![[Photo of a Scripture verse]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/Deuteronomy_8_18.jpg)
| “But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” |
| —Deuteronomy 8:18 |
A major thrust of at least half of our society in the United States today can be summed up in the term “income redistribution.” This is actually a principle of Communism that says those who have earned higher incomes should be forced by the government, through various means, to give a portion of their income to those who have not earned as much. This income redistribution purports to “level the playing field” of society and to create a more seemingly equal financial turf.
Of course, the concept of government-forced income redistribution is anti-Constitutional, anti-democracy, anti-Scriptural, and immoral. Scripture makes it plain that some individuals will always end up with more wealth than others.
In some cases, this greater wealth may come about through nefarious means. But, more often than not, the greater wealth comes about from an abundant blessing of God, through clever application of the talents and abilities God has given a particular individual, through hard work, or through an inheritance that has come from a family history over which the individual receiving the inheritance has no control. Scripture indicates that such wealthier individuals have a greater responsibility to society than those who have not fared as well.
The Bible teaches God’s people to be particularly generous in their care of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, and anyone who needs a helping hand. But, such generosity stems from the recognition of how graciously and lovingly God has dealt with us in our own individual lives. It decidedly is not a “generosity” forced upon us by any government mandate. And, therein lies the rub with the philosophy of roughly half of our fellow citizens—the Communistic-based concept of compulsory redistribution of wealth.
Government-mandated income redistribution is actually a way of vesting ever more power and control in those who run the government. This quest for income redistribution is not really rooted in a desire to help those in need. Rather, it is a way of taking the power of money away from those who have gained wealth and re-vesting that power in the few who control the government’s programs for redistributing that wealth.
One of the reasons why Communism—and its false sister, Socialism—has utterly failed wherever it has been instituted is that the power does not ever truly vest with the common people, the Proletariat. Instead, the power within every Communistic system ever manifested on earth has vested only with a very select few individuals who are a part of, or at a slightly higher level than, the Bourgeoisie.
Now, in a fully Communist country, this may well be an entirely different Bourgeoisie than the Bourgeoisie found in a fully Capitalistic society, but it is still a “middle to upper echelon” controlling group of people who exercise authority over all others in society through the implementation and control of the means of production and, through their relatively higher level of education and greater cohesion, their heightened influence on the dictates of government.
Contrary to what many left-leaning Christians may opine, Christianity is neither Communistic, nor Socialistic, nor Capitalistic. No, Christianity is an amalgam of economic philosophy that recognizes that the condition of humankind results from the will and purpose of God and from His gracious and kind dealings with those humans who belong to Him, no matter what social or economic status they may have within a particular society.
Notice these words from Deuteronomy 8:18:
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
God gives the talent and ability to produce wealth. Humans can choose to apply or ignore this God-given talent and ability. But, the source of wealth begins with God. And, in fact, the source of wealth ultimately always belongs to God. He may grant it to some for a season on this earth. But, it is always His for all eternity.
As we begin a new day, we need to very carefully examine our personal positions with regard to economics and government. Do these positions square with Scripture? Do they honor the role that God plays in our lives? Do they recognize certain immutable truths, such as the fact that in any society there will always be both rich and poor? Do these positions of ours encourage God-inspired generosity toward those in need? Or, do our positions constantly create friction with our faith?
As a part of our walk with God, we need to make certain that no other entity comes between us and Him. And that includes our economic and political beliefs.
