Saturday, April 14, 2012

How ought we to live together?

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:36-47).

In our country “Communism” is a dirty word. It represents everything we think of as un-American—governmental control over every aspect of life, a depressed economy, and severe limits on personal freedom. Communist countries have always been the enemy—Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba and North Vietnam. For years, Americans worried that these communist powers would try and take us over—fears that lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the McCarthy hearings on suspected communist sympathizers. Our nation has always viewed Communism as a major threat to our way of life.

Isn’t it interesting, then, that according to the book of Acts, the early Christians in Jerusalem behaved like communists?

Did I shock you? And yet it’s the truth. The thing is, modern Communism is quite a bit different from the communism of the Bible.

As we see it today, Communism is a form of government that is based on control. It controls natural resources, the economy, and businesses of every size. Communism tells people how to live, what to think, and what to believe. It claims to treat all people as equals, but some privileged folks are ‘more equal’ than others. We hate Communism because it limits personal freedom, and opposes Christianity.

In the United States, we have a tendency to think of countries as being democratic or communist. But that’s not a correct distinction. China is a country where a totalitarian government forces the people to live as communists; our country is a democracy that allows its economy to be run on the principles of capitalism. Capitalism and Communism are economic systems; whether or not you get to elect your leaders is a matter of politics. In theory, you could have a communist country that elects its leaders, and a country ruled by a dictator who prefers a free market economy.

Communism is simply this—it’s a way of life where people who have a surplus share it with the needy, so that everyone has enough to get by on. In a communistic system, everyone is basically the same, and is treated as such. That’s how the early Christians lived in Jerusalem.

But voluntary communism is not the same as forced Communism. In China, Chairman Mao was disturbed by the great rift between the few who were rich and powerful, and the many who were poor and weak. Mao imposed Communism to level the playing field. His cause was noble, but the course he pursued has brought about tremendous suffering for millions of people.

Capitalism, on the other hand, suggests that if you work hard and are talented, you ought to reap the reward of your labors. Successful people are an example for others to aspire to, and as the wealthy spend their money it trickles down throughout the economy, eventually lifting everyone’s standard of living. We value capitalism because it offers everyone a chance to better themselves. We prize the freedom to chart our own destiny.

But is capitalism morally superior to communism? Not really—not if you look at it from God’s point of view. Capitalism is based on human greed and pride. You work hard to earn money for yourself. You compete for the jobs that offer the best pay and benefits. And when you achieve success, you brag about it to other people. But what does our God say about greed? Jesus said, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). What does Scripture say about pride? Solomon writes, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). What does God have to say about rich people? Jesus said, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Luke 18:25). What does the Lord say about our attitude towards the poor? Jesus told a rich man, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21). Capitalism works because it embraces sinful behavior as normal and praiseworthy—it rewards those who lust after money, and are willing to do whatever it takes—even stab others in the back—in order to come out on top.

If it is lived voluntarily, communism is a way of life that honors God’s teachings about love. In communism, no one is needy because those who have share with those who don’t. Paul writes, God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). In communism, people treat each other as equals, which nicely reflects how Christians ought to treat each other. Galatians chapter 3: There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. In communism, no one “lords it” over anyone else, something Jesus emphasized to His disciples in Matthew chapter ten: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. As a pattern for society, communism has much to recommend it.

But if communism is so good, and the early Church embraced it as a way of life, what happened? Why did communism fail? It’s actually quite simple—communism cannot work when the people involved are sinners. Communism wants everyone to share and share alike, but sin makes you greedy and selfish. Communism wants us to treat each other as equals, but sin demands that you take charge, either because you know best or because you are the most deserving. Communism expects each of us to treat others with respect, but sin provokes arguments and gossiping and lying. Communism would work if people were perfect—but we’re not. That’s why men like Chairman Mao and Fidel Castro had to enforce Communism with tight governmental control.

We need Christ. We need His Law to show us how unloving we are, and how desperately we need to change. We need His forgiveness so that we can be freed from past mistakes and start each day with renewed energy. We need His guidance so that we can make decisions that benefit more people than just ourselves. We need His strength so that we can reach out to others, even when they don’t deserve our care. We need His promise of everlasting life, so that we don’t feel as if we have to amass a pile of goods now in order to feel happy later.

Only Christ can make communism work successfully. Only He can guide us in living humbly and kindly and unselfishly. Only He can make the system work by forgiving our greed and arrogance and ruthless ambition. Only He can give us hearts that are willing to share and forgive and respect. As it is practiced today, Communism is doomed to failure. Governments that want Communism to work shoot themselves in the foot by trying to get rid of Christianity. They reject the only Person who can take away sin and build a better society.

So what can we learn from the early Christians described in the second chapter of Acts? First of all, they did not hoard money or property; they sold everything that was not essential and distributed to everyone according to their needs. Second, they devoted themselves to God by studying His teachings and worshiping together on a daily basis—without the distraction of excess money and goods, they could focus their attention on what was truly important in their lives. And we see that God was pleased with their behavior; they enjoyed the favor of everyone who knew them, and God added to their membership on a daily basis. Motivated by the love of Christ, they stepped away from the need for money and success. Instead, they were filled with love for God and each other.

Given the nature of our world, we cannot live as the early Christians did, selling everything and living as a commune—it’s just not practical. But we can be guided by their Christ-inspired example. We can be more generous with our money and property, sharing with those who are in need. We can focus less on working and shopping, and more on church and family. We can stop being so competitive and treat each other more like equals, remembering that God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). We can choose to level the playing field between each other, so that no one has reason to feel inferior or disadvantaged. With Christ’s forgiveness, guidance and strength, we can love as He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

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