The idea of being free to exchange what we own with someone else is central to free-market capitalism. It is also grounded in Scripture. Property rights of individuals are also central to capitalism and democracy as they are in Scripture.

In Genesis 23, Abraham searches for a cave to bury his now-dead wife, Sarah. He finds a suitable place, but Ephron owns it. He wanted to give it to Abraham, but Abraham insisted on purchasing the cave and the land around it for 400 shekels of silver.

Some key things to note here. In this early passage of Scripture, “the right to exchange what one owns for something else” is vividly evident. The fact that Ephron offered to give Abraham the field and the cave makes clear he owned it and had control over it. Abraham respected Ephron’s property rights by paying him what the land was “worth.”  

After Abraham paid Ephron, the property was “deeded to Abraham as a possession” Following the transaction, the money that previously had belonged to Abraham was Ephron’s, and the field that had earlier been Ephram’s now belonged to Abraham.

In Acts 5, there is a story about a husband and wife who lied to the Holy Spirit concerning a gift they were giving from the sale of property they owned. Peter asks, "Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? This couple paid a heavy price for their deception in promising one amount and giving another. The point is that property rights and personal ownership of property were endorsed in the New Testament and the OT.

Property rights and the ownership of what we produce is fundamental to free-market capitalism and democracy. Those are also biblical principles. Socialism restricts the right of ownership of just about everything and favors the production and exchange to be managed by the state.

Socialism advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. This is contrary to scripture.