God’s Design Fosters Responsibility, Freedom, and Fulfillment
Socialism of any type leads to a total destruction of the human spirit.
—Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn—
A people…who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.
—George Washington—
Key point: Even though capitalism or free enterprise can be abused and misused by sinful and selfish human beings, it still remains a self-evident reality that the God of the Bible is its architect.
Note: I’ve been having issues with Word Foundations, the site where I typically publish articles. Therefore, I’m publishing part 3 of “Twelve Bible Passages that Destroy Socialism and Uphold Free Enterprise” here, at Discover Bedrock Truth (the site where I publish Bible studies). While you’re here, check out the Bible studies that I’ve made available.
All of the articles in this series are accessible from this page.
In this, the third of four articles in which we are exploring twelve Bible passages that are friends to free enterprise and enemies to socialism, we come now to our sixth passage, which we will look at momentarily. Here is a quick review of the passages we’ve examined thus far, along with some additional pertinent information.
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- In part 1 examined Exodus 20:15,17, but we did so against the backdrop of an understanding that (1) socialism is an enemy of individual private property rights; and (2) capitalism, or free enterprise, is an ally. Although very few pastors and other religious leaders will emphasize this principle, private property rights are God-given rights. These include ownership of tangible assets and the freedom to decide how one will use the resources that are his. Moreover, these rights are just as inherent as all the other rights reflected in the Ten Commandments. In other words, government has a duty to protect property ownership and other property rights; it did not grant them, and it has no authority to take them away. Do not be lulled into a stupor by the World Economic Forum’s line that, sadly, seems to have hypnotized many. We’ve been told, “In 2030, you’ll own nothing. And you’ll be happy.” The WEF is serious! It currently is calling for an end to, or at least a reduction of, private car ownership. The effort is all a part of the WEF’s push for “The Great Reset,” a major effort to end national (especially US) sovereignty and to place elites in power through globalism. Be forewarned about this major push! It will severely curtail personal rights and freedom! Moreover, it is a not-so-subtle slap against the Founding Fathers of the United States — men who understood the inseparable link between 1) happiness and satisfaction in life and 2) private property rights, and who were unashamed to speak of it.
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- In part 2 we examined the Fourth Commandment, which is found in Exodus 20:8-11. This divine command authorizes worship of the one true God and rest on the Sabbath day after six days of regular work. What is the primary purpose of the work in which we are to be engaged each week? We looked at two verses from the New Testament that help us answer this question — 1 Timothy 5:8 and 2 Thessalonians 3:10. We are to work to meet our own needs and the needs of the members of our families. We cannot do this without the ability to work to acquire, own, and make wise use of wealth and other tangible assets. As we discussed previously in both parts 1 and 2, it is the task of government to make sure people are unhindered from fulfilling these responsibilities.What about those who, for whatever reasons, are less well off and even living in poverty? It is not the responsibility of the government to feed, clothe, or house them; instead, it is the responsibility of the private sector, including Christian individuals and the church and other Christian ministries, to address their needs. Able-bodied family members should take on this responsibility first. Assistance can and should include training people to function in society and to become productive and self-sufficient. When government intervenes and meets people’s needs, people tend to become dependent on the government and are robbed of incentives to discover ways to establish their own independence. Here I’m not making a case against a “safety-net” for those who truly are vulnerable and unable to work. Those who refuse to work, however, need a healthy dose of Paul’s prescription for their particular ailment. He wrote that prescription he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Fortunately for Americans, the Founding Fathers of the United States understood human nature and believed that the free enterprise economic system effectively and efficiently compels people to engage in constructive, productive, and beneficial activity (aka work). We still benefit from their understanding because they sought to build this nation on those and other bedrock principles. Yet today, a host of nefarious players, including elites at the World Economic Forum and other leaders in our country advocating globalism, are working to erode that foundation. This series of articles and many of the other resources you’ll find at Word Foundations and Discover Bedrock Truth are offered to help restore it.
The Free Market Has God’s “Fingerprints” All Over It!
We move now to briefly study our sixth, seventh, and eighth Bible passage. We will see in these Scriptures that the free market economic model, or what many people commonly call “capitalism,” motivates people to do well by serving others.
What benefits one participant in the process also benefits many others. The free market entices without coercing. It calls on people to be creative and use their talents productively and constructively.
Concisely put, it gives people opportunities to reflect the God-given image they have stamped upon them. Further, it gives them motivation to do so. We will see the the clear connection between
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- free enterprise and
- the opportunities and motivation people have to demonstrate that they bear God’s image
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most clearly in the third of the three passages we will consider in this article.
While capitalism is not a perfect system and can be abused, we are foolish to address the abuse by replacing the free market with socialism. Instead, we need to rid free enterprise of its distortions and abuse.
Margaret Thatcher understood this! The following audio clip is from this video, titled “Socialists Hate Freedom.”
Free Enterprise: A Divine Blueprint for National and Individual Freedom and Prosperity
Our sixth passage is from the Old Testament. Returning there, we see that a major free-market transaction took place as early as Genesis 23. This chapter recounts Abraham’s quest to find a place to bury the body of Sarah, his deceased wife. He was “a foreigner and a visitor among” the people where and when his need arose. He desired to purchase “the cave of the cave of Machpelah” from its owner, “Ephron the son of Zohar.”
Even though Ephron was willing to give Abraham the cave and the field where it was located, Abraham insisted on paying the full price, and did so. The transaction is a model of the free enterprise system operating as it should. Verses 14-20 describe the transaction. The words and phrases set apart by bold type are especially significant.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” 16 And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants.
17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.
19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.
The principles underlying this transaction — which, remember, occurred very early in Scripture, even in Genesis — are free market principles.
Seventh, in Deuteronomy 8:18, the Lord instructed the Israelites, who at the time were on the cusp of entering the promised land, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Accumulation of wealth is never to be an end in and of itself, but each one is to “remember the LORD,” because “it is He who gives…power to get wealth.”
Everything attained through work and wise investment of resources is to be used in ways that honor God. This includes saving for future needs and helping others. In fact, much fulfillment and satisfaction are derived from productive and responsible work, wise use of resources, prudent investment of assets, and using one’s possessions to benefit others. Nor is it inherently wrong to improve one’s own situation with the wealth he or she legitimately has acquired.1
And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
—Deuteronomy 8:18—
Eighth, in Genesis 1:26-28, God gave a special command to Adam and Eve, and through them, to every human being that would populate the earth. Significantly, God made, and makes, all human beings in His image.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
We find God’s command in verse 28, which I have set in bold type. This verse has been called “the cultural commission.” Ask yourself this: Is there any way to fulfill this command, or even to try to fulfill it, without being able to
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- own and
- exercise control over
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wealth and property? I know of none. Consider that this command from God to humanity predates government. God gave this directive, not to government, but to individuals and to married husbands and wives.
God Created People to Be Free to Reflect His Image
At the top of this article, we quoted Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who said, “Socialism of any type leads to a total destruction of the human spirit.”
Why is this so? Because God created people to be free to reflect His image, which He stamped upon them. This means He designed them to be
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- free to be creative and productive,
- free to worship Him, free to serve other members of the human race, and
- free to pursue their dreams and aspirations within the moral and ethical guidelines established by His own character.
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Socialism thwarts this by making citizens slaves of the state.
Francis Schaeffer astutely declared, “The ‘condition of man’ is not what modern man thinks it is.”2 Many “moderns” embrace the views of Karl Marx, who made these statements among many other similar ones.
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- There are, besides, eternal truths, such as Freedom, etc., that are common to all states of society. But Communism abolishes eternal truths, it abolishes all religion, and all morality, instead of constituting them on a new basis; it therefore acts in contradiction to all past historical experience.
- My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.
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By contrast, George Washington wisely observed, “A people…who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.”
A people…who are possessed of the spirit of commerce, who see and who will pursue their advantages may achieve almost anything.
—George Washington—
Clearly, Karl Marx believed that the people exist for the government, but America’s Founding Fathers believed that government exists for the people.
This is why America has been a nation that has, through most of its history, affirmed and protected inherent rights and free enterprise. Although not perfect, capitalism is the economic system that recognizes inherent rights and provides incentives that fuel creativity, productivity, and wise use of resources. It is the system that promotes both freedom and prosperity. It is the system that is compatible with the true “condition of man.”
Let’s consider just one more quote. In his landmark book, How Christianity Changed the World, Alvin J. Schmidt rightly declares (emphasis added),
Just as God does not want people to be coerced in spiritual matters, so too he does not want them to be coerced in earthly matters, for instance, in their economic activities. There is not a single reference in either the Old or New Testament in which God denies economic freedom to people, as in fascism, socialism, and communism.3
We will revisit this quote in part 4.
Four More Passages to Go!
We’ve now considered eight Bible passages upholding free enterprise. These are not isolated passages but are representative of what the Bible in its entirety teaches about economic systems. Also, our list of twelve will not be exhaustive. Of the twelve, we have four more to go. We’ll study these briefly next time and make some important concluding remarks!
Stay tuned!
Copyright © 2023 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.
top image credit: Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash
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- Part 1 of this series is available here.
Having ownership and control over tangible assets Is an expression of what it means to be human. Moreover, property rights also are essential to economic and personal freedom — types of freedom that also are at the heart of what it means to be human.
June 29, 2023 - Part 2 of this series is available here.
Who Has the Responsibility of Meeting the People’s Needs?
July 3, 2023 - Part 3 of this series — this page:
God’s Design Fosters Responsibility, Freedom, and Fulfillment
July 6, 2023 - Part 4 of this series is available here.
Work, Freedom, Rights, and Ethical Boundaries: Essential Elements of a Fair and Just Free Market
July 11, 2023
- Part 1 of this series is available here.
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This article is available for publication and distribution by Exposing enemies within the church, LLC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Notes:
1See Proverbs 22:29; Acts 16:11-15; 1 Timothy 6:17-19.
2See this quote in its larger context in this article.
3Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 205.