Biblical Economic Collision Points: Free Enterprise Versus Socialism

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Biblical Economic Collision Points: Free Enterprise Versus Socialism

The online Oxford Dictionaries defines “worldview” as “a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world”. It is the central perception of a person or group of people and includes prior knowledge and experience guiding their view of reality and the world. It encompasses the ideas, values and actions through which an individual or society interprets and interacts with the world (Economics Committee of The Coalition of Revival, 1999).
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Every person has a worldview that guides how their interpretation and interaction in every area in their life; be it theological, political or economic. Worldviews for certain situations may vary from person to person, but some worldviews are shared among groups of people.

A biblical worldview is premised on an existence that aims to love and to serve God. Also known as Christianity worldview, it is founded on the belief in the reliability of God’s Word as captured in the Bible, which becomes the basis of all that a person or society says or does (Arnn, 2013). It revolves around the battle between good and evil.

Biblical worldview is thus the ideas, beliefs and actions through which Christians interpret and interact with the world. Some Christians differ on certain issues, but all Christians generally agree on most thematic aspects, giving rise to an overarching Biblical worldview (Hooser, 2011).

The use of the word “worldview” in United States’ Christianity can be traced to Howard Evan Runner, a Reformed philosopher at Calvin College during his evangelical work in North America after a stint at The Free University in Netherlands that influenced his thinking about Christianity a lot.  
A biblical worldview includes belief in God the Creator and Ruler as well as Jesus Christ the Redeemer, the human being as a creation in the image of God and hence deserving honor and respect, absolute truths as defined by the Bible that is God’s Word and a Christian’s responsibility to serve and share with others (Tolley, 2015).
Biblical worldview and progressivism

Progressivism is based on scientific, economic and social advancement for human civilization. It is a philosophy that became entrenched in Europe during the Enlightenment; valuing empirical knowledge and rooting for its spread through time and space (Novak, 1982). It gives preeminence to reason over faith, emphasizing life in this world rather than the hereafter. This negates Biblical worldview as posited in James 4:4, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Hence progressivism in its essence can be seen as the antithesis to a biblical worldview.
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Progressivism and socialism as governance philosophies are closely related. They both give priority to the collective rather than the individual. President Woodrow Wilson, a progressive, was a proponent of socialism as an extension to democracy, “In fundamental theory socialism and democracy are almost if not quite one and the same.” President Theodore Roosevelt, a progressive too, wanted the state given more private property rights with a view to economic equality (Gai, 2014).
Many politicians in the United States, including presidents, over the years have tended towards progressivism with the government intermittently having precedence over the constitution in economic and societal intervention. This government intervention comes with bureaucracy and regulation (North, 2012). Yet the constitution is founded on freedom and free will as espoused in the Biblical worldview, rather than government control as espoused in progressivism and socialism.
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In present-day decadent sensate culture, progressivism in its various social, economic and political guises bombards us through various media; print, online or big screen. This seductively appeals to a majority of people, with many people’s worldviews becoming unbiblical. The pop culture has given rise to pop Christianity that has a diluted Biblical worldview (Gills, 2002).
Progressivism has also given rise to Progressive Christianity, a protestant movement emphasizing environmentalism and social justice. This is noble since it is in line with the Biblical worldview of creation where God entrusts the environment to humans (Genesis 1:28) and asks us to be our brother’s keeper.

However the movement’s revisionist perspective includes viewing certain Scripture as erroneous and does not believe the Bible as the literal Word of God. Progressive Christianity also has “collective salvation” that emphasizes cultural and societal restoration akin the atheist principles of Karl Marx; rather than the traditional personal salvation upon an individual believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). These revisionist facets go against the generally accepted Biblical worldview (Novak, 1982).

Progressivism is also related to social Darwinism that embraces evolvement. Change becomes an end in itself, rather than a process. Social Darwinists view truths as evolving, with no absolute truth. This is the same way that Progressives view the bible as not containing absolute truths, thus being in conflict with the biblical worldview. This is because the evolution paradigm is not in the Scripture. Also unsuccessful are other views that try to relate the Bible with evolution or an older timeline (Spalding, 2009).
Biblical worldview of creation
Every worldview has an account of how and why the world came to be. This determines the narrative of the worldview.

The Biblical worldview of creation is ex nihilo, with God’s Word creating the world out of nothing. This creation of the world is captured in the Bible in the first few chapters of Genesis.

“In the beginning, God created heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In so doing, God creates the theater for His glory, with no evidence of dualism or polytheism but God being the sole reason for the existence of the world. Nothing exists on earth or the heavens outside God’s sovereignty (Tolley, 2015). God is responsible for His creation, remaining directly involved by ruling and providing for it, including the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:26-28).

God created everything in six days, crowning it with the creation of man before resting on the seventh day (Genesis 1:1–2:3). From dust God created the first man, breathed life into him and then put him in the Garden of Eden. God then created the first woman from the man’s rib as a companion to man (Genesis 2:4–2:24).
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Creation of humans is the highpoint of God’s creation, with human being the only creature in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). This makes us the only creatures to consciously discern and worship God. Humans were also given dominion over earth, with the ability to manipulate it by making it fruitful and multiplying to fill it (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999). Hence, God gives human earth’s stewardship so as to care for and enjoy the rest of creation.
God’s creatures are created male and female with the ability to reproduce. While the rest of the creatures mate, humans are bound to reproduce through a covenant of marriage (Genesis 1: 27-28) that pleases God.
God is pleased with His creation, declaring it to be good. This refutes any worldview that tarnishes creation’s goodness or that views material world as unholy. Despite the goodness of creation, human should not worship it but rather the Creator.
Hence creation, which is a reflection of God’s love, is based on God’s divine will. Everything in the world owes its existence to God (John 1:3). With God being the sole reason for the beginning of everything, Christians can be confident that he has a master plan and will bring everything to a fitting end that will bring Him more glory.
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Free enterprise and socialism
The major difference between free enterprise and a socialism economic system is that free enterprise is driven by free markets but socialism is an economy planned and controlled by the government. While businesses and industries are the determinants of the state of the economy in free enterprise, socialism is a bureaucratic economic system dependent on a central government striving for economic equality (North, 2012).

According to the biblical worldview, God created man in His own image, giving him free will (Genesis 1:27). Hence each person has the intelligence and free will to chart out their course; be it economic, social or political. Free enterprise recognizes this worldview and empowers each person to chart out their economic destiny through their resourcefulness. This is unlike socialism that concentrates power on a select few who then chart out the destiny of the rest.
God empowered man to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over all the other creatures” (Genesis 1:28). Here, God shows his confidence in human’s abilities. Through free enterprise, each human has a chance to repay this confidence by being fruitful and multiplying to fill the earth. However socialism abrogates this confidence from each human by ceding all power to the state. A socialist government has dominion over all people; economically, politically and socially.
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Adam, whose etymology can be traced to the Hebrew word for man, was told “to tend and keep” the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). His descendants hence have the right to tend and keep the planet according to the Old Testament’s laws on inheritance (Hooser, 2011). Socialism denies all descendants this right, with only a few getting to exercise it; unlike free enterprise which gives all Adam’s descendants this right.

God did not bind humans about how they would go about tending the earth. Free enterprise embraces this spirit by giving leeway to market forces to shape the world. However the bureaucratic socialism system sets many rules and regulations on how “to be fruitful” and how to “fill the earth”.

Socialism also views individual pursuance of material well-being as evil since it leads to greed and envy. But God was pleased with everything He created before giving human dominion over it. Hence pursuance of material well-being is not evil but a fulfilment of God’s will.
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Biblical worldview of the fall
The fall is a literal and metaphorical description of humans’ shift from innocent deference of God to guilty defiance (Genesis 3). Whilst in the Garden of Eden, the couple is tempted by the serpent to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge. This makes them aware and ashamed of their nakedness, with God subsequently banishing them from the Garden to deter further disobedience which in turn leads to human mortality.

From the Biblical worldview, this was the origin of sin in the world and humans are subsequently born into sin. Only by the grace of God, or for Calvinist Protestants becoming part of the elect whom Jesus died for, can humans overcome this innate sinful human nature to attain eternal life.
The fall is a symbolical presentation of ethical and religious truths according to the Biblical worldview (Gills, 2002). It is a historical account of real people making real choices.  God had clearly instructed Adam and Eve, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). While obedience of God leads to life and disobedience leads to death, the serpent’s temptation made Adam and Eve consciously chose to disobey God with a view to being like God. While eating the fruit was a sin, the implication of eating the fruit was the bigger sin since it shows humans’ covetousness for Godly power, breaking humans’ covenant with God (North, 2012).

Hence the origin of sin is a real account, with the original sin alienating all humankind, the living and the unborn, from God. The consequences of sin affect the world’s harmony by upsetting humans’ relationship with God. Adam and Eve felt guilt and shame, consequently hiding from God. Violating God’s law leads to guilt and shame which in turn affects our relationship with God and fellow humans. The breach of trust between Adam and Eve after sinning is reflected in Adam blaming Eve for the situation they find themselves in. This lays the basis for alienation among ourselves and for social breakdown evident even today.
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The fall also led to disorder of God’s creation. Human’s rebellion after having being granted dominion means God put in caveats to the covenant by stating that humans would have to toil for their provisions with the earth producing “thorns and thistles’.

It is after the fall that death came into earth since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Sin makes humans to be dead spiritually, with physical death a matter of consequence for all. From dust we were made during creation and to dust we will return because of the fall.

Hence the fall injected chaos into creation because of the original sin. Early Christians feared and shunned sin, with sermons about sin being as common as sermons about grace (Hooser, 2011). This is because sin hurts the sinner and other people and also makes God grieve. In spite of this, most modern Christians have relegated inquiry into sin to psychology and or sociology, with many pastors shunning the topic so as not to offend seekers.

But the truth is that because of the fall, humans cannot ignore or fix sin. Jesus’ suffering on the cross for our sins is a poignant reminder of the impact of sin. Humans need to disclose sin for grace to be pertinent.
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Free enterprise and socialism

When God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He declared that humankind would work hard all the days of their lives (Genesis 3:17–19). Mercifully, God rewards our hard work with wealth, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4). Hence, through diligence and hard work, a person should be able to acquire private property. The biblical worldview recognizes that there are poor people because of their laziness and there are rich people because of their diligence. This is akin to free enterprise economics and is the opposite of socialism that advocates for wealth redistribution to achieve economic equality (Gai, 2014).

The fall is the origin of evil and sin in the world. One of the major evils is theft as noted in the Ten Commandments. This is because it takes away one’s property, a God-given right as noted in the previous paragraph. So why should a state take away from the diligent hands to give to the lazy hands as advocated for in equality economics, a tenet of socialism?
Socialism gives politicians, bureaucrats and their cronies control of a nation’s resources. These are people after power, property and prestige. Since “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), these people are seduced by the money they control on behalf of the country to wander from Biblical worldview (North, 2012). In free enterprise, politicians and bureaucrats do not have that much control over the economy and hence no evil distractions from focusing on their core duties, improving everyone’s welfare in the process.

The role of the government is to prevent and punish evil (Romans 13:1-4). This is affirmed by Peter who notes that God sends governors “for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Peter 2:14). Protecting the rights to life, freedom and wealth should be the ultimate role of a government.

When the Israelites demanded an earthly king, God warned them about the consequences that included confiscation of property, high taxes and loss of liberties (1 Samuel 8:9-18). A socialist regime confiscates everyone’s rewards for hard work putting them all into one basket for sharing by all. The regime is also characterized by high taxes and restricted freedoms (Novak, 1982). So it would seem the Israelites consequently suffered some form of socialism as punishment. This is as opposed to their default situation of gaining from hard work and their diligence dictated by creation and the fall.  
Biblical worldview of redemption
Redemption is the deliverance of Christians from sin or evil. Redemption is important in salvation – souls’ saving from sin and its imports – by Christ the Redeemer since humans are helpless insofar as saving themselves from the original sin and its consequences are concerned. Hence, Jesus died and resurrected so that humans may be saved from sin.

Whilst in the Old Testament redemption refers to repurchase of slaves (Exodus 21:8), the New Testament refers to redemption as freedom from sin and captivity. It marks God’s reconciliation with His creation by forgiveness of all their sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Atonement); though many evangelicals and Protestants dispute that God paid a ransom to Satan so as to redeem His creation.
Though the focus of redemption is redeeming souls from sin, it also charts a way for restoration of creation for the glory of God. Christians should spread the good news of redemption with a view to helping God restore humans’ relationship with Him, albeit that the ultimate redemption is His.

Because of the fall, creation cries out for redemption. A biblical worldview balances out sins’ devastation with the hope of restoration through redemption by Jesus Christ (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999). Redemption thus offers a hope for continuation of God’s purpose for His creation by overcoming the negative effects of the fall.
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Free enterprise and socialism
Punishment of sin which is to work hard all the days of their lives (Genesis 3:17–19) is somehow redeemed in terms of reward for those who work hard and poverty for those who are lazy (Proverbs 10:4, Luke 10:7). This biblical worldview is the spirit of free enterprise as opposed to socialism that believes in wealth redistribution.

It is a spirit that encourages fruitfulness through competition. Yet socialism discourages competition as evil because it apparently leads to greed and envy. Instead a socialist economic system ignores classical economic theories that contend that man is inherently lazy. These classical theories tally with the biblical worldview and free enterprise where man is rewarded for hard work.
Socialism contends that competition for limited resources is counterproductive (North, 2012). This is true insofar as environmental degradation is concerned with the biblical worldview encouraging environment conservation. Increasingly, free enterprises have also become committed to environment protection and adapted policies that lead to reduced carbon footprint with encouragement from governments in terms of tax incentives. The government and other stakeholders need to continue pursuing these practices to ensure competition arising from free enterprise adheres even more to the biblical worldview. In so doing, the rewards from the punishment of hard work meted after the fall will be even more redemptive.

Socialism’s encouragement of public ownership of property to prevent greed and envy is not a biblical worldview of reward for the diligent and the hardworking. It hence blocks adequate redemption from the effects of the fall.

The Ten Commandments offer the basis for redemption. They are the “law of liberty” offering chance for deliverance from the “yoke of bondage” (James 1-2). In this law is “You shall not steal”. This is evidence of the right to private ownership. Government interference in this ownership through coerced taking and redistribution of private property to achieve economic equality can be termed as “thievery” (Tolley, 2015)

Yet free enterprise offers redemption from thievery by encouraging each individual to be more fruitful for a bigger pie rather than redistributing and squabbling over the available pie. 

By submitting to the Ten Commandments, humans gain freedom; be it economic, political or social. The government should not give you freedom because freedoms are guaranteed by the redemption offered by adhering to the Ten Commandments. Free enterprise guarantees these freedoms adapting a more biblical worldview compared to socialism that controls these freedoms (Arnn, 2013).
America’s founders were in a golden age of Enlightenment. This contributed to growth and development of the country to what it is today. As Jesus says, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Indeed, through Enlightenment, American founders got to know the truth, which redeemed the United States from ignorance, poverty and suppression of liberties (North, 2012).
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Biblical worldview of restoration
According to biblical worldview, God will renew everything in the whole world. This is by Christ returning to judge sin and evil, before bestowing virtue and harmony. God will also permanently eradicate evil from the world (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999).

But if humans are sinful by nature, can they restore their relationship with God? On their own, humans cannot restore this relationship (Ephesians 2:8-9). But since "the Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood" (John 1:14), it is possible to restore God’s relationship with humans.  Through resurrection of Jesus Christ and God’s grace, the good news is that humans have a chance at restoration of the broken relationship (Hooser, 2011). The onus is on humans to sincerely shun sin and acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Savior.
Free enterprise and socialism
According to Micah 4:4, when Christ returns, “everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid”. This biblical perspective supports private property ownership as per free enterprise tenets by referring to “his vine” and “his fig tree” rather than “our” or “their” which is the perspective of socialism.

The bible also encourages us to serve others rather than accumulate wealth for the love of money and property. Most free enterprises are founded on solving problems afflicting the society. Socialism also is aimed for the public good. So by utilizing resources to serve others, we are reclaiming the dominion role allocated to humans at creation, restoring God’s original purpose for creation; a dovetailing of biblical worldview, free enterprise and socialism. 
In serving others, humans perform their God-given role of stewardship. But stewardship of private property is different from stewardship of public property. In stewarding private property in a free enterprise economic system, a person utilizes the limited resources to a maximum. Usually, stewardship of public property prevalent in a socialist economic system is not so frugal because there is less incentive; leading to less fruitfulness and consequent reduced restoration (North, 2012).

Free enterprise should however be wary of miserliness. Both free enterprise and socialism should also guard against materialism. This is because God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Hence, we should guard against these two opposite evils of miserliness and materialism so as to attain as much restoration as possible (Gills, 2002).

Jesus will be the main Restorer when he returns to earth. The living, ancestors and descendants will enjoy unprecedented abundance. Not only will they get what they lost, they will get more than what they lost, just like Job’s restoration (Tolley, 2015). A peek into this future is shown in the following verses, “They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them” (Isaiah 65:21-23).

“They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat… They shall not labor in vain” reflect the ideal free enterprise. Socialism and free enterprise share the ideal reflected in the biblical view of “My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands”. That such a world would go on “as the days of a tree” means restoration beyond what was lost. It is a world where free enterprise reigns for eons.
Biblical worldview of image of God
God created humans in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). God created Adam from dust; He created Eve from Adam’s rib. All humans are created in the image of God because we are all descendants of Adam and Eve. Individually and collectively, humans bear the distinct image of God; without any single feature in us being distinct as the divine image.

No single type of human can claim to be the only one to bear the image of God since all of us are created equally and made of one blood (Acts 17:26, Galatians 3:28). Hence there is no basis for bias against other people regardless of their color, gender or economic status. God created us all equally before having to scatter us into different groups by confusing humans’ languages during building of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9).

To bear the image of the Creator is the most complementary form of creation. Empowered by the words the Creator uttered to us in the beginning, we have dominion over the earth and the rest of creation (Spalding, 2009).
So while human is theocentric, the rest of creation is anthropocentric. A biblical worldview of humans’ creation in the image of God enables people to live a life aimed at fulfilling the will of God.
Since God has impressed His image on people, each of us can be confident of creating order on earth just like He did. Each of us has the secret to unlock the universe for its fruits (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999).

Being made in the image of God, humans have the ability to relate to God and other humans. They have the ability to be spiritual, moral and rational. They have the ability to be in charge of other animals and the world. This is the original “very good” creation of God (Genesis 1:31) which humans later tarnished with the fall (Genesis 3:1-24).
Free enterprise and socialism
            For Christians to respond to problems afflicting the world, they must adhere to the Great Commandment (Matthew 22).  By loving God with our hearts, souls and minds, we think like Christ – fathoming God’s will for us. In so doing, humans are able to reconnect with their inherent image of God (Tolley, 2015).
With work and diligence serving the society by solving its problems just like God intended, human’s dignity and worth are enhanced. Service to society is a denominator to both free enterprise and socialism. Competition leads to ideal service to God and His creation that includes humans and other creatures.  Competition and comparative advantage among individuals, corporations and market forces is a tenet of free enterprise that is supported by a biblical worldview (Gai, 2014).
Just as God rewards those who work hard and are diligent with property, so should humans since they are created in His image. Christians should reflect the actions of their Father here on earth. Free enterprise embraces this biblical worldview by rewarding and punishing according to a person’s hard work and diligence unlike socialism that redistributes property to the hard working and the lazy alike. Free enterprise gives the best chance to create wealth and opportunity towards fulfilling God’s will to be fruitful and fill the earth.

Socialism encourages laziness and corruption among some sections of the society, further distorting the innate image of God in the individuals.

Free enterprise encourages equality before law rather than the economic equality encouraged by socialism. Free enterprise encourages the rich to make wealth and help the rest of the society, akin the biblical view. Jesus’ miracles involved feeding the hungry, healing the sick, raising the dead, among other helpful acts. By creating abundance and helping the poor, Christians model themselves in the image of God the Father and God the Son. In so doing, more wealth is created based on the biblical principle of the hand that giveth.

Free enterprise system also encourages freedom of individuals, corporates and industries. These freedoms encourage people to choose to act in a way that reflects the image of God. It also leaves the state’s sovereignty in God’s will rather than surrendering it to politicians and bureaucrats (North, 2012).

Wealth redistribution programs such as the welfare systems exacerbate problems for the poor through power concentration and bureaucracy, leaving it to a few to lord it over the hoi polloi. This goes against the image and will of God, who does not lord it over humans but rather gives them the free will to determine what is best for them.

Biblical worldview of property
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19-22) were Melchizedek’s words of blessing to Abram. This shows that God owns all His creation. His ownership and sovereignty is further expressed to Israel when God declares everything on earth as His (Exodus 19:5).
People steward property on God’s behalf, dependent of God’s will. God requires obedience to His will and bestows accordingly, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills… For the world is Mine, and all it contains” (Psalm 50). This is backed up in 1 Corinthians 10:26, “For the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains”.
No aspect of the created order lies outside God’s claim of absolute ownership. There is no individual or institution on earth that can claim absolute ownership of property. Only God can.
However individuals and institutions own property as stewards governed by God’s Word. Owning property outside God’s Word such as theft (Exodus 20:15), confiscation (1 Kings 21) and destruction (Genesis 26:12-17) is lawless and destructive. An unrighteous steward claims absolute sovereignty and ownership of property failing to recognize that everything is given by the Grace of God as the bible teaches (Novak, 1982). Such a steward strays from God because, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).  
People possess property for fulfilment of God’s assigned duty of dominion. People should use property to extend the kingdom of God. This is what great people do. They live a legacy of extending God’s kingdom through their wealth. In the bible, Abraham, Job and David are good examples of wealthy people who put God and serving Him first. Property puts us in a position to help others rather than seek help; definitely a better situation to be in.
One way of increasing property is through tithing and people should increase their tithe to be commensurate with their wealth (Malachi 3). Tithing advances the work of the church and the kingdom of God. Other ways to increase personal property include hard work and frugal living. But the ultimate way to increase private property is by living righteously so as to receive blessings from God since living an unrighteous life leads to poverty (Proverbs 8-29). Living righteously includes a vocation that adheres to biblical principles (Tolley, 2015).
Property can also be got through wisdom (Proverbs 3:16), industriousness (Proverbs 10-14) and insight (Proverbs 14:15). This involves working with pride, satisfaction and excellence (Proverbs 12:24).
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Free enterprise and socialism
According to the Old Testament, a family is assured tax-free land so that this primary institution of the family can exercise the dominion covenant and subsequent Jubilee laws laid out in Leviticus 25, with blessings and curses as the respective rewards and punishments. The father is to build inheritance for their children for continuation of God’s dominion work. This is God’s order, ensuring that private property is tied to a family’s past and future as a way of human’s calling of continued stewardship of God’s property (Gills, 2002). Indeed Naboth’s refusal to sell his vineyard was because, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers” (1 Kings 21:3). Hence God gives a long-term lease of His property to families, “The earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalms 115:16).  
Free enterprise that allows private ownership of land is in tune with this biblical worldview. So is socialism insofar as it allows everyone to be an owner of the public land.  
But most socialist systems do not confer this right on the individual. In the 1848 Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels declared it a crime for an individual to hold private property saying all land should be for public purposes. They also called for an abolition of inheritance (North, 2012). Both these edicts go against biblical laws on ownership (and theft) as well as inheritance. Whereas the bible secures private property for individuals and families, socialism gives the state sovereignty and ownership of property enabling it to control the individual, family and every other aspect of the society. This also disregards the Eighth Commandment that states, “You shall not steal” and the the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20).
God’s Word further forbids cheating (Leviticus 19:13). It states that measurements and standards must be accurate and consistent to prevent cheating (Leviticus 19:35-36). Both these biblical perspectives apply to free enterprise and socialism. The bible also prohibits moving any land markers (Deuteronomy 19), a situation more applicable to private land as advocated for by free enterprise. The bible further prohibits lying in any matter of the law (Deuteronomy 19:14-20). Neither should a steward withhold a worker’s wages but should have proper pay for honest labor (Leviticus 19:13) nor ill-gotten property have a place in a believer’s life (Ephesians 4:28, Proverbs 11:1 and Hosea 12:7).
In the parables of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and minas (Luke 19:12-27), the master gives servants money to generate a profit. The master rewarded accordingly servants who made a profit. In free enterprise, individuals or organizations are rewarded according to the work they put in. Various verses in Proverbs 10-24 praise good work ethic and diligence. In socialism, everybody’s profit is centralized and redistributed, despite individual work ethic and diligence.
The bible notes that each one of us is accountable to God for our stewardship of His property (Genesis 1:26–30, 2:15). It is not collective accountability as advocated for by socialism but individual accountability. The parable of the minas shows God’s seriousness in calling us to account for His property, expecting us to make good returns from the resources He gives us.  The servant who did not develop stewardship by not investing the minas had the little he had taken away by his master to be given to the servant who had invested and got returns. “I tell you, that to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away” (Luke 19:26) was Jesus’ response to the protesting crowd.
Socialism argues that private property is evil since it encourages greed and envy. Yet Jesus’ parables were often about monetary issues, issues he would not have dealt with if property was evil (Spalding, 2009). The parable of the minas also repudiates socialism’s countenance that free enterprise makes the rich richer and the poor poorer as it shows that this is the order of things with good stewardship attracting more and poor stewardship repelling property.
Moreover, God wishes us to use wealth to serve others (Matthew 25:14–30). Both free enterprise and socialism are in tune with this biblical perspective.
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Biblical worldview of ethics and impact on marketplace
The foundation of knowledge is God’s Word. Fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, understanding and wisdom by living according to His Word. This includes keeping the Ten Commandments and shunning evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13, Proverbs 8:13)

Human also has a mind and a free will. Unlike other creations of God, human has self-awareness and self-volition. He has the ability to choose economic goals and how to achieve them (Hooser, 2011). The bible encourages virtuous pursuance of goals guided by the Holy Spirit so as to build a Godly character (2 Corinthians 4:16; 10:4-5).

God has laws that guide human behavior with the aim of generating and producing "life and prosperity" (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 30). Adhering to the Ten Commandments is to live a Godly life that leads to harmony, peace, prosperity and liberty (James 1:25). Living an ethical life leads to holistic fruitfulness as attested in the bible, "And whatever he (the righteous) does shall prosper" (Psalms 1:3). "If they (the righteous) obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures" (Job 36:11) and "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth… For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

A good work ethic is recommended since the time of the fall so that it may be fruitful and bring prosperity (Proverbs 10-24). Work bears more fruit when it is planned and done according to a Biblical worldview that reflects God’s moral principles.

Yet the fall made human inherently sinful. This sinfulness brings forth starvation, poverty and death. It is up to human’s free will to make ethical choices that will lead to rewards (e.g. prosperity) or unethical ones that will lead to punishment (e.g. poverty), “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Spiritual and material poverty are connected. Spiritual poverty is having the wrong relationship with God by disobeying His moral principles to live unethically. Material poverty is the lack of material needed to sustain life especially food, clothing and shelter (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999). Spiritual poverty often leads to material poverty since the wages of sin is death.

Matthew 6:33 asks humans to have faith in God, rather than themselves, and their needs will be provided. Faith in God encompasses good ethics of trust humbleness and worship. On the other hand, faith in ourselves is haughtiness.

Jesus Christ will return to earth with Godly ethics that will lead to the ideal economic situation. Subsequently, people will live in peace, liberty and prosperity (North, 2012).

A combination of ethical and economic principles leads to an understanding of the problems facing the world and solutions to these problems, a genius that cannot be found in the "wisdom of this world" (1 Corinthians 1:20). The relationship between ethics and economics ensures that adherence to ethical laws is adherence to economic laws and vice versa. Ethical economic policies bear good fruit in the marketplace while unethical economic policies are not fruitful and will indeed be harmful to the economic well-being of an individual or nation (Novak, 1982). Indeed worldviews inconsistent with the ethical biblical worldview leads to poverty. This is proven in earlier discussions that showed free enterprise to be generally more in tune with the biblical worldview than socialism. It is no wonder then that free enterprise leads to more economic reward than socialism.

With establishment of God’s kingdom (Revelation 11:15) which will definitely be ethical, God’s economics will take over from humanistic traditions. This will usher in the ideal economics that will be guided by God’s moral standards.

Becoming a better leader
To be a good leader in a person’s communities requires an understanding of the relationship between economic principles and biblical worldview. It is in so doing that one can optimize theirs and others output for achievement of economic potential and proper dominion of earth and all the creations in it (Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival, 1999). This is because most other worldviews are flawed, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the  basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). 
It also involves fearing God and following His Word as the foundation for knowledge since "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) and wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).
In leading a business, one should strive for holistic wealth that encompasses material and non-material wealth (Tolley, 2015). The former includes raw materials and manufactured goods while the latter includes life, liberty and peace. A good relationship with God precludes all types of wealth since He gives us wealth according to His purpose and our obedience to His will. Hence we should pursue Godliness to gain material and non-material wealth.
Since we are made in the image of God, we should imitate God and obey Him in performing economic activities. This involves using wealth to serve others with a view to alleviating suffering on earth.
The following is the mandate of a leader who understands the Biblical worldview against a backdrop of colliding economic points.
a)      Thoughts, words and actions should demonstrate good stewardship of God’s creations. The leader should hold the property in trust for God utilizing it to generate more resources. They should pass this inheritance to their descendants to be used in furtherance of the God-given role of dominion.

b)      Charitable use of wealth to serve others. Humans do not have sovereignty or ownership of wealth but hold it in dominion for furtherance of the kingdom of God which includes helping the poor, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, etc.

c)      Guide homes, churches and the community to live according to Biblical worldview for economic prosperity. This is a worldview that encourages free enterprise as the best way to be a good steward of God’s property.

d)     Seek more leadership positions with a view to lobbying and influencing economic policy embedded in Biblical principles. This is especially in a situation where the government increasingly assumes God’s sovereignty and ownership of property.

e)      Opposition to unbiblical economic systems (e.g. socialism) that do not optimize fruitfulness and multiplication but rather promote greed, corruption and other vices.

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References

Arnn, L. P. (2013). The Founders' Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Economics Committee of The Coalition on Revival. (1999). The Christian World View of Economics. http://www.reformation.net/COR_Docs/Christian_Worldview_Economics.pdf. Accessed August 13, 2016.

Gai, F. (2014). Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise: A Biblical Christian Worldview Approach and Emphasis Interactive Notes. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Gills, J. P. (2002). A Biblical Economics Manifesto: Economics and the Christian World View. Lake Mary, FL: Creation House.

Hooser, D. (2011). Freedom and Free Enterprise: Great Biblical Blessings. https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/freedom-and-free-enterprise-great-biblical-blessings. Accessed August 12, 2016.

North, G. (2012). Restoration and Dominion.
http://www.garynorth.com/RestorationAndDominion.pdf. Accessed August 14, 2016.

Novak, M. (1982). The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Spalding, M. (2009). We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future. Wilmington, DE: ISI Book.

Tolley, J. (2015). Evangelpreneur: How Biblical Free Enterprise Can Empower Your Faith, Family and Freedom. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books.

Zondervan (2013). NIV Church Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

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