Does the Bible Teach Socialism / Marxism / Communism? #2
Socialism/Communism is a political system based on the assumption that the world is economically divided into two classes: the owners of production vs. the workers/producers; the aristocracy vs. the proletariat; the rich vs. the poor; the “haves” vs. the “have-nots.” The object of socialism/communism is to use the power of the government to take away wealth from those who have it and redistribute it to those who do not. It is alleged that this ideology will redress extant social injustices fomented by the privilege the “haves” exercise over the “have-nots.” In this way, society’s ills will be cured, and it will usher in a utopian paradise on earth.
A common assumption is that Jesus supported socialism/communism because of His advocacy of helping the poor. Some also cite the miracle of the loaves and fishes to show how Jesus wanted everyone to have an equal share (Robert Service, Comrades: A History of World Communism, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 2007, 14). However, Jesus never envisioned a world (prior to His advent) in which the poor would not exist. In Mark 14:7, He said, “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good….” Jesus did not expect the church to redress all the wrongs of society before His return because some wrongs would not be addressed until His return (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Additionally, Jesus made it clear that He was not seeking to establish an earthly kingdom because He said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). Jesus would not support enforcing His teaching with the sword either (Matthew 26:52). (to be continued).