Sloth is considered to be one of the seven deadly sins Christians are instructed to guard against.
Though not categorized as such in the bible, the seven sins can indeed lead to depravity which can distance us from God.
We will look into all seven sins in another post but today, we want to shed light on sloth.
What is Sloth?
The dictionary definition of sloth refers to a lack of interest in an activity.
When we are apathetic towards a situation or task; and we simply no longer care about it, we fall into sloth’s trap.
Many define it as being lazy, and it is to some extent, but this sin goes deeper.
Slothfulness refers to the heart posture of the person.
The Greek for this term is akēdíā which translates as ‘negligence’, or the absence of care.
In the realm of faith, and especially with it being a cardinal sin, uprooting this condition is rather important.
Note that while none of the seven deadly sins are unforgiveable, sloth can be a recipe for disaster.
It can rob us of the peace and promises of God on this side of eternity.
11 Scriptures on Sloth
A search for sloth in the YouVersion Bible app will yield approximately 30 verses in the ESV translation.
Not surprisingly, Proverbs dominates with verses on this topic.
King Solomon detested laziness and Holy Spirit clearly is not a fan either.
Let us first look at those instances where sloth was addressed outside of Proverbs:
Ecclesiastes 10:18
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
Observation
King Solomon addresses sloth here by giving the practical example of how choosing not to repair one’s roof leads to disaster.
Note that one can hardly consider a house a home without a roof. Such is sloth. It disregards the essential
.He goes on to label this level of slothfulness as unmistakable idleness.
Matthew 25:18
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Observation
Read Matthew 25:14-30 for the full parable.
Verse 18 here shows us the foolish response of this servant’s sloth.
Sloth often stems from fear.
The servant may have indeed been fearful but deeper than that, his heart condition was of one who cared little what His master would think.
Apathy got the best of him.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-11
10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.
Observation
Paul gives very practical but strict advice here.
Though he didn’t need to, Paul’s personal conviction was that everyone should earn their keep.
He valued his own independence and therefore found reports of sloth in others distasteful.
This scripture should be common sense to all, but to a person with a slothful heart, this advice will be ignored.
What is worse, sloth in this fashion often leads to a misplaced sense of entitlement.
People who find every excuse not to work seldom take issue with reaping benefits from another’s industrious efforts.
Colossians 3:23
23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
Observation
Paul again doles out priceless, life-giving instruction in this verse to the Colossians.
Here he describes the motivation and attitude of on devoted to Christ.
This is therefore a powerful verse to help us combat any bits of slothfulness within us.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
Observation
King Solomon’s practical wisdom here is simple.
There ought to be no room for sloth while we are alive because when we die, opportunities to work or attain goals die with us.
Genesis 2: 15
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Observation
This verse is an illustration of the industriousness God intended for man from the beginning.
He made Adam with the clear purpose to work.
We have no reason to believe therefore that God sanctions any constant state of willful laziness.
He made provision for us to rest and He made more than enough provision for us to work.
Romans 12:11
11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Observation
Paul exhorts God’s people here to adopt the right heart condition at all times.
Zeal for the gospel is supposed to be the default attitude of all believers.
He underscores that we should serve with fervor and that this is attitude is to be infused into our identity.
1 Timothy 5:13
13 Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.
Observation
Paul describes in this scripture how a slothful attitude leads to human depravity.
A character of sloth creates an environment of dishonor and invites more sin.
Hebrews 6:11-12
11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Observation
Paul encouraged the Hebrew people in this scripture to be diligent in their pursuit of faith.
Rather than letting idleness and sloth creep in, he instructed them to have endurance.
Isaiah 56:10
10 For the leaders of my people—the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds—are all blind to every danger. They are featherbrained and give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie there, love to sleep, to dream.
TLB version
Observation
He sees their leadership as ineffective and irresponsible.
Sloth in this case causes them to be blind to the dangers around them.
We see in verse 12 as well that this ultimately leads to more sin as their attitude grows into wickedness.
Titus 1:12
12 One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
Observation
Paul pens this letter to Titus acknowledging that he was aware of the general attitude of the people in Crete.
So horrible was their demeanor that even their own described them as such.
We see here that where sloth is cultivated, other abominable behaviors thrive.
Sloth In The Book of Proverbs
Here are key verses in Proverbs that warns against the sin of sloth.
These can be used as prayer journaling prompts.
Simply copy one per day and write out a prayer asking God to free you from the bondage of sloth.
You can also try the S.O.A.P. bible study method.
Before You Go…
Do you find that sloth is something that rears its ugly head in your life?
Or, are you just like millions of us who occasionally suffer from lazy spells?
Maybe still, you have cultivated enough diligence in life and you have some valuable tips to share with us all.
Don’t hesitate to leave us some feedback below.
Til the next time.
Stay Blessed