and resentment toward those who have more than we do. In fact, the Cato Institute found that “resentment of the successful has about twice the effect of compassion in predicting support for increasing top marginal tax rates, wealth redistribution, hostility to capitalism, and believing billionaires should not exist.”8 The same study showed that compassion and resentment both equally predict support for full-scale socialism.
Jesus and his disciples unequivocally condemned envy, portraying it as inner corruption that leads to even greater sin.9 James warned that envy is demonic and results in “disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:14-16), and Paul warned that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). In contrast, Christians must cultivate a spirit of gratitude and contentment.10
Conclusion
While Jesus’ teachings emphasize compassion, generosity, and care for the poor, interpreting these as an endorsement of socialism is a gross misconstrual of the means and purpose for which these acts were to be carried out. Jesus is primarily concerned with our trust in God. He offers us the opportunity to join him in caring for others by showing compassion and giving generously. However, we are to give voluntarily, not by force of law. We are to provide for Christians first and then to non-Christians. There is to be accountability within Christian communities to work hard and obey God’s commands. And we are to put away all resentment, envy, and greed. When these commands are followed, we will truly have a more just, charitable, and loving society.
Stay tuned for part two which includes five more reasons Jesus was not a socialist in 10 Reasons Jesus Was Not a Socialist, Part 2.
- Morgan Gstalter, “7 in 10 millennials say they would vote for a socialist: poll,” The Hill, October 28, 2019, https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/467684-70-percent-of-millennials-say-theyd-vote-for-a-socialist-poll/.
↩︎ - Justin McCarthy, “Less Than Half in U.S. Would Vote for Socialist for President,” Gallup, May 9, 2019, https://news.gallup.com/poll/254120/less-half-vote-socialist-president.aspx. ↩︎
- Dictonary.com, “socialism,” accessed June 21, 2024, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/socialism. ↩︎
- Compare Exodus 20:15 versus 1 Corinthians 9:7 ↩︎
- See also 1 John 3:17-18; James 2:15-16; and 1 Timothy 5:8 ↩︎
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 11-12 ↩︎
- An example of the latter is in Luke 23:39-43 when the criminal next to Jesus repents on the cross as he dies. ↩︎
- Emily Ekins, “Study: Top Motivation for Hating Capitalism Isn’t Compassion, It’s Resentment,” Cato Institute, October 1, 2019, https://www.cato.org/commentary/study-top-motivation-hating-capitalism-isnt-compassion-its-resentment. ↩︎
- Mark 7:21-23; Matthew 20:1-16; Luke 15:25-30; Romans 13:13; Galatians 5:19-21 ↩︎
- Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:4-7, 11-12 ↩︎