This statement, or its derivatives, is a common response from many liberal Christians. They see the God of the Old Testament as evil because of all the death and destruction the Israelites caused in their God-ordained carving out of a place to call their homeland (as just one example). However, the God of the New Testament (i.e., Jesus) is totally different. He is a God of love and compassion, an advocate for the downtrodden and oppressed. If on the earth today, Christ would be preaching socialism to the masses.

Jesus the Socialist

Christ was an advocate for the poor. He did desire to help all that were in need (Luke 10:27). And His views were firmly stated in verses such as …

Matthew 25:41b-45 - 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

However, a love for people and a desire to be a Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is not the same thing as being a socialist.

What is a Socialist?

Webster defines socialism as “(1) any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, (2) a system of society or group living in which there is no private property.

Note that socialism is a belief that in order to adequately help those in need and to provide an undergirding of social support for the disadvantaged, the government must “own and administer the means of production and distribution of goods, where there is no private property.”

According to Wikipedia, Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush have “openly affiliated with socialist ideologies” as part of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) political organization.

However, this forced redistribution of wealth based either on governmental taxation or ownership of private property is not at all what Jesus had in mind.

Jesus was Not a Socialist

The reality is that Jesus was not a socialist based on how Webster and the DSA define it. The key difference between Christ’s desire to help the poor and socialism is who makes the decision, the government by force or individuals out of love for our neighbors. Socialism is the former and Jesus’ teachings are the latter. The Lord never called for the establishment of laws to force the reallocation of wealth. He called for His followers to demonstrate the love of God by freely offering help and support. For example, the tithe from the Old Testament is found nowhere in the New Testament. Instead, we are told to be cheerful givers …

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 - The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Summary

Sharing with the poor was a sign of one’s love for the Lord. It was voluntary and based on the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. Socialism is a forced redistribution of wealth using the government as a bloated and vastly inefficient cudgel to force equity regardless of effort.