The Bible and Social Justice
The Bible and Social Justice by Paul Camuti 10/14/2026
All Scriptures are from the NLT (New Living Translation) except where noted.
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles feet to give to those in need. Acts 4:32-37
And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. The sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47
There are people today, non-Christian and Christian alike who view Acts 2:44-47, and Acts 4:32-37 as showing that the Word of God (which would mean God, Himself) advocates Socialism (which would include Social Justice). None of these scriptures advocate wealth redistribution or the taking away of people’s property to give to someone else in the name of equity. There is no endorsement in the Scriptures where God allows government, civil or religious, to demand or take what people own and give it to someone else, again, in the name of Social Justice or equity.
People also point to other Scriptures in Nehemiah to justify Socialism.
About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.” Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards and homes to get food during the famine.” And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” Nehemiah 5:1-5
What was happening here was that the common Jewish people were crying out against their Jewish brethren, the nobles and rulers. The nobles and rulers became wealthy while in exile during the Babylonian Empire and brought back their wealth with them to Jerusalem. Some were descendants of Jewish people who came back to Jerusalem 100 years earlier with Zerubabbel and already established lucrative businesses. The rulers and nobles took advantage of the returned exiles plight by loaning them huge amounts of money, charged them interest and if payments were missed the nobles and rulers would confiscate the people’s lands and put family members into slavery.
When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging them interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.” They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised. Nehemiah 5:6-12
In Nehemiah 5:11, it is clear that although Nehemiah as the Acting Governor of Jerusalem, he required that the nobles return to the people that which they took from the people. They had to return the fields, vineyards, olive groves, and repay the interest that they took off the loans that they made with the people. The wealthy and the nobles were not required to give the people more than what they took.
In acts 2:44-47 and Acts 4:32-37 the apostles did not compel the people to sell what they had and distribute to the poor in general. It was all voluntary. And why did they volunteer? Because of the way they worshipped God and the Holy Spirit moved on their hearts. And they only gave to the people what they needed, within their Christian Community. Because the people were in relationship with God no one lacked. However, again, no one was compelled by an external source other than the Holy Spirit.
“At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates (store it in your house). And the Levite (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widows which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied. That the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.” Deuteronomy 14:28-29 KJV
“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thine vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and the stranger; I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19: 9-10 KJV
Notice it is not the government or religious leaders that requires this. It is God. However, God is requiring 10% of the year’s harvest in Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and the gleanings in Leviticus 19:9-10, to the Levites (Deuteronomy) but also the poor and the stranger.
Full definition of Socialism Merriam Webster Dictionary (includes the concept of Social Justice) – “Any of the various economic and political theories advocating Collective or Governmental Ownership and Administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. It is a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state. A system of society or group in which there is no private property. Karl Marx saw Socialism as a transition between Capitalism and Communism. Socialism emphasizes equity rather than achievement.”
Ideologies are all spiritual at their roots. This is why we have to be seeking God like never before, repenting from sin or hindrances as need be for the Great Awakening to happen.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin (1814-1876) Founder of Russian Nihilism, and described Marx’s beloved Hegelian political theory as the “Algebra of Revolution.” Bakunin hated religion, saying, “Socialists recognize each other by the words, ‘In the name of the one to whom a great wrong has been done (meaning the devil).” He was determined to change the world through radical politics. From his book God and State, he writes, “Jehovah, of all the gods adored by men was certainly the most jealous, the most vain, the most ferocious, the most unjust, the most bloodthirsty, the most despotic, and the most hostile to human dignity and liberty.” He also said this, “Satan is the eternal rebel, the first free thinker and the emancipator of the worlds. He makes man ashamed of his bestial ignorance and obedience; he emancipates him, stamps upon his brow the seal of liberty and humanity, in urging him to disobey and eat of the fruit of knowledge.”
Pierre Joseph Proudhon: Considered the “Father of Anarchism.” He was a French freethinker who lived from 1809-1865. Proudhon borrowed JJ Rousseau’s belief that man in his natural state is good, but institutions are bad. (My response-if institutions are bad, it’s because they are run by men who are bad). Proudhon vehemently opposed the Church and wrote panegyrics to Satan. These quotes are from his writings. “And for my part I say; the first duty of man, on becoming intelligent and free, is to continually hunt the idea of God out of his mind and conscience. For God, if he exists, is essentially hostile to our nature, and we do not depend at all upon his authority. We arrive at knowledge in spite of him, at comfort in spite of him, at society in spite of him; every step we take in advance is a victory in which we crush Divinity. I shall purify myself, idealize my being, and become the chief of creation, the equal of God. By what right should God still say to me, ‘Be holy as I am holy?’ Lying spirit, I will answer him, imbecile God, your reign is over; look to the beasts for other victims. For God is stupidity and cowardice; God is hypocrisy and falsehood; God is tyranny and misery; God is evil.”
Some might say that these kind of men were just being provocative, trying to get under Christianity’s skin. That does not matter. Even if they don’t believe in the devil, by their acknowledging him, and praising him, while attacking God, they open themselves up to the demonic spiritual realm-to the type of spiritual beings listed in Ephesians 6:12.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against might powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Social Justice reminds me of how the devil used the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil to deceive Adam and Eve. The tree was beautiful, the fruit looked delicious, and it was a tree to make one to be on equal terms with God. The devil is using Socialism/Social Justice in the same manner.
Noah Webster – “All the miseries and evils which men suffer from, vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
Regardless of whether the Socialist/Social Justice people believe in the devil or not, or even if they don’t believe what several earlier Socialist/Social Justice writers espoused-because they despise and neglect the precepts contained in the Bible, the result will be the miseries and evils of vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war.
“…and upon this rock (the rock of the revelation of Jesus being the Son of God) I will build My church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 KJV
If we are aware of the enemy’s tactics in our day, the gates of hell will not prevail against us.