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Some people hate to do it. Some love to do it. Some go to great lengths to avoid doing it. Some do it too much. While there are many different attitudes toward it, one thing remains constant: It must be done. Since the Garden of Eden, everyone has had to work or depended on someone else’s work for their survival. Furthermore, work sets a person’s lifestyle--where to live, when to sleep and eat, time with family and even dress. If a person is not content with work, the rest of life is in turmoil. What should be the Christian’s attitude toward work? Is it a blessing or a curse? Is work a means to justify the ends of leisure and entertainment? This Perspective develops the Christian work ethic and discusses the proper perspective on leisure.
Work is ordained by God; His creative invention from the beginning. While we do not usually think of God as working and while we do not know all the details, the Bible declares that God worked (see Genesis 1-2). By working, we resemble God; like God, humans have the ability to work, make plans, implement them and be creative. In addition, Genesis 1:28 and 2:15 proclaim that God gave humans the task of ruling over and taking care of His creation. As Carl Henry writes: “Through his work, man shares the creation purpose of God in subduing nature, whether he is a miner with dirty hands, a mechanic with a greasy face, or a stenographer with stencil smudged fingers. Work is permeated by purpose; it is intended to serve God, benefit mankind, and make nature subservient to the moral program for creation. Man must therefore apply his whole being--heart and mind, as well as hand--to the daily job. As God’s fellow worker he is to reflect God’s creative ability on Monday in the factory no less than on Sunday when commemorating the day of rest and worship” (Quoted in John A. Bernabaum and Simon A. Steer, Why Work?, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1986, pp. 6-7). Apparently Adam and Eve’s prefall work had both a physical and spiritual dimension. With respect to their work in the Garden of Eden, God told them “to work it and guard it (Genesis 2:15).” The term “guard” is used again in 3:24 of the angel “guarding” the way to the tree of life. Adam and Eve had that same responsibility—an immense spiritual stewardship—before their rebellion against God. Therefore, work has both a physical and a spiritual dimension. Due to sin, work is not only toilsome, but it is for a lifetime. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground.” Apparently God intends that humans are to work as long as we live. Meaningful activity plays a critical role in being a human being: Retirement does not end work; rather it must include work for a person’s overall well-being. This proposition speaks volumes about the manner in which western civilization views the retirement years. The magical age of sixty-five should not end meaningful, purposeful work.
- Is Work a Dimension of the Curse?
In interpreting Genesis 3:17-19, some argue that work is a curse resulting from the fall into sin. While God’s curse in these verses has an enormous effect on work, work itself is not a punishment. God’s point is that there is always pain and toil involved when humans seek productive results. There are likewise counteracting forces that tend to restrict those results. Until death, humans are always faced with painful, laborious toil. God did not create work as drudgery; that is the result of sin. Therefore, we speak today of “getting back to the grind” or to the “salt mine.” Work today is tedious, difficult and often frustrating.
Despite the “painful toil,” work has three basic purposes: to meet human needs, to provide for a quality of life and to serve (and worship) God. First, work provides money (or resources) to supply the necessities of life. Jesus said that it is proper to pray for our “daily needs” (Matthew 6:11) and one manner in which that prayer is answered is through work. Second, work enhances the quality of life. Work enhances the satisfaction of life and is the strongest predictor of life span, even above general happiness and other physical factors (see Arthur Holmes, Contours of a World View, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983, p. 219 and Stanley Cramer and Edwin L. Herr, Career Guidance and Counseling Through the Life Span, Boston: Little Brown, 1979, p. 387). Furthermore, psychological and mental health is related to work. A person receives a sense of personal dignity and worth from work. For example, most Americans, when introducing themselves, share their name and occupation. People who are without work often suffer from depression, poor self image and other mental illnesses. God gave work as a gift, as a means of giving fulfillment to life. The human is to enjoy it for more than simply its economic benefits. Ecclesiastics 2:24-25 argues that a human being can do “nothing better than find satisfaction in work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”
The final purpose of work is to serve God. Colossians 3:22-4:1 is the major biblical passage on the proper ethical attitude for work. Here Paul writes to slaves and masters. However, remember that the vast majority of workers in the Roman Empire were slaves, working usually for life with limited rights. In many ways, the slave’s relationship to his master is similar to the employee-employer relationship of today. In this passage, the Apostle Paul details three principles on the ethic of work. First is the principle of obedience, consistency and sincerity (Colossians 3:22). The Christian is to approach work as a matter of obedience to God; it is a stewardship from Him that demands a commitment of obedience and a consistency, even when the boss is not looking. Christian workers likewise approach the job sincerely, in a conscientious manner. The second principle is the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Christian workers serve “the Lord Christ” (3:23-24). One could easily argue, therefore, that our real boss is Jesus Christ. We work for Him and we are to see our work as service to Him, not simply our employer. Finally, 3:24 states that the reason Christians maintain such a high work ethic is because we know that God will reward us. In other words, there is eternal significance to work. Part of God’s reward system involves reward for our work. What would happen to the quality of products and to productivity if all workers viewed work according to the standards of Colossians 3?
Reflecting on this Perspective so far, it would seem that people should be more excited about the idea of going to work. Yet the opposite is true. Strikes, low productivity, union demands, absenteeism and high turnover rates are symptoms of dissatisfied workers. Due to sin, the meaning of work has become distorted and twisted. Work today is but a means to an end. The goal is to enjoy the end product and work only because it is a means to that end–leisure. Even Christians fall into this mindset. Leisure is not the end. Work, as this Perspective has shown, is the end in itself. It is a stewardship from God and how we approach it has eternal implications.
- Implications of the Christian Work Ethic
From the argument presented in this Perspective, it is possible to deduce several implications for the Christian work ethic:
1. Everyone should work. Since God ordained work, humans will only find fulfillment in working. It is the key to finding purpose in life.
2. Excellence is the worker’s standard. Ephesians 6:6-7 exhorts the Christian to “render service as to the Lord, and not to men,” not to be men-pleasers but God-pleasers. God’s standard of excellence needs to be the human standard.
3. Respect and obedience are to be observed at work. Both Colossians and Ephesians challenge the slave (=employee) to show respect to his master (=employer). The master (=employer) is likewise to show respect and treat kindly his slave (=employee). Love, mutual respect and justice must characterize the employer-employee relationship.
4. All professions and all kinds of work are honorable before the Lord (assuming they are legal). There simply is no dichotomy between sacred and secular work. All work brings glory to God and fulfillment to the human, if it is done to God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
5. Work provides an opportunity for a witness. As the disciple of Christ follows the Christian work ethic, he or she manifests a powerful message, both verbal and non-verbal, of a supernatural approach to work. The world today needs this powerful witness.
6. Work is actually a form of worship. Such an attitude cultivates honesty, integrity and excellence.
In conclusion, the gospel of Jesus Christ produces the total transformation of the human being. It results in a higher degree of personal responsibility, dignity and purpose–core values for a productive, God-centered work ethic. The Christian’s daily job is a daily offering to God. It is a transformational, supernatural, eternally significant perspective about the mundane chore called work.
See James P. Eckman, Biblical Ethics, pp. 71-74. |
