“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. … For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’ … If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.”
c.f. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
This is a clear commandment from the Scripture — that if a man will not work, he shall not eat. Any professing believer who rejects this teaching and still proceeds to feed those who will not work, is to be shunned and shamed by the Christian community.
This commandment from the Lord should shape how as Christians we are to act. More importantly, this command is not just addressing those who are lazy and who refuse to work. It is first and foremost, addressing Christians who reject his teaching and still insist on feeding those who refuse to work. Such people are to be shunned.
- What does this verse tell us about what we are to do when we see an able-bodied beggar in the street begging for money when he should be working for his food?
- How are we to deal with Christians or even pastors who insist on feeding such beggars?
- How does this affect our policy on charity as a church and as individuals?
- How are we to view social welfare policies that feed lazy bummers who collect the dole for no other reason than that these people have no job?
- How does this shape the way we view medical missions and humanitarian relief?
- How does this shape the way we understand biblical politics and economics?
- How should the church use its money to help those who are unemployed or needy?
These are all important questions we need to ask ourselves as Christians in light of 2 Thess 3:6-15
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As Vincent Cheng writes,
“This is a rather self-explanatory passage. The challenge is to make Christians take it seriously, and to obey it. Paul had said, “warn those who are idle” in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 5:14), but apparently that did not eradicate the problem. So when he receives report that some of them remain idle (2 Thessalonians 3:11), he brings up the matter again in this second letter. This time he takes on a more urgent tone, first appealing to “the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,” and then issuing a “command” to compel the brothers to take decisive action against those who persist in idleness. … It is precisely to those who are not among the idle that the apostle directs most of his statements on the subject. So no one should take what Paul says only as a matter of exegetical interest, but this is something that Christians must do, that all churches must implement as official policy, as a matter of obedience to the Lord Jesus. …The decisive action that Christians are to take against those who are idle is to “keep away” from them – that is, to literally, really, shun them. What? Should we just let them starve? Is that the Christian way? Yes, it is. Paul adds, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat’” (v. 10). In the name of Christ, Paul commands all Christians to let idlers starve to death. It would be a sin to feed them. Then, the apostle proceeds to “command and urge” those who are idle to “settle down and earn the bread they eat.” Verse 14 repeats the command to those who are not idle: “If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed.” Mark this person. Know him by name and by face. And then avoid any association with him. There must be a concerted effort of the entire Christian community to shun and to shame this person. The command has obvious implications for policies on welfare and charity. Those who are able to work, but are unwilling to work, are to be shunned and shamed. They are not to receive any financial or material aid. If they do not work, they do not eat. If they starve to death, then so be it.
More details here:
http://www.vincentcheung.com/…/26/starve-those-who-are-idle/
A man after God's own heart 