Albert Barnes Commentary Ephesians 4:28

"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need." — Ephesians 4:28 (ASV)

Let him that stole steal no more. Theft, like lying, was, and is, almost a universal vice among the heathen. The practice of pilfering prevails in probably every pagan community, and no property is safe which is not guarded, or so locked up as to be inaccessible. Therefore, as the Christian converts at Ephesus had been long addicted to it, there was danger that they would fall into it again, and thus the necessity of special cautions on that subject.

We are not to suppose that pilfering was a common vice in the church; but the cautions on this point proceed on the principle that when a man has been long in the habit of a particular sin, he is in great danger of falling into it again. Therefore, we caution the man who has been intemperate against the least indulgence in intoxicating drinks; we exhort him not to touch that which would be so strong a temptation to him. The object of the apostle was to show that the gospel requires holy living in all its friends, and to entreat Christians at Ephesus in a special manner to avoid the vices of the surrounding heathen.

But rather let him labour. Let him seek the means of living in an honest manner, by his own industry, rather than by wronging others.

Working with his hands. This means pursuing some honest employment. Paul was not ashamed to labour with "his own hands" (1 Corinthians 4:12); and no man is dishonoured by labour. God made man for toil (Genesis 2:15); and employment is essential to the happiness of the human race. No man, who is able to support himself, has a right to depend on others. (See Barnes on Romans 12:11).

That he may have to give to him that needeth. The marginal reading is distribute. This means not merely that he may have the means of support, but that he may have it in his power to aid others. The reason and propriety of this are obvious. The human race is one great brotherhood. A considerable part cannot labour to support themselves. They are too old or too young; or they are crippled, feeble, or confined to beds of sickness. If others do not share with them the proceeds of their labour, they will perish. We are required to labour so that we may have the privilege of contributing to their comfort. Learn from this verse:

1. That every Christian should have some calling, business, or profession by which he may support himself. The Saviour was a carpenter; Paul a tentmaker; and no man is disgraced by being able to build a house or to construct a tent.

2. Christianity promotes industry. It is rare that an idle man becomes a Christian; but if he does, religion makes him industrious precisely in proportion to the influence it has over his mind. To talk of a lazy Christian is about the same as to talk of burning water or freezing fire.

3. Christians should have some useful and honest employment. They should work "that which is good." They should not pursue an employment that will necessarily injure others. No man has a right to place a nuisance under his neighbour's window, nor does he have any more right to pursue an employment that shall lead his neighbour into sin or ruin him.

   An honest employment benefits everybody. A good farmer is a benefit to his neighbourhood and country; and a good shoemaker, blacksmith, weaver, cabinet-maker, watchmaker, machinist, is a blessing to the community. He injures no one; he benefits all. How is it with the distiller and the vendor of alcoholic drinks?

   He benefits no one; he injures everybody. Every quart of intoxicating drink that is taken from his establishment does evil somewhere—evil, and only evil, and that continually. No one is made better or richer; no one is made more moral or industrious; no one is helped on the way to heaven by it.

   Thousands are helped on the way to hell by it, who are already in the path; and thousands are induced to walk in the way to death who, but for that distillery, store, or tavern, might have walked in the way to heaven. Is this, then, "working that WHICH IS GOOD?" Would Paul have done it? Would Jesus do it? It is strange that by a professing Christian it was ever done! (See a striking instance of the way in which the Ephesian Christians acted when they were first converted, in Acts 19:19. See Barnes on Acts 19:19).

4. The main business of a Christian is not to make money and to become rich. It is that he may have the means of benefiting others. Beyond what he needs for himself, his poor, sick, aged, and afflicted brother and friend have a claim on his earnings—and these should be liberally bestowed.

5. We should labour in order that we may have the means of doing good to others. It should be just as much a matter of plan and purpose to do this, as it is to labour to buy a goat, build a house, live comfortably, or have the means of a decent burial. Yet how few are those who have any such end in view, or who pursue their daily toil definitely, that they may have something to give away. The world will be soon converted when all Christians make that their purpose. (See Barnes on Romans 12:11).