At the heart of what Paul teaches about the gospel is that salvation comes by grace through faith; it is not a result of works, but rather it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). He emphasizes this point time and again.
This does not mean, however, that those who are saved can simply sit back and relax. "God has taken care of my salvation, so he'll take care of everything else too. After all, he wouldn't want me to have reason to boast in myself." Paul's warning against idleness in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 says otherwise.
I don't know what prompted some of the Thessalonians to be lazy. But Paul makes it clear that this is not the personal conduct of a believer. In fact he set an example while he was with them by laboring night and day (he was a tent-maker) so that he would not be a burden to them. He wanted them to see that, while we cannot work to earn grace, we can and should work to earn a living.
It is so easy for those who have a strong work ethic to let that creep into their relationship with God, causing them to feel as though they need to perform to deserve God's grace in their lives. Then there are those who emphasize the free gift of God's grace so much that it begins to cripple their desire to work hard in other areas of their lives.
It is very important not to fall into either of these practices in your own life! Remember, grace cannot be earned. But one who has been saved by grace will seek to honor and obey God by working hard, because he has commanded them to do so (vs 10).
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