A speaker some time ago presented this scenario to his audience: “Imagine you come home from work to find that a distant relative has left you a $10,000,000 inheritance. What would you do? Would you go to work tomorrow?” The response from the 5,000 attendees was a unanimous “NO”. Because?
This should not surprise us. Statistics reveal that a high percentage of society is not happy with their work (more than 70% in the United States, reflected in different ways). For the world we live in, work is a necessary evil. It is likely that you are reading this article on a day where everything went wrong and you identify with those who do not enjoy their work. But where does this idea come from? Is it biblical?
For many of us, each Monday reminds us why we despise our job. We look forward to getting to the weekend as quickly as possible. On good days you think: “vanity of vanities… everything is vanity. What profit does man get from all the work he toils under the sun? (Ecc 1:2-3). On bad days you remember: “cursed be the ground because of you… thorns and thistles it will produce… with the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground” (Gn 3:17-19).
Experience has limited us to interpret our work pessimistically. For this reason you will be surprised to receive my invitation: let us walk together through Scripture to discover theologically and practically the redemptive, creative, productive, and ministerial possibilities that exist for those who participate in the world of work. The Word of God affirms it.
Work has always been God’s original plan for the human being and therefore must be considered an essential part of our participation in God’s plan.
The first thing to recognize is that jobs are a complex world because of the depth of feelings we experience in them. When we go to work, we face many unknowns: our identity, the meaning and influence we have in the world, the purpose for which we live, our calling, discipleship, correct ethics, responsibility, witness, evangelism, etc. If we are not careful, we will reach conclusions that have not been redeemed by the Word of God.
Created in the image of God to work
The creation story is a definitive statement of our origin and God’s plan. In the early chapters of Genesis, God establishes his kingdom by creating Adam and Eve (his people from him) and placing them in a place under his reign. God creates man “in his image, after his likeness” (Gen 1:26) and gives him two categorical responsibilities: “(1) be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth… (2) have dominion over…. every living thing that moves on the earth” (v. 28).
The doctrine of Imago Dei (image of God) would occupy pages and pages of development to be explained. For our purposes, I will argue that as creatures made in God’s image we have a responsibility to be stewards on God’s behalf. We are in charge of developing the potential of God’s creation so that all of it can celebrate the glory of God by exalting his name, and thus serve our neighbor and develop the potential of creation to build beautiful things. Craig Bartholomew explains it this way: “As we take God’s creative commands to ‘be…’ and develop the potential in them, we continue to spread the fragrance of his presence throughout the world he has created.”
Work has always been God’s original plan for human beings and therefore must be considered an essential part of our participation in God’s plan.
Fall: the distorted image of God
But the sad reality is that we were expelled from Eden due to the sin of our father Adam. Despite the fact that God offered them all the fruit of the garden, with the exception of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:17), Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation of the serpent and sought to establish their autonomy. This tree represented “the possibility and certainty of provision (good for food), pleasure (pleasing to the eye), and power (desirable for acquiring wisdom) apart from God (Gen 3:6).”
What exactly happened at this point in history? Generally speaking, there is a separation between man and God. Theologians identify it as a spiritual death, and the introduction and certainty of physical death. On top of that, there is a break in the relationship of the man and the woman.
Finally, Adam and Eve are expelled from the garden. This is the moment to ask ourselves: what are the implications of the fall on the world of work in which we practice?
Although the work promises to demand the sweat of the brow, God honors those who work faithfully to glorify his name.
Fitness, Integrity, and the Glory of God
Genesis states that the earth will produce “thorns and thistles” and therefore our work will always require the sweat of our brows (Gen 3:16). But the way this affects our working lives is very interesting. Let’s consider two important stories: (1) Cain and Abel; (2) the tower of Babel.
After being expelled from Eden, the author of Genesis tells us that Eve gives birth to Cain and Abel. Before long, we discover that they must bring “offering of the fruit of the ground” and that God approves Abel but not Cain, because his heart was not in the right place. Cain’s reaction to this experience is very significant, because instead of being inspired by his brother’s quality and heart (his aptitude) from him, he understands that the correct response is to eliminate him. The Bible states that one of the areas where we will see sin affecting our work is in our relationship with our neighbors.
Second, we see that while God continues to extend grace to men and women by bestowing gifts and abilities on them, they are naturally self-centered. In Genesis we read that “they said, ‘Come, let us build a city and a tower whose top reaches to the heavens, and let us make ourselves a famous name, so that we may not be scattered over the face of all the earth'” (Gen 11:4). In addition to breaking with our neighbors, the future of creation includes societies whose desire for autonomy will make them work to prove that they do not need God. Even those who profess to know God will be forced to show their true colors when faced with situations where it is not to their advantage to choose the good.
Christ’s redemption at work
It is in this stage of despair that Christ comes into our lives. When Jesus redeems our hearts and transforms us to be called children of God by receiving the Holy Spirit, He penetrates all areas of life, beyond the reach of sin in the fall. If God transforms our hearts, how could he not transform the areas where we operate?
Carl Henry explains: “Work becomes a way station of witness and spiritual service, a daily bridge between theology and social ethics. In other words, the work for the believer is a sacred stewardship and, by doing his work, he will affirm the Christian witness ».
Although the work demands sweat of the brow, God honors those who work faithfully to glorify his name. When our goal becomes the glory of God, the service to our neighbor, and the good stewardship of God’s creation, we can expect great satisfaction marked by sweat and God’s pleasure in our lives. Therefore, “wherever we work, we can be sure that God can use us through our vocational call to influence our co-workers, our company, our nation, and the world for the glory of God.”
The Drama of Scripture, p. 3. 4.
Lessons from Scripture, p. 22.
Aspects of Christian Social Ethics 1964, p. 31.
How Then Shall We Work?, p. 44.