Was Jesus a Socialist? 

Jesus was emphatically not a Socialist or a Communist for that matter, in a political sense. Now that I’ve given you the answer, let me now explain how I came to this conclusion.

Was Jesus a Socialist?

Some on the Left-leaning political spectrum make the claim that Jesus was a Communist because of a passage in the Bible, in Acts 2. During the time of Pentecost, after a great number of the lost came to be saved, Acts 2:44-45 says this: “And all that 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 argument is that this was an act of financial redistribution and Jesus is, therefore, a Socialist or a Communist. One can hopefully already see how this simple act of organic communal kindness from the early Christian believers could be politicized to support a political form of Socialism and Communism.

But Communism itself is godless. It is a political stance rooted in absolute humanism, pure atheism and materialism. By contrast, the early church was not politically communist in any way, shape or form. Here’s why.

FREEDOM TO GIVE VS GOVERNMENT FORCE

At the root of Communism is a totalitarian system that works directly against the freedom we have in Christ. The early church members voluntarily gave to the church and the church distributed its funds and resources directly to its own members.

As opposed the a centralized, national or governmental socialism or communism which takes from the wealthy and attempts to distribute to all by compulsion of force, the church is commanded to care, first, for its own members in particular and to do so without compulsion, but freely. Jesus did say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), but this was an admonishment not an unbendable decree. The Bible encourages us to give, to be generous and charitable, but it expects us to do so freely and without compulsion or penalty from the government. The New Testament model of giving is best conveyed in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

The best example of free giving was the example of what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, who God struck down dead—not because they withheld the proceeds of the sale of their land from the church—but because they were deceptive about their intentions and lied to the Holy Spirit. Peter said to them, before God fatally judged them: “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God” (Acts 5:3-4).

The key is that it was with their “own power” to give or not to give. No Christian is commanded to give, but rather admonished to give. This is, then, the key difference between Christian charity and political Socialism or Communism: having the freedom to give, we ought to give to those in need, especially to other believers, whereas a centralized political socialism or communism takes what you earned and steals from you by compelling you to give against your will—and it does so, to all people indiscriminately, rather than to the believing members of the body of Christ.

IF YOU DO NOT WORK, YOU DO NOT EAT

The Bible is very clear about its work ethic and financial ideology. In fact, we have a very simple scriptural directive: “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This is a very, literal capitalistic framework of finance. The Bible is full of hard-working people who are reward for their labor. Think of the parable of the talents or the parable of the worthless steward or many other such parables throughout scripture. Nor is the Bible against wealth. While there are clear admonitions not to allow money to become the focus or idol of your life, there were many rich and wealthy patriarchs in the Bible, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Job. The Bible never condemned them for having riches, but rather viewed it as a blessing from the hand of God.

Was Jesus a Socialist or, worse, a Communist? The answer is an emphatic NO! “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

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