| “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 the social and political philosophy pushing at least half of the leaders in the United States today can be summed up in the term “income redistribution.” This is actually a philosophical principle of Marxist Communism that says those who have earned higher incomes should be forced by the government, through various means, to give an equalizing 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 across the wide spectrum of the populace.
Of course, the concept of government-forced “income redistribution” is anti-Constitutional, anti-democratic, 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 the clever application of the talents and abilities that 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, but such an obligation must be given voluntarily and not be forced by government intervention.
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 genuinely 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 Marxist 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 Marxist 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, every Marxist Communistic system ever manifested on earth has vested power 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 Marxist 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, through their relatively higher level of education and greater cohesion, and through their heightened influence on the dictates of government.
Contrary to what many left-leaning Christians may opine, Christianity is neither Marxist Communistic, nor Socialistic, nor Capitalistic. No, Christianity is an amalgam of all economic philosophies, which 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 individuals for a season on this earth. But, wealth 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 personal positions square with Scripture?
- Do these personal positions honor the role that God plays in our lives?
- Do these personal positions recognize certain immutable truths, such as the fact that in any society there will always be both rich and poor?
- Do these personal positions encourage God-inspired generosity toward those in need? Or …
- Do these personal positions with regard to economics and government constantly create friction with our faith?
As a part of our walk with God, we need to make certain that nothing comes between us and Him. And that includes our economic and political beliefs.
Based on a blog originally posted on Monday, November 5, 2018
