Work Matters

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

2 Thessalonians 3:6

Paul does not say what was causing the Thessalonians to stop working. It may have been that they were living in a kind of commune together, sharing labor and food, etc. At any rate there were some people who had decided not to work anymore, and they were living off the good will and kindness of others.

Keep away from them, says Paul, do not have anything to do with them. That may seem rather ungracious and far removed from what a Christian's reaction ought to be. We are instructed everywhere in the Word of God to share with people, to be aware of their needs; if people are hungry, we are to feed them. It may seem a contradiction that the apostle should say to these believers, If someone will not work, do not have anything to do with him. This form of ostracism may seem too severe to us.

The reason the apostle gives is because a refusal to work is a violation of Scripture. Notice how he says that this advice bears the imprimatur of Jesus himself: in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not merely a suggestion, but a command with the full authority of Christ behind it. The reason is because it disregards the Scriptures. That is very revealing. Christianity has, at its core, a recognition of the need of people to work. In these days when it is so easy to live off the government or others' charity, this is an important command. The Lord himself said to the disciples, Occupy till I come (Luke 19:13b KJV). There is no place in his word authorizing anyone to stop work because he expected the Lord Jesus to return.

It is helpful to remember that God ordained work before the Fall of man. Adam was given a job to do from the beginning. God gave him a commission to till and to keep the garden, and also to name the animals. He had to work to do that. God gave man a beautiful earth filled with wonderful resources that we have been using up rapidly through the centuries since. But we are still discovering new things that he has hidden in his cupboard for man to live on. One of the blessings was that man should work. Six days shalt thou labor, God said, and on the seventh shall be a day of rest (Exodus 20:9-10 KJV). Work is part of what Scripture calls the image of God in man. God is a worker. He has devised marvelous things in a universe filled with mysteries and marvels; intricate complexities that we are only now beginning to unravel. With all of our technological advance, we are merely dabbling in the shallows of the great wonders that God has packed into the universe around us, all designed by the working mind of the Creator. Since man is made in the image of God, it means there are abilities, resources, and possibilities within him that need to be put to work. In doing so, man will find a sense of fulfillment for himself.

Thank you, Father, that you are a worker and you have made me to be a worker. Help me in my work to show your character and creativity.