Mike,

I was asking the question, “Why do we have money in our world?” and I came across socialism. In socialism, everybody would have free access to the goods and services designed to directly meet their needs and there need be no system of payment for the work that each individual contributes to producing them. All work would be on a voluntary basis. Producing for needs means that people would engage in work that has a direct usefulness. The satisfaction that this would provide, along with the increased opportunity to shape working patterns and conditions, would bring about new attitudes to work.
What do you think about this?

J____

Hi J____,

Thanks for your question. You ask what I think about socialism. Our citizenship is not in this world, and we are not to concern ourselves as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, with the affairs of how to run this present evil world.

Php 3:20  For our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

But as far as the principle of socialism is concerned, the scriptures are diametrically opposed to the socialist principles which do not reward hard work and which do reward mediocrity and even slothfulness. The scriptures reveal that those who work hard are to be rewarded for their efforts, and those who take the attitude, ‘Well, God is sovereign, therefore I need not apply myself,’ will be punished for their slothfulness, and robbed of their reward.
Christ gives us two parables which fly in the face of socialism, even the apparent spiritual socialism of the church in its infancy.

Act 4:32  And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [ of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

Later we see that Philip had his own house as did other New Testament men of God.

Act 21:8  And the next [ day] we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him.

Those two parables are in Mat 25, and they make it clear that only babes in Christ consider that their talents or their bread or their water or their oil are held in common. Contrariwise, we are being taught that we are to “work out our own salvation.”

Mat 25:1  Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3  They that [ were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7  Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The “foolish virgins” were spiritual socialists who thought that there was no reward for abundant labor and diligent preparations. But just look at the very next parable, in the very next verse. This parable is placed where it is to drive home to us that if we are lazy and slothful and we sow sparingly, then we will in turn reap sparingly. These parables both teach that “to whom much is given, much is required.”

Mat 25:14  For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
Mat 25:15  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mat 25:16  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made [ them] other five talents.
Mat 25:17  And likewise he that [ had received] two, he also gained other two.
Mat 25:18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, [ thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [ there] thou hast [ that is] thine.
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, [ Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [ then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give [ it] unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Mat 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken even that which he hath” flies in the face of every principle of socialism which does not believe in rewarding hard work or penalizing the slothful and lazy.
 
Notice that the Lord did not bother to remind the “wicked and slothful servant” who thought that His Lord harvested what He had not sown, that He had indeed sown eight talents into these three men. Instead the Lord simply answered that wicked and slothful servant “according to the idols of his heart” (Eze 14:2). The first two doubled their talents and the third thought it was unjust for the man who financed him to be rewarded for His investment. What was the Lord’s response to this socialist servant who felt that hard workers deserved no more than himself and that those who invest in others deserve nothing for their investment? Here again is God’s opinion of the concept of spiritual socialism:

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

God despises slothfulness and will not reward the lazy.

2Co 9:6  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

God appreciates the diligent and will reward them for their diligence.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

It is the “overcomers” who are rewarded with “power over the nations”. Christ said the wicked and slothful would be destroyed.
Here is Paul’s teaching concerning rewards:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [ temple] ye are.

Yes, even the “wicked slothful servant” will eventually be saved “by fire.” But he will also “suffer loss,” by missing out on “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [ Greek, are being perfected], be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Here is more of what the New Testament actually teaches us:

1Th 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

You say you found this about socialism:

In socialism, everybody would have free access to the goods and services designed to directly meet their needs and there need be no system of payment for the work that each individual contributes to producing them. All work would be on a voluntary basis.

Here is what the scriptures teach about “all work being done on a voluntary basis,” and “everybody having free access to the goods and services… and no payment for the work each individual contributes to producing them:”

2Th 3:8  Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
2Th 3:9  Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
2Th 3:10  For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
2Th 3:11  For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
2Th 3:12  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

I hope this helps you to see that the apparent spiritual socialism of the early church was a mark of the infancy of the body of Christ at that time. That immaturity was left behind when persecutions came and the early church was forced out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding nations to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. That was also another doctrine which the early church was not yet mature enough to receive. But along with losing the luxury of having all things in common, these immature Jewish Christians also eventually had to acknowledge that God was working in the lives of the Gentiles.
The process of maturing lasts a lifetime, and learning to spiritually eat from your own fig tree and drink from your own well is part of that process of maturing.

Pro 5:15  Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.
Pro 5:16  Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [ and] rivers of waters in the streets.
Pro 5:17  Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.

This advice is directed to fidelity in marriage, but just as we do not share our wives with others, neither do we give our oil to those who had not worked for and brought their own oil with them and produced their own salvation through Christ in them.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Why are we told to “eat our own bread, drink of our own well, and work out our own salvation? Here is why we do that:

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [ his] good pleasure.

So none of this is meant to deny that God is sovereign. What is is meant to demonstrate is that in God’s sovereignty, a lazy and slothful, spiritual socialist will not be in that “blessed and holy first resurrection” (Rev 20:6)
His sovereign pleasure is not socialism, it is rugged individualism in Christ who was not afraid of being hated of all men, and having nothing in common with this world.

Your brother who, Lord willing, is not a spiritual socialist,
Mike