In reading for a previous article, I learned how much the Puritans (among others) understood that we are built to live in community. That means being willing to voluntarily give up our independence for the good of others. That community is to be under God, submitting our own wills to follow His will instead. Jesus set that example for us:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-7
On the one hand, that selfless giving is at the core of the gospel, and our clinging to independence from God is really the definition of sin.
On the other hand, it is NOT the currently-fashionable “equity” way of looking at society.
What is the difference? Biblical submission is mutual, and voluntary. The goal is not equal outcomes regardless of input. The true goal is shared life. It is not coerced, not enforced either by government or by culture. Rather, it grows out of genuine love and day-in/day-out sharing of everything: not only resources but also joys, sorrows, struggles, and successes.
The Bible gives plenty of instruction about how this kind of community submission will look.
The Wrong Way to Share
In Acts 4:32-37, we see of the believers that “not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them” (verse 32). In fact, when one couple — Ananias and his wife Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 — didn’t give the entire proceeds of the property they had sold, they were struck dead!
Doesn’t that sound like God insists on a “share and share alike” community?
Not so fast! Their fatal sin was not in holding back some of the money for themselves. It was in lying about it. If they had said “We sold some property. Here’s half the money for the church to spend as needed.”, they would have been fine. They could do as they liked with their own property.
While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?
Acts 5:4
But they only pretended to give everything so that they would look good. After all, Barnabas had just been praised (in Acts 4:36-37) for giving the proceeds from his sale of property. They wanted to receive the same respect, without earning it.
The problem was not the private property ownership. After all, Barnabas wouldn’t have been singled out if everyone had been doing the same thing. His gift was extraordinary.
Rather, the problem was the deception, the virtue-signaling without true virtue, the empty facade.
But before I condemn Ananias and Sapphira too harshly, I need to look at myself. How often are my righteous-looking deeds a thin cover hiding less-than-righteous motives underneath? How often am I only partially committed, mixed with laziness or impatience or greed, but smiling and trying to be seen as doing the right thing?
The Right Way to Share
The Bible’s way of instructing us to share with others is quite different. It does not teach for anyone to give up their resources against their will. It allows for individual choice. That should be easier, right? I can do what I want, and give when — and if — I want to.
Not so fast! God says to love Him first, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:35-40). He says to…
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4
Only then can I do what I want…because what I want will have changed. God’s plan is for me to be so involved in the lives of my fellow believers that their individual needs weigh on me until I truly want to take action on their behalf. And, His plan is for them to feel the same about me. When we love one another and give each other’s welfare our top priority, then we will naturally share what we can in order to meet one another’s needs.
Half of the New Testament consists of letters from the Apostle Paul and other Apostles to the new and growing churches around the Roman Empire. Almost every letter has admonitions about mutual submission and care for one another. Here are a few snippets; I encourage you to follow the links for the fuller passages.
- Romans 12:9-13: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-32: “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.”
- Ephesians 4:1-6, 5:15-21: “…showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” “…be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
- Colossians 3:12-17: “Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15: “…seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”
- Titus 3:1-2: “…be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.”
- 1 Peter 3:8-11, 4:8-9 :”…be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.” “Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”
- 1 John 2:3-11, 3:14-24: “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light…” “let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
The Wrong Way to Accept Sharing
But then we also read…
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load.
Galatians 6:2-5 (emphasis added)
This seems like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But it isn’t contradiction; it’s balance. Not only are we each to be devoted to one another, giving others priority care. We are also not to be freeloaders, taking advantage of anyone else’s generosity.
- 1 Timothy 5:4: “…if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents.”
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13: “…if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either…[Everyone should] work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread…do not grow weary of doing good.”
If we truly love someone else as much as we love ourselves, we wouldn’t consider asking them to take on something that is really our own responsibility. You don’t treat someone you love like that. The command is to “bear one another’s burdens”, not to “dump our burdens onto one another”.
This Doesn’t Come Naturally
To follow Jesus’ command that we “love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 15:12) leaves no room for selfishness. That instinct to think of my own needs — or wants, or even just whims — before anyone else’s is so deeply rooted in human nature. Giving up my self-centeredness hurts!
It takes energy to focus on someone else. Have you ever tried to really listen to someone…without half of your mind jumping ahead to what you’re going to say next? It’s difficult to set aside what I’m doing or planning or thinking about long enough to pay attention to another’s activities, plans, and thoughts.
If the other person is happy, I can rejoice with them; if they’re sad, I can sympathize with them. But then we go our separate ways. Does their situation continue to impact me, or is it forgotten as I go back to thinking of myself? Can I give up something I prefer in deference to another, without being cranky or resentful about it? Do I truly love them as much as I love myself?
Answer: No. At least, not on my own. That kind of love has to come from God’s Spirit. It’s His love; it’s not mine. But He longs to share it with — and through — me.
What would it do to our world if more believers lived this kind of selfless community of submission to one another? Wouldn’t it be nice to find out?