Was Jesus a Liberal?

I have seen a couple of bumper stickers lately that said that Jesus was a liberal. So is there any truth to that? Let's just go through a couple of issues that liberals believe in and see if Jesus would support that ideology.

Abortion-

This is kind of a no-brainer, right? We all know that one of the ten commandments says "Thou shalt not kill". Also, God spoke to Jeremiah in the old testament, saying: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations". Those two verses prove that God views children in the womb as having value and I think it is safe to say that He is against us killing these people before they can escape the womb.

Personal Property-

Many liberals claim that there is and should be no such thing as personal property. If you look in Acts 5: 1-11, you will see the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They sold a piece of property but secretly did not tithe the proper amount on that sale. When it is discovered, Peter says to them: "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?" Meaning that yes, they owned private property, and yes they were held responsible for that property while it was in their possession.

Welfare-

The Bible is clear about laziness. II Thessalonians 3-10 "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." However, there are many verses in the Bible that command us to take care of the poor and needy. You will not find any reference to a mandatory government-run welfare system, though. The Bible tells us to care for the poor in 3 ways: through the family, through the church, and through individual charity. (Deut. 14:28, 29, Numbers 18:24, Matthew 6:1-4 and 1 Timothy 5:3-16)

Death Penalty-

There are many references in the Bible that reflect the "eye for an eye" mentality that support capital punishment. The Bible goes further than just putting murderers to death, though. There are references that kidnapping, adultery, bestiality, sodomy, false prophecy, prostetution, rape, and many other sins should be met with a death sentence.

There are examples of mercy, such as when the Lord did not immediately kill David for committing adultery and murder, but it is important to note that this mercy was coming directly from God, not from the courts or the law of the land.

Same-sex Marriage-

This one is kind of a freebie as well. We know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, which is where get the term "sodomy" from. Genesis 19:24 "The the Lord rained down on Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from out of heaven." (see interesting historical link here) I think that it is safe to say that if God destroyed two cities because of rampant sin and sodomy, He would never favor same-sex marriage.

These are just a couple of issues that are prominent in liberalism. I do not think that Jesus would with any one of them, let alone all of them.

If you would like to discuss this further, please leave a comment.

JESUS WAS NOT A LIBERAL!