We all need to learn how to do good work and to share the proceeds from our labors with those who are needy.
Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.
Ephesians 4:28 says that thieves shouldn’t steal any longer. Instead, they should work with their hands. That’s all well and good. But does this verse have anything to say to those of us who are not into stealing? Yes, indeed it does. We all need to learn how to do good work and to share the proceeds from our labors with those who are needy.
When we talk about work, we’re not thinking only of work for which you are paid. Work includes all sorts of things we do without compensation, including changing diapers, mowing the lawn, leading a Bible study, volunteering in a homeless shelter, writing an essay for school, and so much more. Work is what we do with our bodies and minds that makes a difference in the world. It’s one of the main ways we live out the biblical command to “Be fruitful” (Genesis 1:28).
Ephesians 4:28 is one of the most important passages in all of Scripture when it comes to the matter of work. But its importance is not obvious at first. In fact, this verse seems irrelevant to most of us since it specifically addresses thieves: “Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.” It makes sense that thieves should stop their thievery, given the clarity of the eighth commandment: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Ephesians urges those who have been stealing to start working instead. That’s all well and good. But does Ephesians 4:28 have anything to say to those of us who are not into thievery?
The truth is that what this passage says about work speaks to all of us, whether or not we struggle with kleptomania. (The Greek verb translated here as “stealing” is kleptō, by the way, from which we get the word “kleptomania.”)
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