Work As Worship
Christians believe that work is something that brings glory to God. We were created in God’s own image. To be created in God’s image means that we are to represent God in the work that we do. After God created Adam and Eve, He looked at His creation and said, “it was very good (Genesis 1:31).” He finds delight in His creation because he sees a reflection of excellence after the creation of man (Grudem, 2003). Christians find joy in their work when they believe they are imitators of God’s character in the workplace with productivity, attitude and employment. When we excel in our work, it opens up conversations about the purpose behind our work to our co-workers.
PRODUCTIVITY
God created us to be productive and glorify Him with the work that we do. Jesus, said that our light should “shine to others so that they could see your good works…and glorify your Father (Matt. 5:16).” God gave us the ability to solve problems, be creative and do so with others in mind. The problem is that we still suffer from the curse of the Fall of Man found in Genesis. We make work our idol and do everything we can to find fulfillment in being successful with profits and having a good name. Rather than profits being a byproduct of good work it has become one of the main objectives. The Bible tells us the opposite, our primary motive at work is to bring honor and glory to God and serve others. Christians should not allow bad work to hinder the effectiveness of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our work matters to God. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord not for man (Col. 3:23)” Satan’s goal is that we as Christians forget that we are not alone. We have been bought with a price; we are a new creation in Christ and in that new life we are characterized by God’s workmanship and charged to do good works. We should let our good works in the workplace be a testimony of God’s goodness in our lives (Evans 2012).
ATTITUDE
Our attitude toward work usually reflects the position of our heart. God knows everything about us. We read in the scriptures written by David, “My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret (Psalm 139:15).” Christians should be known for honesty and integrity at work. We are filled with imperfection and sometimes make the wrong choice, however we are called to avoid pride and seek humility to live out our faith to others. When we remember that everyone is created in God’s image our attitude toward them should change. We need to show grace to the believers and non-believers because that is what Christ does for us. “All business activity tests our hearts (Grudem, 2003).” When we look at the Ten Commandments we read, “You shall not covet…anything that is your neighbor’s (Exodus 20:17).” Our hearts are idol factories and when we use good things and turn them into “god things” we deceive ourselves. It is only when our vertical relationship with God is healthy, that we see fruit in our horizontal relationships. For the Christian, if we want to have a better relationship with co-workers or our boss, our relationship with Christ should take precedence. We need to rest in the love and acceptance of Christ which satisfies and not the love and acceptance of others which do not satisfy, but brings destruction instead. Our hearts should be filled with joy, thanksgiving and praise to God for the work He has called each of us to.
EMPLOYMENT
Christians have the unique advantage of looking at the larger picture of bringing glory to God with excellence in our work. God gave Adam and Eve a creative and managerial task of having dominion over the earth and subduing it (Ashford & Pappalardo, 2015). They were expected to work hard even before the Fall. It was only after the Fall did work become painful. The employer/employee relationship can provide many opportunities of Gospel presentation in the workplace. Both parties benefit when the arrangement produces honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and kindness (Grudem, 2003). There are many temptations to sin with both the employers and employees side of the relationship. As the employer, it would reflect oppression and unfairness to withhold payment for a particular job or to treat people with undeserving harshness. Exercising authority over people for power does not show subordinates that they created in God’s image. The same is true for employees. Being dishonest, lazy and harboring bitterness at work is not showing value in your employer that was also created in God’s image. The employer/employee relationship allows great opportunity to imitate God’s character to each other and provides opportunity for conversations with unbelieving co-workers (Grudem, 2003).”
Christians should not separate the sacred and secular parts of our lives. Our work and the conversations we have Monday through Saturday are just as important for the Kingdom of God as our conversations on Sunday. As we read in scripture, God placed us on this earth to be productive, gave us hearts to reflect His attitude, and gave us a mission. He has called all of us to make disciples and represent Him to our world. We do that best when we remember everyone is created in His image. All Christians are on mission for the glory of God. He has called us to leverage our careers for the sake of the Gospel. We can honor Him in our work when we perform with integrity and excellence.
Evans, C. (2012). Fruit at Work: Mixing Christian Virtues with Business.
Ashford, B. & Pappalardo, C. (2015). One Nation Under God: A Christian Hope for American Politics.
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