Laziness is a dangerous and sinful behavior that the Bible repeatedly warns us to avoid. If we are going to live a faithful Christian life and look forward to our eternal home in heaven, we should consider three different types or forms of laziness.
Physical laziness is what we probably think of first. The Old Testament book of Proverbs gives us several warnings and descriptions of this sinful practice. Proverbs 20:13 says, “Do not love sleep, or you will become poor….” The one who loves sleep is physically lazy and will inevitably see a negative result. Therefore, we must not be physically lazy.
Mental laziness is also risky. Throughout Paul’s ministry, we read of his “reasoning” with others from the scriptures (Acts 17:17, 18:4, 19, 19:8, 9). This mental effort is a necessary part of believing and obeying the gospel. To share the gospel with others, Paul would encourage them to think about and put effort into considering God’s word. Therefore, we must not be mentally lazy.
Spiritual laziness is the most dangerous and damaging of all. In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches using the Parable of the Talents. The faithful and diligent servant is praised, “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 24:21). The reward for spiritual diligence and effort is spending eternity with God. Therefore we must not be spiritually lazy.
Matt Langfield