Ephesians 4:28

Context

Ephesians has traditionally been regarded as a letter written by Paul from prison to the churches of Asia Minor. Some scholars hold that it was written by a disciple who carried on Paul's teaching. The latter part of chapter 4 first exhorts believers to "put off… the old man" and to "put on the new man" (Ephesians 4:22-24). It then addresses, one after another, concrete matters of conduct such as lying, anger, stealing, and corrupt speech. This verse is one item in that list and portrays believers of Gentile background abandoning their former way of life and living anew within the community. The exhortations in this passage generally do not stop at "do not" but also set forth the conduct that should take its place. This verse likewise follows a pattern of "stop, work, share."

Interpretation

• A reading that emphasizes transformation: Many commentators focus on the reversal by which one who took what belonged to others becomes one who gives to others. They regard living in the opposite direction, rather than merely ceasing to steal, as a concrete expression of sanctification.
• A work-ethic reading: This reading takes "let him labour, working with his hands" as an affirmation of honest labor. Because manual labor is known to have been widely disdained in the society of the time, some interpreters hold that the phrase is all the more striking. In the Reformed tradition, the verse is sometimes cited in connection with the teaching that everyday work is a calling entrusted by God.
• A reading that asks about the purpose of work: In this verse, the purpose of work does not end with one's own livelihood but extends to helping "him that needeth." For this reason, the verse is read as a basis for almsgiving and a sense of stewardship.

Questions of Application

The verse is not the subject of marked dispute among denominations. Nevertheless, the following questions have been raised:

• Interpreters differ on whether "him that stole" refers to people actually present among the church members or is a general exhortation with the believers' pre-conversion lives in view.
• The original wording behind "the thing which is good" denotes simply "what is good." Many modern English translations render it in terms closer to "honest work" or "useful work."
• In present-day preaching and exposition, the scope of stealing is sometimes extended to any unjust taking of what belongs to others, such as fraud, withholding wages, and tax evasion.

Related Passages

• Exodus 20:15: "Thou shalt not steal," one of the Ten Commandments
• Ephesians 4:22-24: the exhortation to put off the old man and put on the new man
• Acts 20:34-35: Paul's recollection that he worked with his own hands and supported the weak
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12: the exhortation to work with one's own hands and to walk honestly toward them that are without
• Proverbs 19:17: the saying that he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD