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Christianity and Communism
Everyone today fears Communism. Do you think that Communism will ultimately destroy the Christian faith?
I do not believe that Communism will be able to destroy the true Christian faith. What it may do is to destroy a kind of pseudo-Christianity which lacks the inward conviction and vitality of a supernatural faith.
Christianity is a supernatural religion. It rests upon a supernatural faith. It was born and grew to maturity in the Roman world which was pagan and opposed to Christianity. It has never needed the sponsorship of any government in order to thrive. Jesus once said: "Upon this rock will I build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Christians may be called upon to suffer for their faith as the early martyrs did. But that does not mean that Christianity will be destroyed. The problem today is that too many professing Christians fear any persecution or suffering for the cause of Christ. But fear not, for if and when the time for suffering comes, God will supply an abundance of courage and strength for the ordeal.
In Acts Chapter 4 we see the disciples selling all and putting their money in a common treasury, and all sharing alike. What is the difference between this and the Communistic belief?
There is a great difference here. The "having all things in common" of the early Christians was based entirely on love. There was no force or coercion. There were no police to enforce the will of authorities. In fact there were no authorities; it was entirely a matter of the heart.
At this time in Jerusalem there was much poverty and the disciples were just fresh from being filled with the Holy Spirit. They felt an inner compulsion to share with others; they were full of the new Gospel "Love thy neighbor as thy self," and it spilled over into their social life.
If we spent more time with the Lord and were filled with the Holy Spirit, we too would be compelled to share both our goods and our faith with others. We would not only give of our means, but of our goods, our time, and our talents that others might discover the joy we know.
How do you explain the statement of Jesus, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth," when it seems that Communism is the movement that seems most likely to do so? Certainly they do not exemplify meekness, do they? Or are some of these Scriptures not to be taken literally?
Jesus was always speaking of the final outcome. In history, many times it has appeared that righteousness didn't pay while expediency did. Men without principle often have their day of prosperity. The reason many people are puzzled about certain statements in the Bible is that they forget that the message of the Bible is given in terms of the final outcome. Each of the Beatitudes promises "blessedness" or the highest happiness to those who live according to its standards.
You must remember that God speaks in terms of the eternal. Happiness is not a fleeting thing but something that God intends will be our eternal condition. In an hour of darkness such as the present one, we submit to God, knowing that the outcome will be according to His promise no matter how discouraging the present moment may be. Peter once said: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (II Peter 3:8).
In an hour when it appears as if Russia might dominate us, can we not rely on the fact that this nation is better than Russia, and therefore God will not allow that wicked nation to overcome a good one?
I wish I could have such confidence, but unhappily it is not according to God's pattern nor His word. Many good nations have been overrun by those more wicked. That is because there are so many hidden elements involved in judgment. We can only see the surface appearance.
But you have also raised a question concerning goodness. Are we really a good people? If taking the lead among the nations for crime is goodness and if exalting the sensuous is goodness, then we are. But if these are otherwise, then we may be lagging in basic integrity and morality.
Even if we are better than some other nations, God might still chasten us under the hand of another nation to bring us back to a place of fearing Him and loving Him.
One of the prophets complained, "For the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth" (Habakkuk 1:4). But God corrected his error and told him that "I am working a work in your day, which ye will not believe though it be told you." In an age such as this one, the people of God were counseled to live by faith, and not to judge by appearance of the moment. That is what we must do in ours.
