Who can you trust?

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man (Psalm 118:8).

There is been a lot of talk lately about the virtues of socialism versus capitalism. But what should a Christian think about the way that government and businesses work best together?

Communism is an extreme position where the government flat-out runs the economy. All property belongs to the state. Government officials set prices for commodities and services. Capitalism lies at the other end of the spectrum—government keeps its hands off of the economy. The state doesn’t operate any social welfare programs; that’s up to the private sector. Businesses can set employee wages wherever they want, and can charge customers whatever the market will bear. Socialism lies in the middle. The government exerts some control over business, but doesn’t control things completely.

From our perspective as God’s children, all three systems are failures. They fail because everyone is a sinner. Capitalism is a failure; it allows some to become rich and powerful at the expense of those who are poor and weak. The abuses of capitalism made labor unions necessary. Communism is a failure; it allows a small group of government officials to control everyone, and although these words are not found in the Bible they are nevertheless true: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The abuses of communism have resulted in dissidents being jailed or even executed. And Socialism is a failure; it tries to check individual excess with government regulation, pitting the sins of the many against the sins of the few who are in charge. The abuses of Socialism are apparent in government budgets that are stuffed with pet projects and deficit spending.

You can’t trust people with money. Some blow it on having fun. Others buy stuff they don’t need, stuff that gets stored away where no one can use it. Nor can you trust people with power over others. Our homes are filled with power struggles—struggles between husbands and wives, struggles between parents and children. We are constantly tempted to use our friends as tools to get what we want. When no one can be trusted with money or power, how can you trust business executives or governmental regulators to run things wisely? It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.