I was recently asked why Paul contradicted Scripture regarding the poor when he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat,” and instructed the church to withdraw from and not provide for believers who were eating others’ bread free of charge, willfully unemployed, and disorderly busybodies, when Jesus said in Luke 6:30, “Give to everyone who asks of you,” and Peter told Paul in Galatians 2:10 to “remember the poor.”
The inquirer also questioned the divine inspiration of Paul’s words, stating that those who refused to work but ate others’ bread free of charge are “the poor” whom Scripture made provision for, like in Leviticus 19:9-10, when God instructed farmers and landowners to leave some of their crops for the poor and foreigners to glean.
I began my explanation by affirming that God undeniably cares for the poor and instructs His followers to help meet their needs when they are unable to meet their own. This mandate is seen in Galatians 2:10, “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do,” and expressed in 1 John 3:17, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” Additionally, Proverbs 14:31 states, “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy,” and Proverbs 22:9 records, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”
I also affirmed that God had instructed farmers and landowners in the Old Testament to leave some of their crops for the poor and foreigners to glean so they would not starve (see Leviticus 19:9-10). However, I explained that God did not establish this mandate to feed those who were not poor, nor did He institute it to support idleness and laziness among those who could provide for their families but wanted to “eat others’ bread” instead. Rather, God established this provision to feed those who were unable to feed themselves and their families, not for those who refused or were unwilling.
Next, I explained that Jesus’ instruction in Luke 6:30, “Give to everyone who asks of you,” was in the context of responding to one’s enemies, haters, or spiteful users, thieves, sinners, unthankful, or evil people who took advantage of, mistreated, cursed, or used them (see Luke 6:27-36). In such cases, Jesus called His followers to bless their enemies and give to those who asked of them.
Having established those few foundational points, I told the questioner that Paul did not contradict Scripture regarding the poor when he wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:10, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat,” because he was not addressing poverty or the poor. Paul was addressing a very specific sin in the church: Believers who were able to provide for themselves but willfully chose not to work, spent their God-given time, talents, and energy as busybodies, and expected others in the church to feed them.
He wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12, “For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
Interestingly, the Greek word for “busybody” describes those who bustled about in life uselessly, busying themselves with petty, needless, and useless matters, and who meddled in others’ affairs. Such sinful, ungodly behavior, combined with refusing to work to provide for themselves, though able, was unfitting for God’s people, as was taking advantage of their brothers and sisters in Christ by “eating their bread free of charge.”
Consequently, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to prescribe disciplinary measures to correct such disobedient, unruly behavior by commanding other believers in the church to take note of those individuals and not provide them with food or fellowship. The goal of the command was to bring about their repentance so they would “work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
I also explained to the questioner that Paul never instructed believers in any of his epistles to refuse to help those who were poor and unable to provide for themselves because that would contradict God’s mandate throughout Scripture to care for the poor. However, the disorderly believers in 2 Thessalonians were not “the poor” (as evidenced by the Holy Spirit’s admonishment for them to work and provide for themselves, since able), but those who walked in a disorderly manner, refused to work, and were busybodies who unjustly burdened others, which required correction, not compassion.
Lastly, I told the questioner that it was dangerous to render any portion of canonized Scripture as inaccurate, incorrect, or untrue when encountering confusing passages or those that seem to contradict other verses in the Bible, given that each writer recorded exactly what the Holy Spirit ordained them to pen:
2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Psalm 19:7-8 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure.”
Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
(See also Psalm 12:6, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 119:89-90, Psalm 119:151-152, Psalm 119:160, 2 Samuel 22:31, and Proverbs 30:5-6).
Therefore, I encouraged the questioner to embark instead on a deep hermeneutical study of confusing passages to uncover their true meaning, since correctly understood verses will never contradict one another but will harmonize with one another and with the rest of Scripture. Such is the case with 2 Thessalonians 3:10 compared to Luke 6:30, Galatians 2:10, Leviticus 19:9-10, and all other biblical passages on the subject.
I hope my answer to this person’s question helps you understand the difference between God’s mandate to care for the poor and His prescribed discipline for believers who were busybodies and disorderly, and who willfully refused to work to provide for themselves but were “eating other’s bread free of charge.” I also hope it encourages you to dig deeper into God’s Word and the truth it conveys on this and other subjects.
