JEFF TURNER

The Bible has a lot to say about work and helping others. In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul writes that anyone who refuses to work should not eat. This is a direct statement that applies to people who are able to work but choose not to.

Paul also tells Timothy that a man who does not provide for himself and his family is worse than someone who does not believe in God. Doesn’t this show how important work is in the Christian faith? When God cursed the ground after Adam sinned, he said that people would earn their food through hard work and sweat. This was part of the original design for human life.

However, the Bible recognizes that not everyone can work. Children need care and cannot provide for themselves. Women who look after children need support. Widows and orphans cannot always work. People who are sick or disabled may not be able to earn money. Scripture calls those who are able-bodied and working to take care of these people who truly cannot work.

The problem comes when people who can work decide they do not want to work. Some people want to receive money without working and believe others should give them what they earned. This goes against what the Bible teaches. Those who have been blessed with resources should help people in genuine need, but everyone who is able must work. The Bible presents work as something good and honorable, not something to avoid.