Bible Study - Thoughts on Acts 4:32-35

Acts 4:32-35 describes the early Christian church after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus and were baptized. Most important was that “the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” As a result, we hear in Acts 6:7 that “the Word of God continued to increase“ through the sharing of Christ, “and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great number of the priests became obedient to the faith.” That was exactly what the Lord wanted to happen, through the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God and bringing more people to faith and baptism.

At the same time, we hear that these Christians were also “of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him were his own, but they had everything in common…. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need” (Acts 4:
32, 34-35). Some people say that it sounds as if they had set up a Christian Socialist or even a Christian Communist society. Everyone was equal, and no one had anything more than anyone else. It was a kind of Christian commune, in their view, and we should do the same today.

This view takes these Scriptures out of context, though, and ignores what is said in passages that follow. Chapter five of Acts tells that a couple sold a piece of property and kept part of the proceeds for themselves while lying and saying they were giving it all to the church. The problem was not in keeping some of the proceeds but in lying “to the Holy Spirit" in what they claimed to be doing (Acts 5:1-3). Peter told the husband, “While the property remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?” (Acts 5:4). The church did not own everything that people had. The people owned their property and could do with it what they wished. The problem was with lying - and they were ultimately not “lying to man but to God.” Martin Franzmann commented, “These words show how completely voluntary the sharing of property was. The term ‘Christian communism,’ sometimes applied to this aspect of the life of the Jerusalem church, is at best misleading” (Concordia Bible with Notes, CPH, 1971, p. 217).

The idea of a utopian system, where everyone shares and is equal, does not work because even a church is made up of imperfect sinners who sometimes have trouble with each other. By Acts, Chapter 6, v.1, we hear that the Hellenists, Greek-speaking Christians, were complaining that their widows were “being neglected in the daily distribution.” They felt that the Hebrew widows were getting more than the Greek widows. It just wasn’t fair.

After this, we don’t hear of an “everything-in-common” system in the Scriptures. It was not that in the first place, as we have seen in context.  Certainly, Christians were and are called to “love their neighbor,” “help the poor and needy,” and assist one another. Paul and others sponsored a large gathering of funds to help suffering Christians in Jerusalem when there was famine and other problems. If we see how much Christ loved us, we also are moved by our Lord to help others. At the same time, look at a Scripture like 1 Timothy 5:3-16, where Paul warns about people taking advantage of a system of help - people who are “self-indulgent” and “idlers” and “gossips and busybodies.” Paul also encourages families and relatives to do what they can to help their own when they can.

Historically, “communal systems” have not worked well because of sin and our sinful human nature. In my state, Indiana, in the US, there is a place called New Harmony. It was started in the early 1800’s by George Rapp and German separatists, who came to the US for freedom and thought they could establish a perfect Christian community, with all people equal and sharing. It did not last very long. Then, Robert Owen tried to establish the same sort of system in the same place. His movement was called Owenism by some, and it lasted only about 12 years before falling apart. Think also of the tragedy in Guyana in 1978, where 918 died in what turned into a communal cult led by Jim Jones, who started off as a Christian pastor in Indianapolis. The examples are many.

Again, at the same time, historically, many hospitals, charities, and social ministries were started by Christians to help people in need. Christians have often been willing to be “taken advantage of” just to help as many people as possible, especially the poor and needy and children and the suffering. Jesus certainly was often “taken advantage of” to do His saving work for us, which none of us deserved. Reading the Scriptures carefully, in context, and letting Scripture interpret Scripture can help us act responsibly as individuals and as a church. May the Lord bless us all in that and in our primary responsibility - sharing Christ and His resurrection and His Word with others
(Acts 4:33) while we also seek to show love for others.