THE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE OF WORK

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

(Colossians 3:23)

The subject of work is mentioned throughout Scripture. Even prior to the Fall of Adam, there was work: God’s work of creation (Genesis 1); Adam’s cultivation of the Garden of Eden and categorization of the animals (Genesis 2:15 & 19). After the Fall, Adam and his progeny to this day, have been burdened with the toil and sweat of labor in order to maintain our physical lives.

The Lord gave this directive to Israel concerning His requirements for their work endeavors:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8–11)

Moses reiterated this at the second giving of the Law:

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” (Deuteronomy 5:13)

This mandate for work is reaffirmed in the New Testament teachings of the apostle Paul, who was a tentmaker during his missionary tours (Acts 18:3).

But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you. (1 Thessalonians 4:10b–11)

This is in harmony with Paul’s overall teaching that “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31; cf. Colossians 3:17). This should be the believer’s principal objective in the workplace, just as in every endeavor of life.

What is more, Paul had a warning for those who refused to work:

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. (2 Thessalonians 3:10–11)

Yet the main difference between God’s works and man’s is this: God’s works are righteous, supernatural and eternal acts of creation and redemption; while man’s works are often times characterized as dead (Hebrews 6:1; 9:14), evil (2 Timothy 4:18; 1 John 3:12; 2 John 11, and ungodly (Jude15). The righteous works of believers are only those which are executed while empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:4, 14; 1 Corinthians 12:7; Ephesians 3:16). Dr. Francis Schaeffer aptly points this out:

There is no source of power for God’s people—for preaching or teaching or anything else—except Christ Himself. Apart from Christ, anything which seems to be spiritual power is actually the power of the flesh...The Lord’s work in the Lord’s way is the Lord’s work in the power of the Holy Spirit and not in the power of the flesh. 1

These works, empowered by the Holy Spirit, glorify God and may involve everyday activities—in the workplace, recreation, with family, and even mundane housework. Glorifying God is not just doing ‘religious’ works or church work or ‘spiritual’ stuff, but it is serving the Lord full-time, empowered by the Holy Spirit. For this is what true spirituality is all about: a moment-by-moment relationship with God—thinking His thoughts and glorifying Him by all that we do.

Our Lord’s Work

When we come to the New Testament, we see that the religious Jews were highly critical of any work performed on the Sabbath. They criticized Our Lord for healing (Luke 13:14; John 7:23; 9:16); and He and His disciples for working to obtain food (Matthew 12:1-2); and of a man who carried his bed after being healed (John 5:8-10).

In John’s gospel account, more so than the synoptic gospels, he draws attention to the subject of the works which the Father had sent Our Lord to accomplish. This was concisely stated by Our Lord:

“But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John 2; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.” (John 5:36; cf. John 10:25, 37-38)

And in John chapter 9, we see Our Lord expanding the scope of responsibility for doing the works of the Father with His disciples. Here Jesus and His disciples happen upon a man blind from birth. The disciples naively ask Him who had sinned that caused his blindness, his parents or himself. Jesus answered them:

“It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” (John 9:3–5 [emphasis added)

In verse 4 of this passage, Our Lord states that “we must work the works of Him who sent Me.” The “we” refers specifically to Himself and His disciples as coworkers in performing the Father’s work. What must not be confused is that the “Father’s work” which Our Lord is conscripting His disciples for, is not entirely the same as the Father’s work for Jesus—His was to preach, to perform miraculous wonders and to procure redemption. Jesus summarized what this work was when He stated:

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him [Jesus Christ] whom He has sent.” (John 6:29)

Believing in Jesus Christ is tantamount to obeying His commandments (1 John 2:4) and emulating His holy/sinless character (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Incorporating His disciples into His work is mentioned on another occasion. At His post-Resurrection appearance to his disciples, Jesus stated: “as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). Redemption had already been accomplished, so therefore, the sending of His disciples was for a different mission—their sending was to testify to the world of the reality of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah and therefore the proclamation of the gospel of salvation.

Three decades later, the apostle Paul wrote of God’s logical order for the preparation of believers to do His work of service, which applies to all believers today:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11–13)

The body of Christ will be successful at doing His work when three factors are realized: 1) the unity of doctrine is achieved; 2) the individual is mature (the completed training of the inner man); 3) to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, i.e. the demonstration of the mature inner man to the surrounding world.

This is how His work will be accomplished here on earth. There is no other way. It must be done in the Lord’s prescribed way—in the power of the Holy Spirit. Any other methodology, system or human energy dishonors God and is nothing more than wood, hay and straw (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). It must be just as Dr. Schaeffer stated: "The Lord's work in the Lord's way."

 

---

[1] Schaeffer, Francis A. (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 3.42-43.

[2] John the baptizer