Redistribution of Wealth
By: JB Hall
• Senator Obama, in talking with Joe the Plumber, said we need to “spread the wealth around.”
• Is redistribution of wealth Biblical? Yes!
A. II Corinthians 8:12 – 15 says, “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”
“For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:”
“But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:”
“As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.”
• What is wrong then with what Socialists, who are redistributionists, suggest?
• The problem can be summed up in one word: forced.
A. Socialists believe in forced redistribution of wealth.
B. This means that government takes from those who have, and gives it to those who have less.
C. This is done through the collection of taxes from those who have been successful; and then the government deciding who qualifies to get the redistributed money.
D. This way, government assumes the authority over the wealth of individuals; deciding who should contribute to those who have less, and who should receive the wealth confiscated from the successful.
E. Under this system, the individual has no right of self-determination concerning his own money.
F. Instead, the government decides who gives and who gets.
G. This becomes a disincentive to work hard and become successful.
H. Perhaps you have refused an offer to work some overtime because you knew the increase in income could possibly place you into a higher tax bracket.
I. I used to receive bonuses for producing above what was expected of me.
J. 45% of those bonuses was confiscated in taxes that I did not get back at the end of the year.
K. That means that if I earned $1.000 in bonus, I only received $550 of it.
L. What a disappointing discovery to hear you have earned an additional $1,000, only to find out you will receive just 55% of it.
M. This is forced redistribution of wealth.
• What, then, is Biblical redistribution?
A. Biblical redistribution is done through donation, not confiscation.
B. God wants us to learn to love and care for one another.
C. He wants us to give to each other’s needs and deficits.
D. This is different from forced redistribution in that the individual, not the government, makes the decision to give, and who to give to.
E. This way, the individual is giving out of love and concern for those who are in need; instead of grudgingly having his funds confiscated, and then the government simply making an arbitrary decision as to who does and who does not qualify for the funds confiscated.
F. In Matthew 5:42 Jesus said, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.”
G. Here, Jesus commands us to give.
H. We are not just to speak a word of blessing to someone who is in need; rather, we are to provide the tangible resources he requires.
I. James 2:15 & 16 put it like this, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,”
“And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
J. So, personal giving is demanded, personal giving is expected, and personal giving is provided for; God gives some excess while giving others deficits so that we may learn to have the same care for one another.
K. Even income generation is not exclusively intended to provide for our own needs.
L. First, we are commanded to provide for our own families.
M. I Timothy 5:8 says, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
N. But, income generation has an additional purpose.
O. Ephesians 4:28 says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”
P. Here, part of the purpose of income generation is to have something to give to those who are in need.
Q. So, while wealth redistribution is Biblical, the Biblical concept of redistribution is donation, not confiscation.
• What about those who refuse to work?
A. II Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
B. Pretty straight up, huh?
C. The key to understanding this principle is the word would not work.
D. Would not work, and could not work are very different scenarios.
E. Would not work has to do with the will not the ability.
F. Many are fully capable of working but are lazy; expecting others to provide for them.
G. This is especially pronounced when it comes to government hand-outs.
H. In this country the government has been instrumental in establishing an entitlement mentality.
I. This is the way politicians get reelected; by promising handouts to people.
J. Many, then, just expect to get their check.
K. They often attempt to justify their laziness by suggesting that the government can just print money as it wishes and give it out to whomsoever it wishes.
L. This is just simply not true.
M. The government generates income basically 3 ways: taxes, printing money, or borrowing.
N. If the government introduces printed money into the economy (sometimes termed Quantitative Easing), inflation ensues because the money supply is diluted with manufactured money, instead of real, generated income.
O. Here’s an example: suppose you make a quart of kool aid with one pack of kool aid mix.
P. There are too many kids visiting and you don’t have enough to go around.
Q. You have no more packs of kool aid mix, so you decide to pour more water into the existing jar of kool aid.
R. Sure, you created enough to give some to each kid, but the taste is so diluted, the kool aid is pretty much worthless.
S. More added to the existing makes the existing worth less. Make sense?
T. This means that if government prints money, you might become a millionaire, but a hamburger might cost you $10,000.
U. The government’s only way of generating real income is through taxes.
V. Thus, when someone gets his government check, he is in fact getting part of your income.
W. Entitlements are a misnomer; for no one is entitled to your money, but you, and whoever God directs you to give some to.
X. Work is the only source of legitimate income generation; for the individual, and for the government; for the government can only tax real income that has been generated by someone’s work.
• Should we not pay taxes then?
A. Romans 13:1, 6, 7, 8 (Read) – Here, we are commanded to “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom…”
B. The reason given is given in Verse 6, “For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.”
C. We are to pay taxes to provide for those who rule over us; for this is their job, given and appointed by God.
D. But, an excessive tax burden is a means of government overreach.
E. The government has no right of ownership or control over your private property.
F. It does, however, have the right to expect your financing of its primary purpose, which is to be the minister of God to execute justice.
G. Justice, though, is not taking from someone who has worked and been successful, just to give to someone who has not been as successful, or who refuses to work.
H. In doing this, government is violating the individual’s right of ownership of private property given to him by God.
I. Does the Bible teach private ownership of property? Yes!
J. Jeremiah 32:8b – 12 (Read) – Notice how precise the elements and procedure of this transaction of Jeremiah purchasing a piece of property were.
K. In Verse 9 the precise amount of the purchase price was weighed out to the owner from whom Jeremiah was purchasing the field.
L. In Verse 10 Jeremiah subscribed (signed) the evidence (deed) in front of witnesses; and weighed the money out to the seller before witnesses.
M. In Verse 11 one copy of the evidence (deed) was made and sealed up; and one copy was made which was to remain open for any to observe.
N. In Verse 12 the open copy, signed by Jeremiah and by the witnesses, was given to be kept in the public register; was taken to the court house to be placed on record and displayed, you might say.
O. In Jeremiah 32:44 (Read), God, testifying of the return of the Jews to their homeland from captivity, gives the same procedure for purchasing land for private ownership.
P. Private ownership of property is taught, and assumed, throughout scripture.
Q. For the government to intrude into the personal ownership rights of private citizens by placing an undue tax burden on them for the purpose of redistributing their wealth, is for that government to stand to oppose God’s will in this matter.
R. For private citizens to refuse to pay any taxes at all is for those citizens to oppose God’s plan for financing government.
S. The private citizen has a responsibility to the government; but the government also has a responsibility to respect the rights provided by God for the private citizen.
In Summary:
Redistribution simply means to redistribute the wealth of private citizens. God intends us to provide for others out of our storehouse of personal wealth. He does not, however, give the government the right to confiscate funds from private citizens to redistribute to others it deems worthy of receiving them.
Biblical redistribution of wealth, then, is to be through donation, not confiscation.
