The Order of Priorities
and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. Acts 4:32 NASB
Belonging – This is really the Greek word for “possessions.” It is huparchonton. Literally, it means things that exist first under ranked order. We have converted this expression into a standard saying of the culture – “Looking out for Number One.” This word describes the “Me First” attitude that so often accompanies possessions. It is my house, my car, my money, my toys and my life. Here we see that Yeshua’s impact on life changes all of this. The reason that the Messianic believing community adopted an economy of common property had nothing to do with need. This isn’t Marxism (“to each according to his need”). This behavior came as a direct result of recognizing that God was the true owner of every possession. These people saw that an attitude of “I, Me, Mine” was opposed to the very nature of God. They gave all they had because it was all God’s gift in the first place. They realized and practiced the theology of the second greatest commandment.
One of the most pervasive patterns of this world is the claim that something is mine. All of our lives we are taught that possession is critically important. It is the right of human beings to have things for themselves. There is nothing wrong with ownership. The Bible endorses the right of ownership. The Bible does not support a “spread the wealth around” politics. But the Bible tells us that God is the only true owner. We are just leaseholders. We are only using what is His. He is glad to let us use it because He is a generous owner. But, make no mistake; it belongs to Him, not to us. That means that we are to treat our leasehold assets according to the wishes and instructions of their true owner. And that means holding everything loosely so that it is always available to God.
If Yeshua is changing us, we will see a difference in our attitude toward possessions. If we are still protecting our property, gripping it tenaciously under the protest that “I earned it,” then we have not embraced the message from the Owner. Many times I have attended a religious meeting and heard people in need share their concerns. But very few times have I ever witnessed the congregation immediately respond with actual possessions. Oh, yes, there is lots of prayer and petition. But the wallets stay in the pockets, the houses stay locked and the cars stay in the garage. Our lives are on loan from God. He expects us to share them. That includes His property. If we are going to belong to Him, we will have to stop hoarding His belongings. God has plenty to go around. Only those who think they own it will find that there is not enough.
Topical Index: belonging, huparchonton, Acts 4:32, possessions
“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”
—Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Hi Skip,
Funny, I was just watching the Bloomberg channel where they were showing a documentary of Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook
It was a lot like the movie
I think the movie was really great, but Zuckerberg himself has to be one of the most despicable people on the planet
What we see in the leader of the most advanced form of the capitalist mode of production, a Stanford startup, judged in terms of the Talmud, Shabbat 31a, is the anti-Torah
The behavior Zuckerberg models would have to be hateful to everybody
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need,” as you know is not really Marxism
It is an ideal shared by various groups within the socialist/Marxist tradition, but more specifically:
To each according to his contribution is considered by socialists and Marxist socialists as a characteristic of society directly following the transition to socialism, but preceding the final step to communism.
This essentially means that people are rewarded based on the amount they contribute to the social product.
The final stage of communism is a utopian ideal of something very much like your point below
This behavior came as a direct result of recognizing that God was the true owner of every possession.
In pure communism, there would be no ownership, so the behavior should be the same as if God were the true owner
But then I could be mistaken because I haven’t thought much about Marxism in the last 30 years 🙂
Michael
“In pure communism, there would be no ownership, so the behavior should be the same as if God were the true owner.”
In “pure communism” the State owns all property, as you say. But a communist economy is totally incompatible with rational economic behavior because market prices are the data that permit producers to determine whether or not they have done their job effectively. In “pure communism” there can be no market prices, only those imposed by decree. So in “pure communism” everything would come to a halt unless the “black market” finds its place to provide “market” prices so that buyers and sellers and get on with the job at hand.
“In “pure communism” the State owns all property, as you say.”
Hi Ian,
In pure communism the state is abolished
If the state is abolished, that would mean decision-making reverts to individuals and we have, in its place, some form of capitalism – the private ownership and control of the means of production. In which case thee is no “pure communism” at all. 🙂
On the other hand, the Hebrew worldview and Marxism both require
An extraordinary amount of intellectual capital and mental discipline
To begin to understand (IMO)
Suffice it to say both must be labors of love to produce great results
Michael
You’ve just explained something I never realized before. There is no “pure communism” because those in power just cannot make the decision to abolish themselves. 🙂
Hi Ian,
I would not bet a lot of money
On seeing “pure communism” anytime in the near future 🙂
Sometimes at work it’s hard to even find anything like “team spirit”
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg
Hi Ian,
Good point, for me Communism is a bit like Christianity
In that they were both founded by Jews
And require a measure of Faith
Believe it or not 🙂
The stewardship model of Scripture has four important components:
1. Responsibility. If we find ourselves with possessions they have been given to us for a purpose. They are to be used productively, and the only genuine productivity is helping our “neighbor” get ahead in life, either with products or services that offer genuine improvements for the neighbor to serve God even better than he/she does now.
2. Accountability. This is the part the “human condition” since the Fall tries to avoid. But we are accountable in some way for the manner in which we use the resources God puts in our hand.
3. Measureability. If there is accountability, then there must be some manner of measuring our effective use of the resources. The parable of the unfaithful steward indicates the outcome for keeping the resources in our own possession and failing to get a genuine “return on investment.” But many people are unwilling to build the measurement criteria (not necessarily a $$ measurement) into their activities and use of possessions.
4. Empowerment. God does not give us the resources without empowering us and enabling us to use them. But because we think the resources are to build personal wealth and affluence, we miss the genuine empowerment God gives us help other people, not only in the possessions he places at our disposable, but also the wisdom he gives us to use them for others. But we use them for self, instead.
Both secular capitalism and Marxism/socialism miss the stewardship model because for many there is no concept of accountability to God – a day of judgement. When there is no sense of judgement , the “I” becomes the center of the universe, and financial anarchism breaks down any sense of God-ordained communion and community – ekklesia.
But just think about this. Are you helped when your “neighbor” is able to lower his prices or raise his prices? And so what are we doing – or going to do – to help our “neighbors” by lowering the cost of goods and services rather than trying to rack up the rate as a sign of our self-perceived importance?
Both secular capitalism and Marxism/socialism miss the stewardship model
Hi Ian,
Just to make sure we are on the same page and I’m no expert on this stuff
I studied comparative literature, but I think
Feudalism, capitalism, and socialism are economic modes of production (infrastructure)
Catholicism, Protestantism, and the Hebrew worldview are ideologies (superstructure)
Marx was a Jewish economist who wrote on economic theory and political philosophy
Marx thought Abraham Lincoln was the greatest leader of democracy the world had seen
Marx’s ideal was a classless society and he wanted to abolish class society
In the name of equality and community
He spent 80% of his time in a library in London as I recall
And in my view there is no reason why Marx’s view of a classless community
Would preclude the stewardship model of Scripture with its four important components
Michael
Pick yourself up a free copy of my book on biblical economic theory and you can see how I contrasted socialism/communism against a biblical idea of economic theory.
Baptized Inflation: A Critique of ‘Christian’ Keynesianism
Thanks Ian,
I browsed through your critique and it looks very interesting
But I’ll have to get back to it when I have some more time
One thing was clear to me though
Your grasp of economics is firmer than mine 🙂
Michael
What Marx’s view does preclude is private ownership of property. Take a look at the discussion between King Ahab and Naboth over a vineyard, sometime. Consider also, Jubilee laws where family ownership of land was the key.
Yes Michael, both are perfect examples of the sanctity of private ownership. In one case, Naboths, the sin in taking of another’s by “even” a king is not permissible and the other that even if you can lay a “claim” to another’s it’s not your’s, it’s theirs.
There’s a place where it speaks of everyone sitting under their own fig tree and having their own vine. When the scriptures declare that the believers held all things in common, it did not preclude the fact that the thing held didn’t belong to “a” person. (check out what was said to Annanias, it was his to do with as he pleased. the LIE is what got him into trouble) It is the “willing heart” of these people that was on display, not the ownership of property. The problem with communism, socialism, democracy, and the entire host of “other” economic systems is that they transfer the emphasis of the “heart” elsewhere. In that sense, democracy (as an economic system) is just as devastating and evil as a dictatorship. The Kingdom of God is more than food and drink… it “wholly” consists of hearts aligned with God and His ways. The “rest” is only “benefit”, albeit abundantly, that is a product of that.
YHWH bless you and keep you……
Whose life is it anyway?
~ when Christ who is our life.. shall appear.. ~
He is my life-my Strength my all..
~ For you have been bought with a price..~ (1 Corinthians 6.20)
I am owned. Not only owned, but p-owned. Lock-stock-barrel-body-soul-spirit-bone-flesh-blood-hair-teeth-tongue-thoughts-treasure, it all belongs to Him. In totality, I have been bought with a price.- and so have you.
Did you know? ~ You are not your own; you (also) were bought at a price ~ (1 Corinthians 6.19,20)
What was the price paid? and Who is the Owner?
This is where it gets interesting..
The price that was paid, and the Ownership that results.
Bob Dylan must have been inspired somehow when he wrote:- “You Gotta Serve Somebody” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIsHsq27rhU)
But ~ what do the scriptures say? ~ Read Romans 6-7-8 for a better understanding of this. Becoming a Christian, is a voluntary transfer of ownership. ~ Not “I”, but Christ ~ Not me. Him. Don’t look at me- look at Him. Not my thoughts- His. Not my righteousness- His.
And when He owns us, He becomes our LORD. Our Boss. Our Master. We are His servants and call Him, Master. We do as He instructs. We go when He says go. We wait, when He says wait. We pray when He says pray. He speaks. We listen, then obey. This is the pathway of blessing and of fruitfulness and of joy. The servants are the ones who see the water turned into wine, and the very ordinary transformed (metamorphousthe) into the exceedingly extraordinary.
Ownership or ‘LORDship’ and stewardship. We, all that we have and all that we are, and all that we ever hope to become is from Him who is the Giver of all things good. He is the Giver and we and all other creatures of our God and King are the recipients. He gives many gifts, many skills, many talents- and it is up to us to “steward” these things for the glory of God and the service of man.
We, the sheep belong to the (always Good!) Shepherd. And because of this ownership, we (too) may say, ~The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want ~
The Owner, the ONE who purchased us with His own blood is now responsible for His property and He ever loves and cares for His own.
~ My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow me..~
(John 10.27)
We are saved sinners (saints). We are sheep. We are sons. We are soldiers. We are stewards.
and
We we do speaks louder than what we say.
Who we are speaks louder than what we do.
Whose we are speaks louder than who we are.
Today, (and forevermore!), we are His. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. We will enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! We will give thanks to Him; and bless His name! For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation ~
~ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD ~
(Joshua 24.15)
If we truly have “”Given HIM Our Lives”” then everything must follow “”Including -Wife-Children-Grandchildren-in addition to material things!!!
L.O.L.
Gerald
If, (and it is a big “if”) Christ is our Savior and LORD, He will “own” it all, and we will place at His disposal everything for the Master’s use, including our time, treasures, thoughts, testimony, teeth and tongue. Andrew Murray has written an excellent book on the “LORDship” of Jesus Christ entitled “Absolute Surrender”-
It also is available “online” here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/murray/surrender.ii.html
Andrew Murray was a prolific writer; this is one of his finest works.. and this “absolute surrender” is as he has put it- the “one thing.” ~ this one thing I do..! ~
ABSOLUTE SURRENDER
~ And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine. And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine and all that I have ~
(1 Kings 20.1-4).
What Ben Hadad asked was absolute surrender; and what Ahab gave was what was asked of him—absolute surrender. I want to use these words: “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have,” as the words of absolute surrender with which every child of God ought to yield himself to his Father. We have heard it before, but we need to hear it very definitely—the condition of God’s blessing is absolute surrender of all into His hands. Praise God! If our hearts are willing for that, there is no end to what God will do for us, and to the blessing God will bestow.
Absolute surrender—let me tell you where I got those words. I used them myself often, and you have heard them numberless times. But in Scotland once I was in a company where we were talking about the condition of Christ’s Church, and what the great need of the Church and of believers is; and there was in our company a godly worker who has much to do in training workers, and I asked him what he would say was the great need of the Church, and the message that ought to be preached. He answered very quietly and simply and determinedly:
“Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.”
This I also know and will testify today as it is true.. “Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.” May this be so, in my life.. “I surrender all.” Amen.
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, LORD, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
(Frances R. Havergal, February 1874)
This behavior came as a direct result of recognizing that God was the true owner of every possession. These people saw that an attitude of “I, Me, Mine” was opposed to the very nature of God. They gave all they had because it was all God’s gift in the first place. There is nothing wrong with ownership. The Bible endorses the right of ownership. But the Bible tells us that God is the only true owner. We are just leaseholders.
His lord said to him, Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord.
Amen