| Most Recently Posted Ask a Question | |||||||
| Q: | In scripture it says that those who do not work should not eat. Scripture also says that the laborer is worth his work in wage. In light of that, is it permissible for a Christian to receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits and or pension benefits from an employer even though the individual has received far more benefits than they contributed to the system/plan? What about widows who receive benefits after their husbands death and they never worked at all or developmentally disabled persons who also never worked, thus not contributing to the Social Security system? Would a person receiving benefits from a system they never contributed to be a violation of scripture? | ||||||
| A: | You ask if it is permissible for a Christian to receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits and or pension benefits from an employer even if that means receiving more benefits than they contributed to the system/plan. You also ask if is right or proper for a person like a widow or someone developmentally disabled to receive benefits that they never contributed toward. We appreciate your apparent concern that we do not expect or demand more than we may rightly have coming to us. Still, the answers to the questions are, "Yes, it is permissible. Yes, it is often proper." As you correctly say, the Bible clearly emphasizes that the worker deserves his wages (Luke 10:7, 1 Timothy 5:18). This is the normal and most common way in which the Lord provides for our bodily needs. And repeatedly we are urged to be faithful in our approach to doing honest work. The other verse you cite, however, is quoted inaccurately and deserves a comment. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says if anyone will not work he should not eat. We are not to be lazy and unwilling to work and yet expect to be supported or taken care of by others. But between those two groups -- the faithful worker who is able to work and the unfaithful worker who is unwilling to work -- there is third kind of person. This is the person who is unable to work or who has limited opportunity to earn sufficient wages to live adequately. The Bible is clear in identifying poor people who are genuinely needy for a variety of reasons but not necessarily laziness or an unwillingness to work. And we will always have poor people among us (John 12:8). And how does the Bible typically recommend that their needs be met? By gifts and benefits that are not necessarily earned or deserved. These gifts may come from private or public sources. The Bible does not demand a certain approach or methodology over another. It calls on us to do what we do in love (see 1 Corinthians 13:3). But such efforts and programs are certainly "permissible." Does this mean that Christians might sometimes receive more than they deserve or actually need? Yes, that is possible. The burden of devising and carrying out such programs with fairness and efficiency lies primarily with the government or with the employers who offer such programs. "Wages" may include benefits other than cash such as retirement, pension, or insurance benefits. Again, the Bible does not forbid such compensation packages. And sometimes Christians may receive more than they "deserve" -- but they are used to that because of the reality of God's grace in all.htmlects of spiritual and physical life. | ||||||
| |||||||