Is Private Property a Fluid Concept?

Before we dive into the biblical principles surrounding private property, we should first define it. According to Cambridge University, property is “an object or objects that belong to someone”. Private is also defined by Cambridge “as only for one person or group and not for everyone”.

Thus, private property can be defined as objects or materials that belong to a particular group, and are not for everyone. Thus, an example of something not being private property* is when the state (or the community) owns something. That is the definition of public property.

When a society abolishes the existence of private property, everything becomes public property. Communism/Socialism is a society in which the state claims at least the means of production, thus controlling the majority of the value of the society.

But is this biblical? Can the government “abolish” private property? How about at some of it, like the means of production?

God, the Bible, and the Constitution are clear on this issue. In Exodus 20, God commands us not to steal.** Stealing is “to take something without the permission or knowledge of the owner and keep it”. (Cambridge) In other words, it is taking something that doesn’t personally belong to you and keeping it.

Now, the keywords in that last sentence are personal belongings. If you abolish private property, you effectively steal all possessions as the state. In shorthand, socialism is wrong because it steals everyone’s property, and claims it was never theirs to begin with. Additionally, another command in Exodus 20 is to “not covet”. This indicates that we should not be even seeking other people’s property (Ritenour). In fact, as John MacArthur expounds, this is the main reason America is in so much economic trouble today (Grace to You). It continually pants after what it doesn’t have, so it borrows from others, and then takes from others to continually provide for both the debt and its increased desires.*** This happens on both a personal and a governmental level, but is completely unbiblical. We are not to covet what we don’t have, because, as James 4:17 describes, “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

One of the roots of evil is the desire to possess more than you can lawfully obtain.**** So in a democratic system, people (because of laziness coupled with coveteousness) push to gain what they cannot have, and take from people who can provide it for them. And because most of our democracy’s leaders' road to success relies on fulfilling the desires of the people, they create “laws” that do exactly what was mentioned. To restate it again, they take the work of the more wealthy and give it, not always to the most needy, but often to the most influential and favored groups.*****

Additionally, as Story of Liberty media adds, the Constitution explicitly protects the right of private property. In fact, the “pursuit of happiness” was originally meant to include private property, but in fact, the authors expanded it to include other personal pursuits. Private property is part of our constitutional liberty, and there is nothing the government should be doing that should take it away from us. It is one of are unalienable rights.******

So in conclusion, private property should be protected, not abolished. It is both a biblical and Constitutional principle that should not be done away with.

Notes:

* At least in America. Without a nation that claims it exists by the people, for the people, the conservation would turn into a monarch stealing for its people. That would be a slightly different argument, and thus not the subject of this paper. ** The paper is not the time to discuss hermeneutics. But I will do it slightly here. I would argue that this is part of the moral law, not the ceremonial or sacrificial, and thus continues to apply today. However, I do not hold to a Sabbath. In Exodus 20, it is noted that the Israelites should "keep the Sabbath holy," However, my convictions lie in that the "Sabbath" was a covenant between Isreal. (Exodus 31:16-17) - - - and Colossians 2:16 seemed to strongly indicate that the "Sabbath" was part of Isreal's calendar. That being said, I do hold that the principles of rest from Genesis 2:2-3 are still useful today. We were made to rest. To quote Mark 2:27, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” But to conclude, I do not believe the fourth commandment is completely applicable today, as “the Sabbath” does fall into the ceremonial covenant of Isreal. *** Speaking in a figurative sense. Not all Americans are like this, and mutliple generalizations are made here. But the point still is pertinent. **** Based on 1 Timothy 6:10 ***** And even if they did give it to the most needy, it is still not a biblical or constitutional principle. ****** I am rather certain that you know the preamble to the Constitution. If you don’t, the logical sequence of this paragraph will be clearer after reading it.

Bibliography: Cambridge University. (n.d.). Cambridge Dictionary. English Meaning - Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved July 14, 2023, from https://dictionary.cambridge.org

English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/

Grace to You. (2012). Thinking biblically about the economy, government, and your money (selected scriptures) [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1668&v=1eag7mKYDvU&embeds_ref erring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fmasters.instructure.com%2Fcourses%2F17123%2Fpages%2Fm odule-1-media%3Fmodule_item_id%3D824370&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature= emb_title

Ritenour, S. (2010). Foundations of economics: A Christian view. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

The Story of Liberty. (2012). Private Property Part 1- How to fix the economy - Christian economics [Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB-favLD2tY&t=1436s