Lessons in the Lutheran Confessions
Scripture Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:10
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From the Word: For even when we were with you, we declared this command to you: if anyone is not willing to work, he does not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism
The Seventh Commandment
You shall not steal.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not rob our neighbors of their money or property or take from them by unfair dealing or fraud, but help them to improve and protect their property and means of making a living.
Pulling It Together: Everyone plays a part. If that part is neglected it diminishes the whole. The rest must pick up the slack, and carry the burden of feeling as though they must take care of those who refuse labor. God’s justice is different than society’s. In the early church, he commanded that those who would not work, would not eat. Maybe it was meant to be motivation—perhaps justice. We might call it reasonableness or common sense. Whatever we call it, it is God’s command. Do not allow society to make you feel otherwise. Those who beg from the church, when they are able to work, are thieves. All have their jobs to do, vocations that are to be worked at peacefully, so that they may earn their living and share it with those who legitimately need help.
Prayer: Give me the strength, Lord, to say yes to work and no to those who will not work. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
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Author
Rev. Mark E. Ryman serves as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC. Previously, Pastor Ryman has served other congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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