There are, it seems, two sides to this question:
- what is the responsibility of the individual, and
- what is the responsibility of the state?
I don’t think anyone would argue the idea that, as individuals, we have a responsibility to take care of the less fortunate—the Bible, both Old and New Testaments—make it clear that we do. Strictly speaking though, this is about sharing wealth, not about redistributing it according to some formula. So let’s say that the question of redistribution of wealth as an individual responsibility is a moot point. We’re required to provide for the less fortunate, but it isn’t redistribution in any sense of the term.
That leaves us with one open question: does the Bible call us to engage in the redistribution of wealth through the apparatus of the state?
This is actually a more complex question than it seems at first glance, and I’ll tip my hand up front and make the following assertions:
- There is no directive in the Bible for the state to engage in redistribution of wealth (other than, loosely, the tithe—which we’ll get to shortly), BUT
- We are required to do what the authorities (a.k.a., the state) command of us.
This makes the answer yes AND no—but mostly yes. Why do I feel this way?
Let’s tackle the “no” portion of my assumption, just to get it out of the way.
Biblical directives to Israel were for Israel, not the modern nation-state
There’s a wide division among Christians on this point. Some believe that the commands God gave to Biblical Israel are immutable for all nations for all times, while others—like me—don’t believe this to be true.
Biblical Israel was established by God to eventually carry out his plan of salvation for all the world through Jesus Christ. This gave Biblical Israel a special status, but not a universal one. Israel was not only a nation, but it also functioned as a theocracy where there was no separation between the clergy (Levites) and the political class. That hardly describes modern, pluralistic nations such as the United States or Canada.
In any event, the closest we come to redistribution of wealth by “the state” is the Old Testament tithe. In Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, we have the tithe established by God to fund three purposes: an income for the clergy, funding for religious festivals and for “…the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”—Deuteronomy 26:12.
We can take that last part and say that it justifies redistribution of wealth by the state, but that’s a real stretch. The tithe was commanded for the purpose of glorifying God, and it was food–the most basic provision—that was to be provided to “the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” who were in the midst of the people of God. This is vastly different than the modern welfare state that redistributes wealth in the form of direct cash (to be spent at the discretion of the recipient).
Also, consider that the political-type redistribution of today is facilitated by modern states which go to some length to separate themselves from God. In case there’s any question as to the transferability of the things of God to the secular state, Jesus provides a clear separation:
”Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.”—Luke 20:25
There’s no conclusive Biblical support for redistribution of wealth as it’s practiced by modern governments that are divorced from God.
But that’s not the end of the story; here’s where we clarify the ambiguous, but all-important, “no, but yes” part of the equation…
We are SPECIFICALLY directed to obey the civil authorities
Take another look at Luke 20:25 above. Note that Jesus doesn’t tell us to do one and neglect the other–he tells us to render to both God and Caesar what is due each! Thus we have a personal, God-given responsibility to the less fortunate, PLUS that which is required by the civil authorities.
Want more proof?
“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God…Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.”—Romans 13:1 & 5
Peter gives even more specific guidance.
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”—1 Peter 2:13-14
If we’re looking for Biblical permission to resist the governing authorities, we’re not going to find it, not at least as it relates to redistribution of wealth.
Government has largely taken over what we might loosely call “charity” and turned it into the wholesale redistribution of wealth, no argument there. But this is a civil, social, philosophical, legal and political debate for sure—but it isn’t a faith based argument. If it is to be changed, that must happen at the voting booth, through the legislative process or through the courts, and until that happens we’re commanded to comply.
Personal observations and thoughts…
Technically speaking, any transfer of money from productive populations to non-productive ones is redistribution of wealth. The argument then should also extend to Social Security, Medicare, corporate welfare, industry subsidies, tax breaks, foreign aid—virtually anywhere money is taken from one person or entity and given to others. It’s clear that current government redistribution has moved well beyond caring for “widows and orphans” and shows unmistakable signs of political preference.
We can try to bring about change through the political and legal systems we have, but as for looking to Biblical justification to say that participating somehow puts us at odds with Biblical laws or doctrines isn’t supported.
For what it’s worth, I haven’t arrived at this conclusion lightly. I confess to being a Libertarian, and the whole idea of redistribution of wealth runs against everything I believe from a non-faith perspective. However, everything we believe—our personal preferences, our behavior and even our politics—must be subject to our faith and not the other way around. Any time we try to wrap the faith around our preferred doctrines, we’re in danger of following a false gospel.
What are your thoughts? What do you think the Bible says about redistribution of wealth? Can you find Scripture that supports a different conclusion?
Thought provoking question, Kevin. There’s one word that comes to mind when I think about the way the state redistributes money: inefficient. I, like you, would agree more with the libertarian viewpoint when it comes to running a country. In a perfect world, we’d see the church and individuals stepping up to solve the problems of poverty and hunger among the widows and orphans, but we’ve handed this issue over to welfare and social security.
The biggest difference between the welfare (redistribution) from the state and the sharing of individual wealth is that we’re instructed in the Bible to give cheerfully and generously on an individual level. Our obligation to the state is capped, but our generosity to others shouldn’t be. I think the Bible focuses on giving as more of an individual charge to be generous because if it were a handbook for nations as a whole, it’d be quickly written off by individuals. What I mean is that if the Bible made clear instructions for states to be generous with their funds, individual people might look at that as sufficient, and ignore their individual responsibilities to give to those in need.
-Tim
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Hi Tim–I think you’re on to something significant about individuals shoving charity off on the state. It does seem to be happening at some level. In our day and time, people often define their generosity not so much by giving to those in need directly, but by how they vote and which public programs they support. From a Biblical perspective, this is clearly wrong but it makes a nice “out” on direct giving.
I also agree with you about inefficiency and wealth distribution. Public agencies give to those who meet objective criteria, not necessarily to those most in need. There’s little in the way of human judgement in the process. We’ve all seen able young, able bodied people on public assistance, while someone who has cripping injuries or incurable diseases has to get a lawyer to fight for benefits. Something is obviously wrong with that. Along the way, huge bureaucracies are established to maintain the programs. We may see only 70 or 80 cents of direct benefit from a dollar of wealth redistribution.
This is very much a civil/political issue, but not necessarily a Biblical one.
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Tithes in the Old Testament were not the primary means of caring for the poor. The first tithe went to the priests. The second was for party and travel expenses during the three feast gatherings. The third tithe went to the poor, but it was only on the third year — which was probably the third of the seven year sabbath year cycle.
The original welfare system consisted of the gleaner laws, zero interest loans (securied by the possibility of limited servitude), and the jubilee laws. These laws tap into two principles:
1. Nature itself has value. No one create something from absolutely nothing. The gleaner laws guaranteed everyone in Israel a simulation of state of nature bounty. The jubilee laws kept the farmland spread between families.
2. We all benefit from the gifts of our forebears. Bill Gates was very productive. But he was very productive in part because his parents bought him an expensive education including access to computer time when computer time was very expensive. I believe they also provided a bit of startup capital when Microsoft consisted of a few college dropouts living cheap. Zero interest loans allowed those without the right parents to have a shot at working for themselves.
Well said Carl, we can and should take a page from that arrangement today. None of that is redistribution as we know it today, but it rather it creates an envirnment in which societies riches can be produced and enjoyed by the greatest number of people. We might think of it as ensuring opportunity, a concept we’ve gotten away from as our reliance on financial redistribution has grown.
The Jubilee is especially relevant with today’s debt crisis. I seriously doubt we’ll have a healthy, growing economy until we have some sort of systematic debt forgiveness. We can argue the pros and cons of such a measure, but millions of households will not be able to fully participate in the economy as long as they’re carrying debts incurred during more robust times. I’m not in favor of strategic default, but society wide we need to come up with a formula that will get people out from under unsustainable debt burdens. We have the example set forth in the Bible, we just need the courage to act and the faith to trust in the outcome.
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