A popular claim that early Christians were communists is clearly false. Even Missouri’s own Harry S. Truman said to his daughter, “You know there was but one idealistic example of Communism. That is described in the Acts of the Apostles.” When Acts 2:44 says, “Now all the believers where together and had everything in common,” the text is not describing socialism as we know it. Instead, the Bible is describing the voluntary generous spirit that comes when a church is unified.
Why is the Book of Acts not describing socialism? Part of the answer lies within the definition of socialism itself. Socialism is a political/economic theory which argues for state ownership of the means of production, such as factories and farmland. The most virulent form of socialism is Marxist Communism, a violent system that has led to the deaths of millions of innocent people and that argues for the use of revolution to take property away from its rightful owners and redistribute wealth among the population. Acts 2 is not describing these types of political systems, but the mighty work of the Holy Spirit within the church.
The first reason we can know that early Christians were not communists is because Scripture plainly teaches the right of individuals to own private property, including property used in production. Abraham owned herds of livestock. Boaz owned the farm where Ruth gleaned in the fields. Several apostles were fishermen who owned their own boats. The ownership of private property is protected by the eighth commandment, “Thou shall not steal.”
Second, Acts 2:46 mentions that the believers were meeting “house to house,” indicating the early individual Christians continued to own their homes. The intimate fellowship of the early church did not mean the cessation of all private property ownership.
Third, the giving in Acts was voluntary and not coerced by a state government that considered itself omniscient. Generosity is a characteristic of saved people; those who have received the free gift of salvation want to be generous to others. This generosity is not forced upon a Christian, but freely flows from a thankful heart.
Fourth, the early church’s voluntary giving was derived from the fact they were united by the Holy Spirit and was not the result of state-controlled planning of markets. Socialism is more than just sharing wealth. Instead, it is the misguided idea that governments can determine what products are needed, how they should be priced, and who should produce them. The fact that early Christians shared openly with each other is no indication they would have approved of modern socialist or Marxist schemes.
The early Christians in the book of Acts were not communists. They were people purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ who overflowed with love for each other, and the gospel they preached has brought life to untold millions.