Acts 4:33

And with great power gave the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the price of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made to each, according as any one had need.

Great grace was upon them all ... The result of such overflowing generosity was that the effectiveness of the apostles' message was multiplied, and what might be called a revival of the most fantastic proportions ensued.

Possessors of lands or houses ... As Lange observed:

We are authorized by the literal import of the text to assume that all the owners of real estate who belonged to the church, sold property, but not that they sold ALL the real estate of which they were the possessors. Each one contributed a certain portion, but it is not said here that each one disposed of his whole property; we are not even distinctly told that a single individual relinquished all that he owned.[39]

To each, according as any one had need ... "This shows that only the needy received anything, and that those who were not needy were the givers."[40] As McGarvey further noted:

This church was not at this time a commune, or a socialistic club, as many interpreters have fancied. There was no uniform distribution of the property of all among the members; neither was the property of all held and administered by the apostles.[41]

Upon Luke's first mention of this matter of "all things common". (Acts 2:43), the comment was made that it was the result of no clear commandment of either Christ or the apostles; and while this is true enough, there yet remains the overwhelming impact of this generosity of the first Christians as an example for the church of all ages; and we believe that McGarvey was correct in thus assessing the import of the events here recorded:

In reality this church was setting an example for all other churches in all times, by showing that true Christian benevolence requires that we shall not let our brethren in the church suffer for food, even if those of us who have houses and lands can prevent it only by the sale of our possessions. It teaches that we should share the last crust of bread with our brother.[42]

Before leaving this, the comment of Root is noted: "It was not a matter of providing for the whole church, but of supplying the needs of those who lacked."[43]

Despite McGarvey's comment, above, it is nevertheless true that the scheme of having all things common was not long continued, nor is there any evidence that it became a policy of the apostolic church. Perhaps, in the event about to be related, Luke intended that we should behold the failure of the experiment. Walker believed that the scheme did not originate with the apostles and that they permitted rather than encouraged it, stating that "the scheme was never tried elsewhere."[44]

Ramsay pointed out that:

No universal selling of property is mentioned, and no general instructions were issued that members of the church ought to distribute to the poor all that they possessed ... Many of the owners of property, of their own free will, from love of the brethren, used from time to time to sell their property and bring the proceeds to the apostles.[45]

[39] John Peter Lange, Commentary on Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1866), p. 81.

[40] J. W. McGarvey, op. cit., p. 80.

[41] Ibid.

[42] Ibid., p. 81.

[43] Orin Root, Acts (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1966), p. 34.

[44] W. R. Walker, op. cit., pp. 36,37.

[45] Sir William M. Ramsay, Pictures of the Apostolic Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1959), p. 29.