A Christian View of Work

Christians often fall into the trap of thinking that work is punishment, but that is a worldly view and not biblical. While work does involve toil and can be unpleasant, that was only brought about because of the Fall. Everything was idyllic in the Garden of Eden, but after being removed from Eden, life became more difficult for mankind as a natural consequence of sin. Genesis 3:19 tells us, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” How should Christians view work, then? We must remember that God ordained work and declared it good when He created the universe and everything in it. Genesis 1:31 reads, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” We must put to rest the misconception that work is punishment for the fall. We know that’s not true. Genesis 2:15 shows that God gave Adam specific instructions for his labor in the Garden. It says, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” A few verses later, God created Eve from Adam’s rib so she could be his partner and co-laborer with him in the Garden. This was before the Fall, so it’s correct to say that work itself is not a punishment.

The Apostle Paul often includes work when writing about the proper behavior of believers, teaching that God is our true Master and that we should work diligently with a positive attitude because it will point others to Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24 reads, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Paul reminds us that our real boss is God and that we should exemplify Christ, whom we represent on the job site. Ephesians 6:7 states, “With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” Paul expands on this in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands … so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”

Work plays a crucial role in enabling us to fulfill our ultimate purpose, which is to glorify God. How we treat our work can glorify God or present a bad witness. It’s vital to remember that God owns everything and that everything we have comes from Him so that we remain grateful for His provision.

We must realize that our resumes or practiced video interviews do not ultimately land us a job. Those opportunities come from God, and we must use them to glorify Him.

Scripture helps us remain grateful and willing to serve in ways that glorify God. Deuteronomy 8:18 reads, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” God also gives us direction for our work in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We may think of stewardship as passive, marked by what we can leave untouched. While we must care for creation, we are also to use God’s creation to make the world a better place.

God expects us to use the natural resources He provides and transform them into more valuable, useful commodities that bless peoples’ lives. Converting sand into silicon computer processors is one example, and using mold found on a cantaloupe to produce life-saving antibiotic penicillin is another. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

By applying God’s Word on the subject of work, we can make a tremendous positive difference in our lives and the lives of others.

However, at some point, age or health may prevent us from working. How does the Christian work ethic relate to the concept of retirement? We often have to remind Faith and Finance listeners that the word “retirement” isn’t found in the Bible. The concept of retirement is only mentioned in connection with the Levitical priests in Numbers 8:23-25, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they[a] shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more.”

For the rest of us, retirement as a life of leisure is a modern and unbiblical idea. We should plan and save for the day when we can no longer work, and that’s undoubtedly prudent.

However, we must also plan for what we might do when we’re no longer working for a paycheck. Although we may take an extended time of sabbatical rest, our calling from the Lord doesn’t have an expiration date. The retirement season is the time in life when we have the most experience and wisdom to share with others. The idea is to retire not just from something but to something. We can use our time, God-given skills, and experience to bring glory to the Lord and love others until the Lord calls us home. The Christian view of work is much different than the world’s, and we can also thank the Lord for that!