Ephesians 4:28 “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”
The word “Steal” generally means using others possessions/money/properties/things without any permission or forcefully. However, in today’s era, it’s not just limited to that rather in a broader sense.
If we refer to verse 3:8 in the book of Malachi, that says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.” It says they robbed me, or cheated me or stole from me. Then tithes and offerings – which is a form of giving. How would someone give tithe or offering when he earns nothing? How can a man earn if he does not utilize the time in productive works or decent works?
Additionally, if we look into the parable of talents – master said, “You wicked and lazy and idle servant!” (Matthew 25:26), to the third one who earned nothing rather just buried the talent to the ground.
The Book of Malachi says – “robbed me”, and Matthew 25:26 says – “wicked and lazy and idle servant”. Stealing starts from laziness or idleness. If someone is just sitting home, watching social media, TV, reels, tick-toc, etc. They are idle people, and paying the bill to first mobile companies, then internet or mobile companies, and then social media. So, instead of earning they are spending – whose money, whose time? It all belongs to God, our father. So, the first step is to stop stealing…
Let’s take an example of the real world – someone is hired for daily wages, 8 hours a day. What would you consider it if in the workplace that hired person keeps resting or skipping tasks, and just tries to cover 8 hours? Obviously, he will be taking wages without working 100%. In a way, he or she is cheating/stealing from the one who hired him for work.
In the second part of Eph. verse 4:28, it says “labor, and labor for decent works with your own hands”.
Believers have learned to claim verses like 2 Corinthians 8:9, 9:10 for supply of earthly things. That is great. They do claim, sometimes they receive something as God is God of miracles. But they don’t know this is not a complete approach. We should compare scripture to scripture.
Paul said to Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”. The Bible also says “redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). Redeem means to get something like cash, discount, items, in exchange of something(coupon, etc.), wisdom, skills, etc. Paraphrase: “exchange the time with money or things or spiritual things, because the days are evil to distract you or keep you from doing this.
Apostle Paul is one the great testimony for this. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). If you read the previous verses of this verse, you see how Paul labored himself to support his colleagues, and did take nothing from believers for preaching the Gospel of Christ. This has been a great inspiration for me. This verse always encourages me to serve the body of Christ without taking any earthly benefits from the Church of Christ.
Except for saving grace, nothing is free for us. Something for nothing is not true. Even for our salvation, God had to send his only begotten son. Jesus, the son of man, had to bear the cross, shed the blood, and die for this world.
Then the last part of Eph 4:28 says, “he will have something to share with one who has need”. It’s it the truth? Isn’t it a proper sequence?
So let’s ask ourselves, have we stopped stealing? If we have stopped stealing – are we laboring in good works? If we are laboring – are we making money or gaining wisdom or skills? If we are making money/wisdom/skills, are we willing to give them to the needy?
If we look into the previous verses in the same chapter Ephesians 4:28, we read there are some verses about blindness of our heart, our ignorance, and further down, renewal of our mind. So, let’s renew our mind even to stop the stealing, and then start laboring and save money/gain knowledge of Christ/Skills, and give those to the needy generously. It is more blessed to give than to receive!