Christian Politics
Part 11: Economy
Pastor
Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
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SERMON INTRODUCTION
Over the last few weeks,
we have discussed the following issues and shown where the bible stands.
Ø Jesus, if a U.S. Citizen, would vote in
elections to fulfill citizenship duties
Ø What about the matters of life and death?
o
Healthcare – Miracles, modern
medicine & personal control over decisions (not government/insurance/doctor
control)
o
Suicide & Euthanasia
– for reasons other than defense of self, family, property or country, the
intentional killing of one’s self, or another is murder, and wrong according to
God.
o
Abortion & Stem Cells
– Abortion too is the intentional killing of an innocent, and considered murder
since scripture show that life truly begins at the moment of conception when
God begins to knit you in the womb where He also names you.
Ø Crime and punishment and how the Lord would
approve of the death penalty for certain offenses
Ø War, defense, and national security
Ø Guns and matters of defense
Ø Immigration and matters of national security
Ø Marriage
Ø Education
Ø Economy
Ø Green Values
Today we are talking about the economy and type of government we have.
For decades there has been a big push/pull towards Socialism. The utopian
dream that everyone has (regardless of your personal contribution) and no one
ever goes without.
As we all know, this is an impossible dream because humankind is corrupt.
As George Orwell wrote in his allegorical novella ‘Animal Farm’, “All
animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
There are various government types, each with its own unique economic
engine to keep it operating. China is the perfect example of how a Socialist
government cannot survive.
As Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Baroness Margaret Thatcher once
said, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s
money.”
Deng Xiaoping broke dramatically with Maoist ideology and the Maoist
variant of socialism. Since then, China has been transformed. Forty years ago,
in 1978, China was unquestionably a socialist economy of the familiar and
well-studied "command economy" variant.
Twenty years ago--that is, by the late 1990s--China had completely
discarded this type of socialism and was moving decisively to a market economy. Why? Because they were running out of money.
China today is quite different both from the command economy of 40 years
ago. Throughout these enormous changes, China has always officially
claimed to be socialist.
• In Socialism, if you have two cows, the government takes one cow and
gives it to your neighbor.
• In Fascism, if you have two cows, the government takes both cows and
sells you the milk.
• In Nazism, if you have two cows, the government takes both cows, and
then shoots you.
• In a Bureaucracy, if you have two cows, the government takes both cows,
shoots one, milks the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.
• In Capitalism, if you have two cows, you sell one of them and buy a
bull so you can have more cows.
• In a Democracy, everyone has two cows, a vote is taken, and whatever
the majority decides to do, you do, whether you want to or not.
Many people refer to the U.S. as a democracy, however, we are a
Constitutional Republic, and the two are very different!
As far as our economy in the U.S., we are Capitalists.
As a constitutional Republic, we have made it into the top 7 longest
lasting systems of government in history!
1.
Pandyan Empire in India -
It was dominated by trade and was extremely wealthy due to agriculture and
control of fisheries and pearl beds. Capitalist Economy.
2.
Byzantine Empire in Rome
- It had a strong agricultural and trade-based economy.
3.
Silla in Korea - exported
gold/silver handiworks and ginseng to Tang and imported books, chinaware, satin
silk fabric, clothes, and craftwork products. Goods from Central Asia were
introduced to Silla, and traders from that region paid visits to Silla via the
Silk Road and sea routes.
4.
Ethiopian Empire in Africa
- has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and is Africa's second
most populous country. Many properties owned by the government during the
previous regime have now been privatized and are in the process of
privatization.
5.
Roman Empire (lasted 500
years) - Agriculture and trade dominated Roman economic fortunes.
6.
San Marino (415 years) - free-market
economy focused around industries such as tourism, banking and the manufacture
of ceramics, clothing, fabrics, furniture, paints, spirits, tiles, and wine.
Taken together, the manufacturing and financial sector.
7.
United States of America (244
years) – 2nd in purchasing power parity (China now #1) As of now the
U.S. IS the worlds largest economy, however China is catching up fast and will
eventually pass us if steps are not taken.
So it is evident that the
economy is KEY to the longevity of a nation, and therefore it is important for
us to know how God expects us to operate it.
SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 4:32-37
“All the believers
were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was
their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the
apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s
grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons
among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them,
brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it
was distributed to anyone who had need.
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
I.
WHAT THE
BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT WORK
a. Work is not a curse or a result of Adams sin
i.
Some believe work is
the punishment doled out by God to Adam in Genesis, However, work was ordained
by God BEFORE the fall!
ii.
“The LORD God took the
man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15
iii.
Therefore, work is
good and ordained by God. It was something that God commanded Adam to do prior
to the fall. Work is not a curse.
iv.
Work DID become
a burden after the fall when God cursed the ground.
v.
And so, work is
honorable, it is good, and it is right. However, after the fall, work became
aggravated, hard, difficult, and even painful.
b. Sin is passive and sometimes subtle
i.
Because sin is so
pervasive, and because work is impacted by the effects of the fall, some people
find ways not to work. The apostle Paul makes it clear about what is to happen
to those who will not work. He wrote to the Thessalonians, “For even when we
were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to
work, let him not eat” 2
Thessalonians 3:10
ii.
This does not refer to
people who are unable to work. Clearly, there are people who are unable to work
due to illness, infirmity, or some other genuine inability. Paul’s command,
however, does refer to people who are unwilling to work. If a person is
unwilling to work due to laziness, sloth, or sin, then he should not eat.
c. UNABLE IS NOT THE SAME AS UNWILLING
i.
I often have people
contact me as the pastor of a church for financial aid or support. I have had
requests for everything from help with my medication costs to money for Subway.
ii.
Over the years it is
sometimes hard to determine whether someone is unable or unwilling to work, or
if they just need a little assistance to get them by until they can get back on
their feet.
iii.
Time is a teacher, and
eventually you can tell by the requests and behavior of those asking what their
intentions and abilities truly are.
iv.
When is doubt, I err
to the side of giving.
v.
Most of the time my
giving comes from my own pocket, and not that of the church. I feel the funds
collected to run the church are for members and believers, and if we are to
help others a special collection should be taken separate from the operating
needs of our church.
vi.
When a man came for
help and I gave him a job, he worked at first, then slowly pulled away until he
was finally arrested for breaking and entering a home where he stole a coin
collection.
1.
This man was able, just
unwilling. Wanting handouts as opposed to working to fulfill his needs.
II.
WHAT THE
BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT PRIVATE PROPERTY
a. God owns everything
i.
He created the
universe and everything in it. He is the supreme owner of all things. And so
the Psalmist says, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein” Psalm 24:1
ii.
When God gave the
Israelites the land of Canaan as an inheritance, he said, “The
land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine” (Leviticus 25:23). This
made the Israelites stewards of God’s land, just as Adam was a steward in the
garden of Eden.
iii.
God wants us to
understand that he owns everything. We are simply stewards of what rightly
belongs to God. This applies not only to property, but also to time, talents,
and treasure. Everything belongs to God, and we are simply stewards of what he
has entrusted to us.
iv.
Now there are some who
say that America needs to abandon its commitment to a free market system and
move toward a more socialist system. Some of our politicians don’t say it quite
so blatantly, but if you decode their terms, that is what they mean.
v.
Some, who are more
biblically knowledgeable, point to Acts
4:32-37 and argue that the Bible
itself teaches a form of socialism.
b.
But, I want you to notice a number of points in Acts
4:32-37.
i.
First, the right to
private property is upheld. Barnabas, we are told in Acts 4:37a, “sold a field that belonged to him.” It
is clear that Barnabas owned the field; it was his to sell. Even the statement
earlier in the passage, “and no one said that any of the things that
belonged to him was his own” (Acts
4:32), indicates that the people owned their possessions.
ii.
Second, the action to
sell was voluntary. There was no coercion. No one was forced or required to
sell anything. God had moved upon the people’s hearts in such a way that they
recognized that everything they had belonged to God, that they were stewards,
and that they were glad to use it in any way that would further the grace of
God.
iii.
Third, the money was
given to the church and not to the state. Barnabas “brought
the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37b). This is so clear that
I don’t understand why people think that this text supports modern state
socialism. The church, and not the state, was the recipient of Barnabas’ gifts.
iv.
And finally, this
spontaneous giving was never repeated elsewhere. The apostle Paul constantly
stirred up God’s people in other places (such as those in Corinth) to give to
the support of God’s work. However, there was never anything that required
God’s people to give their possessions to the church (or to the state, for that
matter). And God most certainly did not command it.
v.
The Bible simply does
not endorse a socialistic economy. It teaches that we are to work in order to
produce goods and services that will benefit our families and others as well.
c. What does the Bible teach about economy?
i.
There are different
ways for the government to support a biblical approach to the economy. That
would include allowing people freedom to work, earn a living, and own their own
property.
ii.
However, I am
concerned about our sinful propensity to move away from work towards laziness.
iii.
Karl Marx once said,
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” By that he
meant that those who had more, pay more to fund those who had less. Frankly,
this is inherently wrong. The Bible teaches a flat tax system. All Israelites
were required to tithe. Whether rich or poor, all were required to pay the same
percentage on their wealth.
III.
WHAT THE
BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE POOR
a.
Jesus said, “For you
always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me” Matthew 26:11
i.
There will always be
poor people. And the Bible is clear that we are to help them. The passage we
looked at in Acts 4 is a description of a poor church. They were being cut off
from their Jewish family and friends, and the Roman government was not at all
sympathetic to any religious problems. So, there was a great deal of poverty.
The church is to help those in need.
b. The Church is the instrument by which God’s love
is to be shared with those in need.
i.
Government welfare
programs often help people who are unwilling to work to remain dependent upon
it. The Church rather than the Government is in a better position to help those
who are poor and genuinely needy
c. It is NOT the governments place to help the
needy, it is the church’s
i.
When we allow the
government to help with socialist programs, “free” (at taxpayers’ expense)
handouts, etc… then the people turn to their government for their salvation.
1.
This is how North
Korea operates for loyalty
2.
Taking young boys from
poor suffering starving families and raising them by the state with clothes,
food, shelter, and military training so they become the most loyal soldiers to
the government.
ii.
If the Church would do
its part to help the poor and needy, then those too would turn to the Lord for salvation
and would be loyal to Jesus.
iii.
This begins with
forgiveness of sins, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been
forgiven--as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little
loves little." Luke 7:47
CONCLUSION – How would Jesus vote on the economy?
So, how would Jesus vote?
I believe Jesus would vote for a politician that promoted work, private
property ownership, limited government, a low and flat tax, and
church-sponsored programs to help the poor.
I also believe that Jesus would vote against anything that places
government socialist programs in place, such as government operated healthcare
where the government makes decisions of life and death, welfare where the
government decides whether or not you can work, or how much you can make, or
penalizes you for marriage, rewards you for living single but having children, I
also believe Jesus would vote against social security, which if the government
forcing you to give them money to invest for you, but controls when or if you
get it back.
Did you know you give Social Security money throughout your life, but
they control your money!
·
If you claim SS early you
could lose up to $500,000 in lifetime benefits.
·
Also, if you claim too
late you lose benefits as well because you do not know when you will die.
·
Also, if you earn income
during retirement you can lose your benefits, even though it is your money!
·
Also, if a wife is
receiving her husband’s benefits (HIS MONEY) she cannot remarry without losing
those benefits!!!!
I believe Jesus would not
want Social Security, and would expect you to invest in your OWN retirement,
not allow a socialist program controlled by the government to take your money and
keep it hostage to control you and your life!
There are many scriptures
where Jesus tells us to invest and make a profit on our investments. If we are
to truly live our lives, we need to be free from Government control!
NEXT WEEK: Part 12 – Green Values
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