SLOTH
1. unwillingness to work or take action
2. a slow-moving, arboreal, edentate mammal (genera Bradypus and Choloepus) that lives in tropical woods in South and Central America. They eat leaves, shoots, and fruits and hang from the branches backward.
Which definition springs to mind when you hear the word “sloth”? It’s the animal, in my opinion. I recall the moment in Zootopia where the main character is rushing, and the sloths are the DMV employees taking their time. However, this charming creature’s primary trait is also a phrase that denotes a dislike of accomplishing anything, or what others would refer to as being lazy or having a lackadaisical attitude.
But is being lazy the sin of sloth? Or are its roots more profound than simply lounging about all day? We’ll take a moment to examine what this deadly sin is and what it isn’t before discussing how God invites us to overcome it.
The Definition of Sloth
Yes, sloth can be considered a type of laziness. On many Saturdays, especially during football season, I have the best of intentions, but I often end up just lounging and watching TV instead of doing chores around the house. However, when some early church fathers added laziness to the list of deadly sins, I don’t believe they meant this. The majority of academics don’t even refer to it as “laziness.” Instead, they liken laziness to apathy toward both spiritual and bodily labor. Sloth is not indolence; it is a lack of concern.
I would like to propose a third definition of sloth: inaction and spiritual apathy. And we start to see why this sin is so deadly when we examine this third definition closely. Being indifferent to something isn’t always a bad thing. However, we have sinned against sloth when we lack the desire to become closer to God.
What Is Not Sloth
I want to make it very clear that having mental health issues, particularly depression, is not a sign of laziness. Depression is not to be confused with the sin of sloth, even though it can cause emotions of indifference toward a wide range of things. Although depression can occasionally result from laziness and apathy, we must not confuse mental disease with something else. Please be aware that you have a wealth of tools at your disposal to assist you in finding hope and healing if you are experiencing depression.
We must also distinguish between sloth and sabbath. Laziness, apathy, or any other trait that might be connected to this terrible sin is not the same as true rest. God meant for us to have the kind of rest that heals our bodies and minds.
He walks me alongside serene streams and lets me rest in verdant fields. He renews my power.” — Psalm 23:2 3a [NLT]
How Can We Fight It?
Ask yourselves three questions:
1. Do I have unrecognized sin?
2. Have I disregarded God’s grace?
3. What’s on my mind every day?
Your answers will provide you with an understanding of the causes of the slothful behaviors that lead to spiritual indifference. And we can return to a state of spiritual intimacy with God as we discover those causes. Confess to God if you are struggling with unconfessed sin; He already knows and has already forgiven it on the cross. We must first spend time in confession before God, giving Him our problems so that He might heal and forgive us.
We must start establishing spiritual discipline in our lives if we want to continue fighting spiritual indifference and sloth. This entails starting small and putting aside distractions in order to spend time in prayer and God’s Word. If not utilized appropriately or with restrictions, social media, technology, phones, and many other things may drain our time and, to be honest, sap our lives. To make time for God, consider how you may cut out distractions from your life, even if only for a short while each day.
Find a spiritual discipline you can begin practicing immediately if you’re unsure where to start. These practices will keep us closer to our heavenly Father while also helping us overcome the terrible sin of laziness.
A lot of other theological and spiritual topics are covered in the Bible, but nothing as practical as work. However, a strong work ethic is actually very spiritual. And we may learn a lot about work ethic from the Bible, not just from the practical proverbs but also from the life and theologically sophisticated ministry of the apostle Paul.
“Paul is dead serious that true Christians don’t remain lazy, but he doesn’t assume that being lazy must equate to being lost.”
Paul uses remarkably similar phrasing in 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:8, which is one notable example in his texts. He uses this much (almost) identical language in the same sequence, and I don’t know of anything like it anywhere else. Maybe this was Paul’s standard refrain — and what is he talking about so precisely? work ethic. According to 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:8, he exemplified working to not be a burden to any of you.
He uses his own work ethic as an example in 1 Thessalonians 2, but in 2 Thessalonians 3, he goes all out and exhorts Christians to follow in his footsteps.
Double Trouble
Overall, Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians center on two specific concerns facing the fledgling church: laziness, which is more “practical,” and the end times, which is more “theological.” Because of this, a lot of readers have made the connection between the two and concluded that the practical problem followed the theological one. Daily labor was devalued and even stopped because of the belief that Jesus was returning at any time or had already returned.
But from the time the gospel arrived in Thessalonica, it seems that laziness was a problem there. Paul instructs, “Admonish the idle,” in a letter written soon after the church was established (1 Thessalonians 5:14). The force might have operated in the opposite direction, leading to distorted end-times beliefs that were convenient to sinful impulses due to the Thessalonian (and human!) propensity for idleness and the desire for explanations for it. More often than not, a sinful heart leads to theological error, and this would not be the first or last instance. In any case, they struggled with indolence.
But the problem isn’t just that those who don’t work wind up assuming, slouching, and needlessly burdening those who do. Additionally, “idle” people contribute to the burden by interfering with and diverting those who are attempting to work. Laziness creates double problems: lazy people not only drain other people’s income but also deplete their limited time, energy, and focus for work.
“Paul gladly poured himself out for the joy of others wherever he went, not just from nine to five.”
“The disorderly” sleep in and stay around while others get up and leave for work. Despite their lack of employment, they wind up wasting their time in ways that eventually divert and disturb others from more productive work.
Dead Serious
At first glance, this issue of sloth might appear minor, but we should consider how severe it is for Paul. He has a strong work ethic. Paul rarely uses such overt “commanding,” but in this instance, he does it four times in a brief period of time (in verses 4, 6, 10, and 12). “Any brother, no exceptions,” he adds. Unbelievers’ idleness shouldn’t surprise us, but when people professing the name of Christ do, we should (2 Thessalonians 3:15).
The stakes are so great, according to Paul, that the church should “keep away from” anyone who is not employed (2 Thessalonians 3:6). “Avoid him at all costs” (2 Thessalonians 3:14). The crime is serious enough that it is impossible to identify the perpetrator. He takes the extreme step of saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat,” because such indolence is so terrible and harmful to the gospel (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Most importantly, the apostle uses Jesus’ name twice in 2 Thessalonians 3:6–12 to express his seriousness:
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we now give you brothers the command to avoid any brother who is acting idly or contrary to the custom that you have inherited from us. . . . In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we now command and encourage such individuals to labor quietly and to support themselves.
Paul doesn’t tolerate indolence. It is utterly anti-Christian. It embodies a gospel that consistently generates activity in and through us, rather than requiring it upfront. Furthermore, being lazy denigrates the strength and power of God the Spirit, who has come to reside in us in Christ.
His Charge or Charges
In 2 Thessalonians 3:12, Paul exhorts the idle to “do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” Working quietly here refers to distracting behavior rather than noise, to a noisy life that unnecessarily interrupts other people’s attention. Maintaining social harmony and order is the specific goal of being “quiet”.
“A strong work ethic is deeply spiritual.”
“Doing good” for others is the definition of hard work in righteous labor. This is the reason Paul states, “Do not grow weary in doing good,” in the following verse (2 Thessalonians 3:13). Value that satisfies human wants is produced when we carry out the daily tasks assigned to us by God. On the other hand, the church’s health is in peril from individuals who produce the “noise” of idle disorder. Others may soon get permanently weary of their labors as well, dragged down by the indolent.
There will undoubtedly be people in the church who are willing to work but are unable to do so due to illness, injury, handicap, or other unforeseen circumstances. Some of the most obliging persons are those who are physically limited. The issue in the church is not these willing-but-unable. The church takes great pride in providing for and caring for these individuals. Instead, the able-but-unwilling are the source of the grave, Christ-dishonoring issue.
Paul’s Personal Ethics
Here, Paul gives orders but does not rely on them. He sets an example for others by not expecting them to live up to his own standards. In 1 Thessalonians 3, he set an example for the church, and in his second letter, he praises “the tradition that you received from us.”
By “toil and labor, night and day,” what does Paul mean? It’s not that he didn’t sleep; rather, he worked throughout his waking hours, putting forth energy and leaning toward useful endeavors rather than idleness. He didn’t confine his vigorous efforts, or “work,” to his day job of building tents and then dozing off after work. He was lazy at home and indolent at work. Instead, Jesus accepted the inevitable discomforts of “labor” throughout the day and night, whether he was sharing the gospel, building tents, or discipling others. Not just from nine to five, but everywhere he went, he joyfully gave of himself for the happiness of others (Philippians 2:17).
His Aspirations
Paul writes with optimism for every Christian struggling with lethargy, despite the gravity of his tone and the lofty standards he sets. We’ve already witnessed it. Since he presumably thinks that sincere disciples will experience change, he not only gives instructions but also offers encouragement (2 Thessalonians 3:12). A diligent Spirit who joyfully toils and labors day and night to promote the Son already resides in those who are genuinely “brothers” in the Lord.
“It is very clear that being a Christian does not make men sluggish. It finally turns indolent men into hard laborers.
Although conversion might not result in a significant shift in work ethic right away, it will eventually bring about change. Without a doubt, Christianity does not make people lazy. It finally turns indolent men into hard laborers. Soon, the gospel will increase our “zeal for good works” under the influence of the Spirit (Titus 2:14).
It takes a lifetime to cultivate and fortify a Christian work ethic like Paul’s. Day by day, week by week, we continue to fight the same fights. Every instance of emotional resistance, when we confront the friction and discomfort that make us want to give up and stop, is an opportunity to advance with the strength that God gives us instead of regressing into a state of lethargy.
Never Get Weary of Doing Good
This is not unique to us as Christians. It is perfectly natural for God to use the power of His Spirit to accomplish the process of sanctification, which includes conquering laziness. We might not be born again with a completely different work ethic. We could still struggle with a variety of bad habits from our upbringing, background, and ingrained sins. However, God is working in us the very energy of Jesus himself, having poured his own power into us in the form of his Spirit (Colossians 1:29).
Paul is very serious when he says that true Christians don’t remain idle, but he doesn’t assume that being lazy equates to being lost. This advancement is now not only feasible but also hopeful and even certain because of the enormous new capabilities that have been placed in Christ.