In the Bible, work is a recurring theme. The earliest record in the Bible of work is the creation by God of the universe. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. Very early in the Bible, God set the tone for work in every day life and in the life of one who follows Him.
Perhaps some of the best known Bible verses on work come from Proverbs.
Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise.”
Proverbs 21:25, “The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work.”
Work is the pathway to wisdom and the means of sustaining life. Failing to work is regarded as presumption, while work is the exercise of faith in God. Matthew 6:26
Work in the Bible is fundamental in our worship of God. A representative verse is Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”
Work is also essential to ensuring we do not have lack. Here, we should point out the distinction between trusting in the providence of God and presuming against the providence of God. Presumption chooses not to work and expects God will provide anyway. Trust seeks to work out a solution, all the while believing God is in the solution or will meet us along the way.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” See also Job 10:30, Proverbs 13:11, Proverbs 14:23
Work also ensures we have something to give to those in need. Put another way, it is through our work that God is a blessing and makes Himself known to those in need.
Ephesians 4:28, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.” See also Acts 4:32-37, Matthew 25:35-40
There are also general references to work alongside specific commands, including Exodus 20:9 and Exodus 23:16.
At the foundation of tithing is work. The very definition of a tithe is a tenth of the fruit of our labor. If we are not working, then we have nothing to offer God. We are not to come before God empty-handed. Exodus 23:15 For more verses on this point, see Genesis 4:4, Numbers 18:30, Deuteronomy 14:22-23, 2 Chronicles 31:5-6, Nehemiah 10:35-39, Numbers 18:29, Matthew 23:23, and Mark 12:1-9.
In communism, socialism and Marxism, the object of work is the government, and work is a means to further the transfer of wealth. Work does not benefit ourselves or others, but the fruit of our labor is to be surrendered to the government under the guise of being used to benefit the common good of all people, especially the laborer. Whatever benefit there is to the laborer, such class of people only receive a token in return. We are to trust the government to distribute the fruit of our labor equitably among the citizens. The object of work is no longer to own anything but to benefit the common good of all people, which is administered by the government. Very often, this has led to forcible labor in slave camps as well as miscreants who refuse to work. For those in power and those who develop the rules, they are often exempted from work.
The following excerpt from the Communist Manifesto illustrates the object of work:
“In this sense, the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property. We Communists have been reproached with the desire of abolishing the right of personally acquiring property as the fruit of a man’s own labour, which property is alleged to be the groundwork of all personal freedom, activity and independence. Hard-won, self-acquired, self-earned property! Do you mean the property of the petty artisan and of the small peasant, a form of property that preceded the bourgeois form? There is no need to abolish that; the development of industry has to a great extent already destroyed it, and is still destroying it daily. Or do you mean modern bourgeois private property? But does wage-labour create any property for the labourer? Not a bit. It creates capital, i.e., that kind of property which exploits wage-labour, and which cannot increase except upon condition of begetting a new supply of wage-labour for fresh exploitation. Property, in its present form, is based on the antagonism of capital and wage-labour. … When, therefore, capital is converted into common property, into the property of all members of society, personal property is not thereby transformed into social property. It is only the social character of the property that is changed. It loses its class-character. … You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths. You reproach us, therefore, with intending to do away with a form of property, the necessary condition for whose existence is the non-existence of any property for the immense majority of society. In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend. From the moment when labour can no longer be converted into capital, money, or rent, into a social power capable of being monopolised, i.e., from the moment when individual property can no longer be transformed into bourgeois property, into capital, from that moment, you say individuality vanishes. You must, therefore, confess that by “individual” you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property. This person must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible.”
The key difference between the teachings of Christ and the teachings of Communism is the object of our work. In Christ, we work to glorify Christ. We are made at His hand, and the various gifts and talents each person brings are to be celebrated. In Christ, there is indeed diversity of gifts and talents, and we are called to maximize them in our worship of God and for the glory of Christ. We work to be a blessing to others in need and to ensure our own families have the provision they need for sustenance.
In communism, we are unable to glorify Christ. It is impossible to be financially stable, unless you trust in the government, and it is impossible to be a blessing to those in need.
Thus, there are myriad reasons why communism does not work and has never been successful. The most obvious is the corruption of the government. Communism is predicated on covetousness and greed among the laborer, namely, to possess the assets of the ruling class. This is the very definition of covetousness. Indulging that covetousness necessarily leads to greater evil, that being corruption among the ruling class. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and this is where communism leads, particularly among the hands of those instituting communism.
Communism also involves a degree of force, in that people are forcibly separated from their property. Gone is any personal responsibility, and those who work relieve others from paying a heavy price for large amounts of debt and financial mismanagement. Thus, people are no longer inspired by creativity, ingenuity or innovation. Relying on the government becomes the norm, and in order to have workforce participation, the government must resort to forcible labor. In nearly all attempts to install communism in society, this is the precise path it has trod.
The ideals of communism are very different from their actualities. It is only in an ideal world that the work of the many ensures no one has a need. In actuality, this means much of the fruit of my labor is taken by the government to apply to other people who may not have worked as hard as me. This very often leads to reduced production and more strict labor camps. Government corruption predicated on covetousness and greed ends up wasting much of our profits, and the resources the government assured its citizens would be divided equitably finds its way into the hands and pockets of the ruling class. Thus, in seeking to eliminate the wealthy ruling class, communism only succeeds in transferring the wealth and power to a different ruling class, but one which rules with an iron fist rather than to lift society up from poverty.
We’ll close with a final comment on capitalism. Capitalism works best when it is regulated by Christianity. It is when the church loses its influence in society that capitalism becomes a system of hoarding wealth at the top. Jesus promised that we will always have the poor with us, and there are many people who will not create huge companies. Instead, they are benefitted by those who are able to innovate. However, those who become wealthy must be regulated by Christianity to be restrained from hoarding wealth.
If we truly desire to revolutionize society, our efforts should instead be on glorifying God and evangelizing, while working to strengthen the influence of the church. In communism, God is absent and discarded, and there is no church because the government is supreme.
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