The Write Place

The bible is often treated as giving us ideas but not detail, like love your neighbor or help the poor, but not how. God has not left us alone to guess, so let me take a second to show you what social program the bible actually prescribes to these ends.

Acts 4, 5 and 6 are against Marxism and statism, and shows us the sphere of the Church’s work in caring for the needy.

In Acts 4:32-37 it is important that the people laid their money at the feet of the Church authority (the apostles). Not a common communitarian pot but especially by church or a government institution. Marxism is a religious heresy which is why it takes this from the church and rips these words out of context. It’s components likewise do so.

The donations in chapter 4 contextualize by telling us in Acts 4:35 that they “laid it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to each as they had need” by the apostles. We are given a test case in v36-37 of a man named Joseph. The means of “welfare” or social assistance is the church not the government, who instead punishes evil and bears the sword.

In Chapter 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira are killed for lying about their donation. Peter tells us they were free to do with their property what they wished (Acts 5:4). The property remained their private property, the wrong was not a refusal to treat it otherwise or selling it as if it was theirs. It was their public shall we say, virtue signaling and lying to God that was the trouble. There is a lesson about not blindly trusting supposed do-gooders (people in sin want to be praised as righteous, government or privately) but also about property.

All was in common for the Church by their common heart and renewed community experiencing covenant blessing resulting in care for the poor. As individuals and a church, they met each other’s needs. We can see this in the judgment on Ananias and Sapphira where their property rights are affirmed.

It strikes me as interesting that small, communal communities that deny private property have community ownership, akin to small corporations. Property still exists but is shared like shareholders in a corporation. I am also interested, and concerned about the effect such communes seem to have on innovation and so the spread of dominion. Also, this model seems to muddy the idea of households, which the bible affirms and demands of elders (1 Timothy 3:4) Likewise, though it must be noted they still have the right to property, and the biblical model is private.

In Acts 6:1-6 we see the creation of the diaconate to oversee the so-called mercy ministry due to the burden it placed on the apostles and elders.

This also fits Kuyperian sphere theory and demonstrates to us the role of the Church in meeting the need of those in need (especially in the Church).

The state is charged with punishing evil (Romans 13:4, 1 Peter 2:4) not with acts of charity and welfare. The state has a distinct role of it’s own in this respect. Scripture gives us enough to answer how to care for the poor or punish evil, not just a vague command to do so.

There are likewise commands to the individual (James 1:27) and the family (Proverbs 13:22), but it is worth noting the role of the church and the distinction of spheres.

We see here not a collectivist and statist plan but the ministry of the Church and the renewed hearts of individuals meeting the needs of those in their community.