A BIBLICAL VIEW OF WORK (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15)
INTRODUCTION:
The majority of 2 Thessalonians 3 is taken up by another issue in the church that Paul must address before closing this letter. The issue that Paul must clear up has to do with work, or in this case, the fact that some in the church had decided not to work. As Christians we must have a biblical view of work rather than the view of work that is presented in our world today. The world’s view of work is that it is a necessary evil that must be performed in order to pay off debts and fund one’s lifestyle. This view of work removes any value that it may have had, and because of this we see the disregard of any effort, doing only enough to avoid being fired, considering long hours and hard work to be counterproductive, remaining loyal to one’s opportunity and employer only until one gets what they perceive as a better, more lucrative opportunity, and in general a show utter indifference to the quality of one’s work. That is the world’s view of work, and it is not new, but has been around for a long time.
As believers we cannot accept this view of work. For the Christian there is no such thing as a secular job; all work is a spiritual duty to be done as an opportunity to give glory to God. The biblical view of works is built on several truths.
First, God exalted work by commanding it. Even though it is often overlooked, the fourth of the ten commandments not only commands the keeping of the Sabbath on the seventh day, but that we are to work on the other six days. You can read it yourself if you would like in Exodus 20:8-9.
Second, God Himself set the example of work, for us to follow. We see God working in creation, in preservation, in providence, in judgment, in redemption. Work is also seen carried out by the Lord Jesus Christ, He works in redeeming people, building His church, interceding for His people, and preparing a place for us to be with Him. The Holy Spirit also works by convicting sinners, regenerating repentant sinners, and indwelling them to guide, direct, and illumine the Word of God to them.
Third, work is a feature of the creation mandate and because of this it should be a normal part of man’s existence. The psalmist declared this truth in Psalm 104:14 and 23, “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth,” “Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening.” (Psalm 104:14, 23, NASB95)[1] It is important to understand that work is not a result of the curse, God put Adam in the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it Genesis 2:15 tells us. The Fall of man into sin did not initiate work but cursed it making is laborious and painful.
Fourth, work is a gift from God. Work provides man the opportunity to develop skills and to be productive and contribute to society. Work can also provide value, meaning and fulfillment in life, and prevent idleness which is seen in those who are lazy in every society. God also gave work to man as a way of demonstrating the image of God in him, seen by his work in providing for the needs of all in his care. God’s gift of work gives us the satisfaction of serving of others.
Fifth and finally, the biblical view of work confirms that all work can be elevated above the everyday routine by being done as unto the Lord Himself.
Some of the Thessalonian Christians did not have this biblical view of work. They were causing strife in the church by refusing to work and mooching off the rest of the congregation. Paul does not tell us what their motives were. There have been several ideas proposed as to why they were not working, but any proposed idea is only a guess. Paul may have purposely not mentioned their motives for not working because none of them were valid; there is no excuse for someone who has the ability and opportunity to work not to do so. Paul had already spoken to this issue just briefly in his previous letter, but what he had written had not been obeyed and so now he speaks to it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s desire is that those sinning would repent and get working. He begins by speaking of the treatment of the unruly, then he commands the undisciplined to work, and finally he gives the discipline that is to be used for the disobedient. Let’s pray before getting into our passage.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to 2nd Thessalonians 3:6-15. Please stand, if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
2nd Thessalonians 3:6-15,
“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6–15, NASB95)[2]
TREATMENT OF THE UNRULY (2nd Thessalonians 3:6-10)
There were some in the church in Thessalonica who in refusing to work were disregarding Paul’s instruction when he was with them which he talks about in verse 10 of this passage, and the exhortation from his first letter. Because of this, Paul issued a command regarding those who were refusing to work. The phrase “we command” is in the emphatic position in the Greek, which means that Paul is not offering a suggestion, but he is issuing an order to the church that is to be carried out, and notice it is not based on the authority of Paul or Silas, or Timothy, but it is issued in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and carried the full weight of our Lord’s authority. Because of this it was to be obeyed instantly and without question. The command was that they were to keep away from every brother who was refusing to work. The verb translated “keep away” is a verb as it is used here means “to avoid,” “to shun,” or “to pull back from.” Paul is commanding the rest of the congregation to separate from every idle brother.
In the context of Matthew 18 where Jesus is speaking of discipline, this is the third step in the process of church discipline. The first step is to confront the sinning believer privately; the second step is to confront him again with two or three witnesses present; the third step is to tell the offense to the church and to cut the offender off from the normal life of the church. For those who still refuse to repent and go on sinning the church is to remove them from the fellowship altogether. Since Paul still refers to these as brothers, this is only step three.
Paul refers to those refusing to work as those who lead an “unruly life” This word “unruly” when used in the military referred to someone who was out of rank. It can mean “to be out of line,” or “out of order.” Paul saw this lazy, idle, out of line behavior being contrary to the tradition which the Thessalonian believers had received from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. This word “tradition” refers to divine revelation given through the apostles. The inspired tradition that they had received from Paul, both orally when he was with them, and in writing forbade idleness, meaning that those who were refusing to work were guilty of rejecting the Word of God. The fact that these idle brothers were facing church discipline indicates for us the seriousness with which God views failure to work. True believers long for and look forward to the fellowship of other believers, being cut off from that should be painful enough to bring about a change in one’s behavior. This drastic step of church discipline was necessary to protect the reputation of the church with outsiders. The world needed to know that God does not tolerate idleness and laziness.
Paul then reminds the Thessalonian believers of the example that himself, Silas, and Timothy left them to follow. In other words, they were to imitate Paul as he imitated the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that he and his companions did not act in an undisciplined manner, unlike those who were refusing to work and mooching off the church. Paul in using this phrase “undisciplined manner” he is contrasting himself and his fellow workers with those who he had labeled as “unruly.” To strengthen this contrast Paul reminded the church that he and his companions did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it. Acts 17:7 seems to indicate that the missionaries had stayed at Jason’s house when they were there, but Paul, Silas, and Timothy did not eat at Jason’s expense. They paid for their own food and perhaps paid Jason something for allowing them to stay in his house. Paul reminded them that in labor and hardship they worked night and day so that they would not be a burden to anyone in the church, a truth he had also reminded them about in his first letter.
Paul went on to inform the Thessalonians that the reason he and his companions worked was not because they did not have a right to receive support for their work of preaching and teaching, but to be a model for them to follow. Paul did not always forgo accepting support from churches to which he ministered. In fact, he received gifts from the Philippians two separate times while he was in Thessalonica, and he also received support from other churches while ministering in Corinth. But in Thessalonica he chose to be a model so that those who refused to work would not be able to use his not working as justification for their own idleness. At other times Paul clearly taught that as an apostle and a preacher he was entitled to full support. In Galatians 6:6 Paul wrote, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” (Galatians 6:6, NASB95)[3] Paul instructed Timothy in 1st Timothy 5:17, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17, NASB95)[4] After a very detailed exposition on this principle of those who teach and preach full time, Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 9:14, “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NASB95)[5] But in Thessalonica Paul humbly labored to meet his and his companions needs in addition to his ministry, because of this no one could justify not working based on Paul’s model. Despite Paul’s godly model, despite his teaching both in person and by letter, some still refused to work. For them stern measures were in order.
Paul added a command to back up the example that he had given the Thessalonians. This was a command that the church had used when Paul was with them. Those who are unwilling to work are not to eat either. Paul’s point is that if someone is hungry enough, they will work to get food. Be sure to notice that Paul is speaking here about the issue of those not willing to work, not those unable to work. Both individual believers and the church as a whole have a responsibility to care for the poor, the orphan, the widow, or anyone unable to work. But neither the world nor the church owes a living to those to lazy to work, or those who will not work. We have seen what happens when the welfare system is abused and becomes a means for some to live without working, as a means to living a lazy and idle life.
COMMANDS FOR THE UNDISCIPLINED (2nd Thessalonians 3:11-13)
Paul writes that word has come to him that some in the Thessalonica church were living undisciplined lives. How this information came to Paul he does not say, but word from Thessalonica had reached him in Corinth and some was not good news, but that some were leading undisciplined lives. This word translated “undisciplined” is the same Greek word that is translated “unruly” in verse six. Paul then tells us how they are leading an undisciplined life, by doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Paul uses a play on words in the Greek, literally he says that they are not busy, but busybodies. These undisciplined brothers were not content with refusing to work, they used their unoccupied time to wander around interfering and disrupting the lives and work of others in the church. These busybodies were becoming an irritant, creating discord and disunity by being a burden on those who work and then sticking their noses where they do not belong. They were beginning to affect the loving harmony and the effective witness of the church.
Paul now gives a direct command to those who are leading undisciplined lives. He writes, “Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.” (2 Thessalonians 3:12, NASB95)[6] Again the authority of this command is not Paul’s authority or that of his companions, but this command and exhortation is in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is by His authority that Paul gives this command. To disobey it is to disobey the Word of God. To restore unity and to bring back the loving harmony the church was known for, those who were refusing to work were to go back to work in quiet fashion and earn their own living and provide for themselves. They were to settle down and stop meddling in the affairs of others and to begin leading an ordered life of quiet, consistent work. By doing this they would cease to be a burden and an irritant and become a blessing to others in the church, promoting that loving harmony that had begun to disappear.
Paul went on to encourage the rest of the brethren who were faithfully following Paul’s example and teaching. He encouraged them to not grow weary in doing good. Paul’s concern was that these faithful brethren would grow weary of those who were leading an undisciplined life and mooching off the church and would then become indifferent to real needs. Paul was encouraging them as God’s people they must not ignore their responsibility to care for those who are truly in need. Later on, Paul reminded the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:35. “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35, NASB95)[7] The key for church unity was for the nonworkers to go to work, and for the entire congregation to care for those in genuine need.
DISCIPLINE FOR THE DISOBEDIENT (2nd Thessalonians 3:14-15)
Paul was ready to put this issue to rest, he had dealt with it three times now. He writes, “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.” (2 Thessalonians 3:14, NASB95)[8] In other words, if someone still refuses to work then he is being sinfully obstinate. If this is the case, then the church was to take special note of this person, and the rest of the congregation was not to associate with him. Paul is directing the church individually and collectively to withdraw fellowship from such a person and avoid them. This person would be denied the privilege of partaking of the Lord’s Supper and would not be allowed to participate in the love feast, since feeding him a meal would condone and perpetuate his undisciplined lifestyle. The pressure of isolation was to be brought on them in hopes of producing repentance.
Paul writes that this isolation will put him to shame. This phrase “be put to shame” is a Greek verb that means “to turn in on oneself.” The hope is that this isolation from fellowship would cause this sinning believer to reflect on their condition, come to see themselves as continuing in sin, be ashamed, and change their behavior. The repentance and restoration of the sinning member is always the goal of church discipline.
Since this is only the third step of church discipline, the faithful members in the church are not to regard the one being disciplined as an enemy. Only if he refuses to repent in this third step will he then be put out of the church. Until then, he is to be treated as an erring brother to be admonished.
Paul adds this reminder to bring balance to the discipline process. Paul’s point is that the motive for disciplining a sinning believer is love. Galatians 6:1 gives the proper attitude for those engaged in the discipline process, Paul writes, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, NASB95)[9]
CONCLUSION:
Paul in this passage shows that even though our culture’s work ethic has rotted and is almost nonexistent anymore, the biblical work ethic remains constant. We need to be teaching our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren the biblical view of work. We do not want the issue that the church in Thessalonica faced with people in the church, brothers and sisters in Christ, refusing to work and believing it was the church’s responsibility to provide for them. We ourselves who are able to work must uphold the biblical view of work and in so doing honor and glorify God. When believers diligently pursue the vocation to which God has called them, God is honored no matter what that vocation is. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:1, “All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.” (1 Timothy 6:1, NASB95)[10] The same could be said for employees and employers. Employees consider your employers as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.