JOS JOURNAL OF RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

This paper examines the communal living model in Acts 4:32–37 as a biblical response to food insecurity in Nigeria. Intercultural hermeneutics is the primary method. Structured written interviews with twenty church leaders supplement the analysis. Two theoretical frameworks guide the study. These are the Durkheimian theory of collective consciousness and the Malthusian theory of population and food supply. Critical exegesis of the Greek text yields five transferable principles. These are spiritual unity, voluntary redistribution, kerygmatic witness through welfare, needs-based distribution, and exemplary generosity. Over 100 million Nigerians faced food insecurity by the first quarter of 2024 (Onwe et al., 2024). Findings reveal that ten of the twenty respondents identified greed and selfishness as the primary barrier to communal practice. Findings further reveal that nine respondents affirmed that communal sharing reduces poverty and hunger among the most vulnerable members of the church community. Respondents also spontaneously named Barnabas as the paradigm of Spirit-empowered generosity. Renewed communal consciousness anchored in the Holy Spirit is both biblically mandated and culturally resonant.

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