Biblical Property

by Ray Smith

“The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity…I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and the attributes of God.” John Adams (June 28, 1813; Letter to Thomas Jefferson)

We have forgotten some of the basic foundational beliefs that drove our founding fathers to create our government in the manner they did.

All the earth is owned by God – He is the Creator. (Genesis 1:1, Psalm 50:10-12)

God has given man dominion over His earth and all that is on it. This makes every person personally responsible to God for what he does with everything he possesses. (Genesis 1:28-30, Genesis 9:1-7)

God ordained this responsibility which we call private property which is clearly evidenced by the fact that two of the Ten Commandments – the 8th and 10th respectively – deal with stealing and envy or coveting. (Exodus 20:15,17). As a matter of fact, in the explanation of the civil laws against stealing God instructed that restitution of up to 5 times the original value of what was stolen should be made and that force – even lethal force – could be used in the defense of one’s property. (Exodus 22:1-14).

The responsibility people have to work and invest of their resources and to add value as they do so is biblical.

Consider what Jesus taught on this subject in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. He said that people are directly accountable to God for all that He has given them, that they are obligated to add value by wisely investing all they have been given and that this increase pleases God.

The founding fathers understood this so well, that they designed a system of government that protected the rights of individuals, private property and making a profit.

But Americans have apparently forgotten these truths. Too many people are happy to let the government do everything for them. By adopting this attitude, people have rejected their responsibility to be good stewards of God’s resources. We have become a nation of wimps who are unwilling to compete in a free market and accept that there are risks in any life that is worth living.

Our current leaders want to regulate the rights of individuals supposedly for their own good – even the amount of water your toilet flushes! They are ignoring the protections of private property through contracts and increasing government seizures which they prefer to call take-overs. They are favoring certain businesses over others by using public funds to profit only selected companies within any given industry. They call these favors bailouts. They are punishing those who are successful at making a profit through outrageous taxation and are even willing to use the IRS to punish anyone they think is getting too much. And finally, instead of living within the confines of a balanced budget, they are willing to pass massive debts on to future generations which is nothing more than taxation without representation for our children and grandchildren.

Whatever the government officials deem necessary they are planning to do with or without the consent of the governed. We are, unfortunately, heading toward tyranny.

You cannot read the founding fathers, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the Bible and find justification for where we are today! This is a dangerous time for America.