In the divine economy “competition” is not the watchword.

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19.18

We’re looking at some of the fundamental components of the “divine economy,” the overall social paradigm outlined in the Law of God and more fully developed throughout the pages of Scripture. An “economy” is simply a system or program for using and managing a wide range of variables in the most beneficial way. We have seen that the divine economy concentrates on justice and love rather than the acquisition of wealth as its primary objective and driving force. It is not hostile to wealth; rather, in the divine economy the attainment and enjoyment of material prosperity is always subordinate to, and a means for, loving God and neighbor.

We’ve also seen that, in the divine economy, private property and individual responsibility are regarded as gifts of God to be used to the ends of love and justice. Loving one’s neighbor means using one’s resources in ways that take into account the needs and rights of others, and not just one’s own interests or pursuits.

Which leads naturally to the fourth component of the divine economy, and that is a right understanding of relationships, how people get along with each other in community.

In an economy based on material wealth, people compete with one another for resources, opportunities, and advantages. In capitalist economies the belief is that, as people compete, they improve one another materially, so that the rising tide of wealth lifts all boats. When people use their private property responsibly – with a view not just to their own interests but to those of the larger community as well – this is what often happens, the result of what Adam Smith referred to as an “invisible hand.”

However, as often as not, economies based on competition tend toward the promotion of self-interest at the expense of everyone else. Economics becomes geared with politics to advance the status and fortunes of the few, while the many are left to do the best they can for themselves, and are tempted to look to political solutions to improve or protect their material wellbeing. Thus, governments are pressured to create policies that “share the wealth” or constrain the worst kinds of workplace abuse, so that those with means are not entirely free to follow their selfish interests at the expense of others.

All such public policies – those which protect the rights of responsible people to maximize their resources, and those which guard individuals against the indifferent or self-serving ways of others – are but echoes of a deeper sense of justice which remains in the soul of each person, and bears witness to the human longing for a different kind of economics than such as is portrayed, for example, in the novels of Ayn Rand.

In an economy of justice, people work together to bring the righteousness, peace, and joy of God’s Kingdom into the experience of all members of the community. Gaining advantage is replaced by seeking opportunities to serve; self-interest is replaced by self-denial; mutual edification and assistance take the place of self-aggrandizement.

Such an ideal has been modeled in various ways in American history. The early colonists could not have survived without putting self-interest below the overall wellbeing of neighbors and communities. In many churches and charitable societies this economics of edification and assistance elicits sacrificial giving and works of selfless love on the part of many. Athletic teams, military units, even departments within corporate entities demonstrate the power of mutual edification and assistance – even when personal expense is required – at improving the lot of all.

Why do we think it strange, unlikely, or naïve to believe that such principles might once again renew the warp and woof of our nation’s public policies?

T. M. Moore

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