In II Thessalonians 3:10, it says that if a man will not work, he should not eat. This statement can be used to show the failings of many systems of government.
One example of this truth is in the New Testament where Paul admonishes the church at Thessalonica for having “some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.” (vs. 11) They were not benefiting from their own labors, but rather from the labors of other men.
Another example is found in early American history. In 1607, the colony of Jamestown was founded by the London Company. The charter that they formed set up a supply system known as the “common-store system”. The system was designed to give everyone equal amounts of the stores, regardless of what they had contributed. Very soon, only a few men were contributing to the common-store and everyone else was relying solely on those men for support. In 1608, Captain John Smith took control of the settlement. He paraphrased II Thessalonians 3:10 into a new law for the settlement. By doing this, he disposed of the “common-store system” for a time.
But today, these systems are alive and well, not only in many third-world countries, but also here in America. Many people are trying to market these views under the guise of socialized health care, higher tax for the wealthy, and complete government financial support. America had been blessed to have the free-enterprise system. It is not a hard-working person’s responsibility to take care of some who “work…not at all, but are busybodies.” The high rates of people who are unemployed and on government support are directly a result of not obeying the command that God gave through Paul in the New Testament. So “if any would not work, neither should he eat,”