The Koinonia of the Resurrection Text: Acts 4:32-37
Introduction: The Economics of Heaven
We live in an age that is obsessed with economic theories. Men will argue with great heat about capitalism, socialism, communism, and every conceivable variation. They will write dense books, hold conferences, and build political movements around their particular vision of how wealth should be generated and distributed. But in all their striving, they miss the fundamental point. All human economic systems, when divorced from the gospel, are simply different ways of arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. They are all built on a faulty foundation, the assumption of autonomous man, and they all end in the same place: futility, envy, and dust.
The book of Acts, and this passage in particular, presents us with a radically different kind of economy. It is not a political program to be imposed by the sword, but rather a supernatural reality that erupts from a transformed heart. The early church in Jerusalem was not a commune organized by a committee. It was a family, a body, a new kind of humanity brought into being by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Their radical generosity was not the cause of their unity; it was the fruit of it. It was the necessary, logical, and beautiful overflow of hearts that had been conquered by the grace of God.
Modern Christians often approach this passage with a certain amount of embarrassment. Some want to dismiss it as a temporary, unrepeatable oddity, a failed experiment in Christian communism that we ought not to imitate. Others want to seize it as a proof-text for their left-leaning political agendas, ripping it out of its context and brandishing it as a weapon against private property. Both are profoundly mistaken. They are trying to analyze a miracle with the tools of secular economics. This passage is not about economic theory. It is about the power of the resurrection. It shows us what happens when a multitude of sinners are genuinely made to be of "one heart and soul." The result is a community so knit together in love that their wallets become knit together as well.
What we see here is a glimpse of the economics of Heaven breaking into the economy of fallen man. It is a witness, a testimony to the reality of the risen Christ. If you want to understand this passage, you must first understand that the central engine driving everything is not a new rule about possessions, but rather the "great power" of the apostles' witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The Text
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, everything was common. And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
(Acts 4:32-37 LSB)
One Heart, One Soul, One Purse (v. 32)
We begin with the internal reality that produced the external actions.
"And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, everything was common." (Acts 4:32)
Luke begins with the heart. The unity of the church was not a matter of external conformity but of internal transformation. They were of "one heart and soul." This is the language of deep, covenantal fellowship, the kind of unity that God promised for His people under the New Covenant (Jer. 32:39). This is a work of the Holy Spirit, who had just filled them in the previous verses (Acts 4:31). He did not just give them boldness to speak; He knit them together in a supernatural love.
From this unity of heart flowed a radical new perspective on "stuff." Notice the careful phrasing: "not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own." This does not mean that private property was abolished. The next chapter, with the story of Ananias and Sapphira, makes this abundantly clear. Peter tells Ananias, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?" (Acts 5:4). The land was his. The money was his. Private property is assumed. This was not communism, which is theft by committee. This was consecration.
The issue was not legal ownership, but heart-ownership. The believers still held the deeds to their property, but they had surrendered the title to those deeds in their hearts to King Jesus. They no longer viewed their possessions as their own private hoard, to be used for their own private comfort. They saw everything they had as belonging to the Lord, and therefore available for the needs of the Lord's people. Their hands were open because their hearts had been opened. They had a shared life, a true koinonia, and so they naturally had shared goods. They did not see a distinction between "my brother's need" and "my problem." If a brother was in need, the whole body felt it, and the whole body responded.
The Engine of Grace (v. 33)
Verse 33 gives us the source of this incredible unity and generosity. It was not a social program; it was a spiritual explosion.
"And with great power the apostles were bearing witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33)
Here is the central engine of the book of Acts. The apostles were not preaching moralistic platitudes or self-help tips. They were bearing witness to a historical fact: Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, is alive. He is risen. And they did so "with great power." This power was the anointing of the Holy Spirit, authenticating their message with signs and wonders, and more importantly, with changed lives. The resurrection is not simply one doctrine among many; it is the proof that Jesus is who He said He was, the Son of God, the Lord of heaven and earth (Rom. 1:4). It is the declaration that His sacrifice for sin was accepted and that a new creation has begun.
And the result of this powerful preaching was that "great grace was upon them all." Grace is not just a theological concept; it is a tangible force. It is the unmerited, transformative favor of God. This grace was not just on the apostles; it was "upon them all." The entire congregation was saturated in the grace of God. And what does grace do? Grace breaks the power of sin. It loosens our grip on the things of this world. It makes us generous, because we have been made the recipients of the ultimate generosity. When you truly understand that God gave His only Son for you, it revolutionizes your relationship with your bank account. You cannot be simultaneously overwhelmed by the grace of God and tight-fisted with your possessions. A church that is stingy is a church that has a low view of the resurrection.
No Needy Among Them (v. 34-35)
The practical outworking of this great grace is described in the next two verses.
"For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need." (Acts 4:34-35)
This is the fulfillment of God's desire for Israel in the Old Testament: "There shall be no poor among you" (Deut. 15:4). What the Mosaic Law pointed to, the grace of Christ accomplished. The church became a zone of tangible, economic shalom. This was not a result of a government welfare program. It was the result of voluntary, sacrificial giving, prompted by love.
Notice the pattern. This was not a chaotic, free-for-all. There was order. Those who had surplus capital assets, "land or houses," would liquidate them as needs arose. This was not a command for everyone to sell everything they owned immediately. It was a continuous, ongoing practice: "would sell them." They brought the proceeds and laid them "at the apostles' feet." This act signified a submission to apostolic authority and a trust in their leadership to distribute the funds wisely. The apostles, as the elders of this first church, managed the deacon fund. This established a principle of orderly, accountable, church-based diaconal ministry.
And the distribution was based on a simple, profound principle: "to each as any had need." This is not the Marxist principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need," which is enforced by the state's gun. This is the Christian principle of "from each according to his blessing, to each according to his need," which is motivated by the Spirit's love. It is not about enforced equality of outcome, but about ensuring that no member of the family goes without the basic necessities of life. It is the family taking care of its own.
The Son of Encouragement (v. 36-37)
Luke, as he often does, provides a specific example to illustrate the general principle. He introduces us to a man who will become a key figure in the early church.
"Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." (Acts 4:36-37)
Here we meet Barnabas. His given name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him "Son of Encouragement," which tells you everything you need to know about his character. He was a man who built others up. And his encouragement was not just verbal; it was tangible. He was a Levite, which meant that under the old covenant, his tribe was not supposed to own land in Israel. But here he is, a Levite from Cyprus, who owns a field. He is a picture of the new thing God is doing.
Barnabas embodies the spirit of the whole congregation. He sees a need, he has a resource, and he cheerfully connects the two. He sells his field, brings the money, and lays it at the apostles' feet. There is no fanfare, no demand for a plaque on the wall. It is a simple act of faithful stewardship. This is what it looks like when a man truly believes his treasure is in heaven. His generosity is an encouragement to the whole church. It is a sermon in action. And it stands in stark, tragic contrast to the story that will immediately follow in the next chapter, the story of Ananias and Sapphira, who wanted the reputation of Barnabas without the heart of Barnabas.
Conclusion: The Resurrection and Your Wallet
So what are we to do with a passage like this? First, we must reject the foolishness of trying to replicate the form without the fire. To try and impose this economic arrangement on a church that is not saturated with "great grace" and captivated by the "great power" of the resurrection is to engage in a dead work of legalism. It will produce nothing but resentment and hypocrisy.
The application is not to sell your house tomorrow. The application is to go to the root. Is your congregation of "one heart and soul?" Is the witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus central to the life of your church, preached with power from the pulpit and lived out in the pews? Is "great grace" a palpable reality among you?
When those things are true, a spirit of generosity will be the inevitable result. When a man is truly born again, he is transferred from the kingdom of "mine" to the kingdom of "ours." He understands that he is but a steward, and that everything he has is a tool for the advancement of the kingdom. He begins to look for needs to meet, not for luxuries to acquire. He sees his brother's lack as his own responsibility before God.
This passage is a challenge to our comfortable, individualistic, Western Christianity. It reminds us that the gospel is meant to create a visible, tangible community of love. Our love for one another is to be a primary apologetic to a watching world (John 13:35). And that love must not be "in word or talk but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). Does our church life look like this? Is there anyone needy among us? If there is, it is not because the resources are lacking. It is because the resurrection has not yet had its full effect on our hearts, and on our wallets.