For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10
Sir Winston Churchill used to define socialism as the belief that it is better for everybody to be on half rations than for anybody to get a second helping. Nobody ever accused the great British statesman of being a friend of either the lazy nor those who condoned laziness. But there is a growing attitude among us today that everybody has a ‘right’ to all the food and creature comforts that they want, even if they don’t contribute any effort to producing them. But that is not an attitude that is supported by the Scriptures, as our text today makes plain.
Even before our first parents were ejected from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience, they were given the responsibility of dressing and keeping the garden that was to supply their food (Genesis 2:15). Upon their rejection from the garden, Adam was reminded that he was to continue to work for his daily bread, although the work would be more difficult because of the curse placed on the ground (Genesis 3:18-19). During the thousands of years since then, mankind has survived by working, either by growing food or by producing goods and services to exchange for food and other necessities. We appreciate the invention of modern tools that have taken much of the strenuous labour from our work, but the principle remains the same: we must work to obtain our daily bread. This is the basis for human economy. The diligent thrive, the indifferent survive, and the lazy starve. At least, that is the way it is supposed to work. Certainly our text today would support that. But too many today would reject this text as ‘discriminating’ against those who have no interest in contributing to the effort of making a living. As Christians, we need to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of that kind of thinking.
The lazy, and those who seek their daily bread off the efforts of other people, are encouraged and supported by the socialists, those who believe that everybody should share in what society produces. But this is not the only area in which those on the left of the political spectrum operate contrary to the Word of God. It is worth noting that the further to the left a political party is, the more likely that it is to support such evils as the ‘right’ to abortion on demand, the ‘right’ of the homosexual community to impose their immorality on the rest of society, and the environmental movements including the global warming hoax. These people reject the authority of the Scriptures and accept all manner of false doctrines in the name of ‘tolerance’, although they have no tolerance for Christians. Books could be written about the danger of accepting the doctrines of these people. Let it be sufficient to say that they are anti-God and anti-Christian, and it would be wrong for any Christian to align with them in any way.
As Christians, we have no right to be lazy, no right to support those who are lazy, and no right to support those who support the lazy.– Jim MacIntosh