Sharing Shows Brotherly-Love

Topic: Sharing

Passage: Acts 4:32–37

July 31, 2019

Commentary

Some have referred to this portion of Scripture as the origin of today’s communism. It is nothing of the kind. It didn’t involve all private property, but only as much as was needed and there was no membership requirement. The spiritual unity and generosity of these early Christians attracted others to them. What these believers did was purely voluntary (5:4) and was motivated by love (vv. 32-37). Two things can be noted about this:

They had an intense sense of responsibility for each other.
This awoke in them a real desire to share all they had. We must note one thing above all—this sharing was not the result of legislation; it was utterly spontaneous. It is not when the law compels us to share, but when the heart moves us to share, that society is Christian.

We should not get the idea that every believer sold all his goods and brought the money to the apostles. It indicates that some of the members “from time to time” sold various pieces of property and voluntarily gave it to the apostles to be distributed to those in need (v. 34). The distribution was not made equally, but according to need. The state was not coercing them into a share and share-alike program. The Christians did what they did out of a heart of love, “of one heart and one soul” (v. 32). These are not communistic principles, but a display of Christian charity at its finest.

While the early Church’s spirit of sacrifice and loving generosity is something for us to seriously consider, it is not something we are required to imitate today. The principles of Christian giving are outlined for us in the epistles (II Cor. 8-9); and nowhere are we instructed to bring our money and lay it at the feet of the leaders of the Church as though they were apostles (v. 35). It is the spirit of their giving that is important to us today, and not so much the methods they used.

Application

It is not easy for me to share what the Lord has given to me with others. I need to be looking for ways I can share my faith. It may be transporting people to church in my car, or keeping people in our home for a few days. Is there some needy person I could reach out to this week?

Acts 4:32– 37 (NET)

³² The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. ³³ With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. ³⁴ For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales ³⁵ and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need. ³⁶ So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at the apostles’ feet.