God is our Savior, not the State

I get why socialism continues to be an attractive philosophy to so many. Advocates include a variety of good hearted, well meaning people from all walks of life who truly care about the well being of their fellow man. They see suffering and injustice and want to relieve it. They see some with so much and others with hardly any and think if we just share the wealth, those with more than enough will still have plenty and those with hardly anything will at least have a little more and much suffering will be alleviated. Sounds good, in theory... But in practice, it just doesn’t work. History is replete with examples of failed socialism and none where it was/is successful when fully employed. Socialism does not, can not, bring about the utopia its devotees yearn for. Shangri-La remains elusive. Paradise will still be lost.

Socialism fails in practice for a number of reasons. Behind some lovely sounding platitudes are some fatal assumptions. Karl Marx, the father of socialism made this famous statement, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” This statement naively assumes that the producers can’t wait to jump into their labor with enthusiasm so that at the end of the day they can give most of it away to those who need but can’t or won’t produce. That flies in the face of human nature. This is why free market systems always out produce communist systems. And communism is the only logical political end of socialist thinking. Marx and Engles outlined their ideal socialist classless society in their Communist Manifesto.

A socialist views man as basically good. But God tells us man is sinful at his core. Many ‘good’ men when they acquire power and wealth soon begin to abuse that power, craving more and accumulating excess wealth while still spouting platitudes about helping the huddled masses.

Socialism elevates the State to be in the place of God, but unlike the transcendent good God, the State is made up of flawed men however well intentioned they start out. The State will inevitably demand complete unquestioning allegiance desiring increasing amounts of power and control. It will simultaneously, incrementally remove liberties from the people all the while promising that their sacrifices are necessary for the greater good of the State and to usher in the coming utopia. When the State is given the place of God, eventually the State will see God as a threat to its goals and seek to remove Him. The State will seek to silence all dissenting voices for the good of the State. The State will always seek to further cement their socialist philosophy in the minds of their citizens by instructing the youth in this State promoting worldview in the State run schools and institutions of higher learning.

What I ‘get’ less is a growing group of Christians I’ve been interacting with that seriously think it would be good idea to adapt Socialism because it could be used to bring about the fulfillment of Christ’s commandment for the church to help the poor and hurting of the world. I think these sincere Christians are likely fed up with a lack of perceived progress the church has made in reducing the plight of the poor (whom if you remember, Jesus said would always be among us). The church should seek to bless the poor, the orphan, the widow, as they share the love of Christ because they have been blessed by His grace. It should be an act of charity. When the State seeks to give aid to the needy in a socialistic manner, they do so by forcibly taking money away from some and redistributing it as they see fit - devoid of the gospel.

Christians should be at the forefront of helping the hurting in our communities and the world as the Church. However, I think it is dangerous and wrong to think it is safe and good to use a godless philosophy to further God's commandments for the CHURCH to help the poor. It's like Abraham using Hagar to fulfill God’s promise of a son. Trouble will likewise come when Christians think it is okay to abdicate the duties of the Church to the State and put the State in a position that only God should be in. The Church needs to be the Church and the State needs to stick to what the State should do – punish evil and condone good. People have been taken captive by the lie that it is the State, and not God that is to be our savior and sustainer and source of all good things. Even some well intending Christians have been tempted to believe this lie. Lord, shine the light of Truth and give us eyes to see any lies we may be tempted to believe.