The one who steals must steal no longer; instead he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.
Just as there were pairs of instructions in verses 26 and 27, here we have another pair.
“Do not” communicates holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:1-6); “Do” communicates righteousness (1 John 3:7).
Again, defining righteousness solely in terms of what is imputed may miss the mark. We need to let the context define the word, and not import our preconceived notions into the text.
Earlier in this section, Paul told us to put off the old man, who is being corrupted and to put on the new man, who is patterned after holiness and righteousness (Ephesians 4:22-24).
So that we don't wonder what he means, he said to put off lying and embrace speaking the truth with one another (Ephesians 4:25); he said to have an emotional reaction to sin and repent quickly; that is my interpretation of Ephesians 4:26.
Now we have another two-sided instruction, another pair.
Not stealing is the holiness part; laboring (doing good) and sharing with the one who has need is the righteousness part.
The instruction, therefore, contains not only a prohibition but also an instruction. Can you spot the positive instruction here? Laboring is an act of righteousness, as that enables you to give to those who are in need. There is no excusing stealing here in any way.
Paul says give to the one who has need. It means let your concern be more than yourself. John will take it a step further and say Don't just offer a brother in need a prayer meeting; meet their need.
But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.
John wants love defined in practical terms. He is differentiating lip service from actual service.
He may be countering an attitude that downplays physical reality, as if only activities like prayer matter to God and meeting material needs does not.
However, we see a scathing rebuke of those who refuse to work (2 Thessalonians 3:10–12).
Paul presents himself as someone who, though with the full apostolic calling as good as anyone’s, labored, serving as an example for others.
We do hard labor, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure,
For you recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery: By laboring night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. By all these things, I have shown you that by laboring in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
They said that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every matter would be established (Matthew 18:16).
So there is no idea that labor is anti-spirituality. And in this verse, it's like labor enhances spirituality because then you can share with the one who has need.
And notice the word “share,” meaning you have to meet your own needs and obligations first.
In another place, he slammed those who refuse to labor, calling them undisciplined (2 Thessalonians 3:11). And it’s not a Christian virtue because no one is doing it. It is the reason we are doing it that makes the difference.
For example, sexual purity is a Christian virtue, not because there are no non-Christians who are virgins when they marry, but the Christian’s reason is just different.
So being disciplined to labor is a Christian virtue. Paul calls it doing good with your hands.
When God made man in the garden, He said he should take care of the Garden.
The LORD God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it.
He needed to have the right vision of what the garden should look like and execute it.
God planted the garden; man was to nurture it to the end of maintaining it. May was to pay attention to the Garden.
It gave the man purpose and direction, and there was one person he was doing it for: God, who was the originator and owner of the garden.
Adam was given a position of trust. All work is a position of trust. The person he wanted to please with the work was God.
Every kind of work falls into two categories: planting/creative process (what God did) and maintaining (what man was supposed to do).
And labor has not changed since then, in my opinion, and God is still the one we are laboring for, because the earth is the Lord's and the fullness (Psalm 24:1), and as through us He meets the needs of the needy.
Some may acknowledge him as such, giving their labor a righteousness-bent, and others may not.