Was Paul Mean?

 By Dr. R. Scott Clark - Posted at The Heidelblog:

I was meditating on Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12. Paul was concerned about those in the congregation who were obsessed with and confused over Jesus’ return (parousia). They had what theologians (rightly) call an “over realized eschatology.” In their anticipation of the parousia they had begun to act as if it was already here (and assumed perhaps that heaven involves no labor). They were so obsessed with the parousia that they refused to fulfill their vocations in this world.

In response, Paul reminds them of the “tradition” (paradosis) of moral instruction he had left with them. He had instructed them not to spend their days being lazy. He had taught them to fulfill their dual vocations as citizens of the heavenly kingdom (Phil 3:20) and as citizens of the earthly kingdom (Rom 13). He reminds them of the example he set for them, how he worked when he was with them even though, as an apostle and minister of the Word, he had a right to refrain from manual labor and rely on the congregation for support. What was that moral instruction, that law, that he left with them? “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10). There are a number of thoughts that come to mind here. First one is reminded of Paul’s eschatology in both the broad and narrow senses. He was not an eschatological enthusiast. He had a doctrine of vocation. He was able to distinguish between the eschatological kingdom and its semi-eschatological earthly manifestation (in the visible church) here, and between our roles in the two spheres of God’s sovereign administration of all things. In the creational sphere there are basic laws that are in place that we must obey. It is an undeniable fact that food, shelter, clothing, and the like do not simply fall out of the sky. They must be bought, and money must be earned in order to buy them. Put in theological terms, economics is a covenant of works: “Do this and live.” If one does not work but expects to eat, then someone else must work for him. Expecting someone else to work for you, all things being equal, is a form of theft.

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