Working and not working

[Lord'sWarrior]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

 

[Daniel9v9]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

We should never lose sight of Ephesians 2:8-10 when reading verses like this. In short: We don't work in order to be saved, but we work for we are graciously saved. Good works are the fruit of the Holy Spirit and apart from Christ we can do nothing.

I hope this helps

 

[Lord'sWarrior]

We should never lose sight of Ephesians 2:8-10 when reading verses like this. In short: We don't work in order to be saved, but we work for we are graciously saved. Good works are the fruit of the Holy Spirit and apart from Christ we can do nothing.

I hope this helps

Thanks.
I don't have a job, but I write poetry on Jesus for people to see and draw some designs with God and Jesus with the theme. Are these works?

 

[Aleksandros]

Brother, Paul here is condemning those who, while they are able to work, don't. This would be men who are lazy, slack, and so on - for such people are selfish.

 

[Daniel9v9]

Thanks.
I don't have a job, but I write poetry on Jesus for people to see and draw some designs with God and Jesus with the theme. Are these works?

Don't be burdened by work! There is much value in what you're doing, for you're doing the work of God in spreading and declaring His word. What Scripture really gets at is that we shouldn't be sluggish and take advantage of our neighbour, but do all things to the glory of God; whether this be our civil duties in the world or spreading His Gospel.

Have comfort in that Christ has done the work for you!

 

[A_Thinker]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

These passages advise that it is God's will for those who are able ... to work ... to provide for themselves and their families.

However, ... God does not expect the impossible. If I am in an accident and break my hip, ... God doesn't insist that I work anyway, ... but rather, wait upon His work of healing in my body.

If my situation was long-term, ... or indefinite, I would pray to God to show me HOW He wishes me to spend my time. There are some working opportunities ... which can be accomplished while we undergo healing from God. It may be taking advantage of such opportunities may be a part of God's healing process.

Even if this is not the case, ... God has a plan for your life each day, ... whether to specific activity ... and/or to rest and healing.

In short, ... ask God what He wants you to do each day ... and do it to the best of your ability.

God bless you and yours ....

 

[Korean-American Christian]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

To tell you a bit about my personal situation, I have been actively looking for work for many weeks now.

So far, I have been unsuccessful in finding paid work/paid employment.

However, I fill my week with volunteer activities and Bible studies.

Once per week, I volunteer at my local public library.

I am also taking classes online at a university.

If an illness prevents an individual from working, he is not condemned.

May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

 

[SkyWriting]

Those who do not work, should not eat.
All people need to feel useful.

 

[HereIStand]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

Don't feel condemned. The passages don't apply to your situation.

 

[Faith Alone 1 Cor 15:1-4]

Thanks.
I don't have a job, but I write poetry on Jesus for people to see and draw some designs with God and Jesus with the theme. Are these works?

Reading Bible is work too . Same goes for people who win others to the Lord , and people who feed these people with Word of God , both are working in Jesus eyes and are equal ( John 13:16) . It's not about how much can you work/do but how much you do with what you have. Some people are too shy for example to even go out and talk to people about God , well you can still support by donating to poor kids for example .

 

[pescador]

Those who do not work, should not eat.
All people need to feel useful.

So those who are incapable of working should starve?

"All people need to feel useful" sounds like a personal projection, because its not biblical.

 

[Faith Alone 1 Cor 15:1-4]

Matthew 6:24

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

 

[SkyWriting]

So those who are incapable of working should starve? "All people need to feel useful" sounds like a personal projection, because its not biblical.

"All people need to feel useful" does sound kind of touchy-feely.

Perhaps I should have said God will rain fire on you unless
you get busy, start being hospitable, and help others?

Ezekiel 16
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ...

Galatians 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

John 15:12
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Proverbs 22:9
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Romans 15:1
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Proverbs 3:27
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

 

[ViaCrucis]

1 Timothy 5:8
2 Thess 3:6-12

Picking up on these verses, it seems that if a person doesn't work he is somewhat "condemned", for lack of a better word.

But if a person has an illness and lives in pain and fear and doesn't work because of that, is he still "condemned"? Is he justified by the illness or situation that he lives with?

Basically it means don't mooch, don't deprive the community of faith resources that need to go to people who are in desperate need. There are people who are poor, down on their luck, hungry, etc and they need to be taken care of--the Church is called to care for people such as these--and if we are taking advantage of this kindness, contributing nothing, then we are directly causing harm to people in need.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[pescador]

"All people need to feel useful" does sound kind of touchy-feely.

Perhaps I should have said God will rain fire on you unless
you get busy, start being hospitable, and help others?

Ezekiel 16
49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

1 John 3:17
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?

Matthew 25:35-40
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ...

Galatians 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

James 2:14-17
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

John 15:12
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Proverbs 22:9
Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Acts 20:35
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Romans 15:1
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Matthew 5:42
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Proverbs 3:27
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.

If that's you get from lifting unrelated, out-of-context verses from both the Old Testament and New Testaments and forming your personal doctrine, then go for it. Those of us who understand Christianity won't agree with you. Don't put old wine in new wineskins!

 

[SkyWriting]

If that's you get from lifting unrelated, out-of-context verses from both the Old Testament and New Testaments and forming your personal doctrine, then go for it. Those of us who understand Christianity won't agree with you. Don't put old wine in new wineskins!

If one thinks I have altered the meaning of 17 passages
they may research the context of each. You may have
decided your version of Christianity requires charity
with no responsibly to work, but few join you in that.
Your heaven will be you reclining on soft clouds for eternity.

 

[pescador]

If one thinks I have altered the meaning of 17 passages
they may research the context of each. You may have
decided your version of Christianity requires charity
with no responsibly to work, but few join you in that.
Your heaven will be you reclining on soft clouds for eternity.

Thank you for speaking for the body of Christ. 8^)

You took 17 passages from here and there in the Old and New Testaments. All of those were written in the context of the "book" or poem in which they were written. It is easy to lift a verse or two from here and there and create any doctrine that you want. That by no means guarantees it's biblical.

Similarly, you have distorted what I have said. A Christian contributes to the body of Christ and to the world s/he lives in. If someone is disabled and spends their days in prayer for others, do you claim that they are not doing work? If a spouse spends their days caring for their family, are they not doing work? There are of course many other examples of people not doing work as you define it.

It is easy to project the ideas of capitalism into what the Bible clearly says. The section that you and others quote has to do with discipline, not productive work. Paul is saying that if someone is lazy and wants to receive instead of give, then they are not motivated by the Spirit but by their own self interest. If you don't understand that and insist that capitalism trumps Christianity, I suggest you go back and read what Paul wrote.

 

[SkyWriting]

Thank you for speaking for the body of Christ.

You took 17 passages from here and there in the Old and New Testaments. All of those were written in the context of the "book" or poem in which they were written. It is easy to lift a verse or two from here and there and create any doctrine that you want. That by no means guarantees it's biblical.

It pretty much does guarantee that it biblical.

SkyWriting said: ↑
If one thinks I have altered the meaning of the 17 passages
they may research the context of each and show my error.

 

[SkyWriting]

There are of course many other examples of people not doing work as you define it.

I did not define work. I originally said that people need to feel
useful. Some knucklehead objected to that. OK. people need to feel like sloths.
Scripture says people need to be willing to work.

2 Thessalonians 3:10
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

 

[pescador]

It pretty much does guarantee that it biblical.

SkyWriting said: ↑
If one thinks I have altered the meaning of the 17 passages
they may research the context of each and show my error.

Who would bother? Quoting 17 verses out of context is proof enough that their meaning is distorted. Paul wrote, "I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want—instead, I do what I hate...But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. Wretched man that I am!". So, by your exegetical method he is clearly a phony, a crazy person who is compelled to sin. He is not the apostle he claims to be elsewhere.

Fishing for a verse here and there, out-of-context, to prove a point is craziness. The devil himself took verses out of context when he was with Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus explained his distortion of God's word. It's written down as a clear lesson for us not to do as Satan does.