What is a biblical theology of work?

Answer

God created human beings to work. The first instruction God gave Adam was to work, to tend the Garden of Eden «And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. », (Genesis 2:15). Unfortunately, over the centuries, the term work has acquired some negative connotations. Work is often perceived as a challenging or unpleasant activity that we are obligated to carry out. However, work simply involves engaging in physical or mental activity to achieve a purpose or result. Even lifting a spoon to one’s mouth constitutes work. Creating a song or poem to express one’s feelings is also considered work because it is done to achieve a specific outcome. In Western culture, work is commonly associated with one’s profession or means of livelihood, as in “he went to work today,” indicating that “he is employed and will spend the day fulfilling his assigned duties.”

Work was assigned before sin entered the world and is therefore a part of God’s flawless creation. Work was not a consequence of the fall; rather, the fall only made work more challenging (Genesis 3:17-19). Tending Eden was intended to be a delightful and fulfilling task for Adam. He would have taken pleasure in caring for the garden and would have found it meaningful and rewarding. God created Man to delight in work so that He could take pleasure in observing him, just as parents enjoy witnessing their children acquire a new skill or create an art project.

Work helps satisfy man’s need for purpose. Unlike animals, which are driven by instinct and physical needs, human beings are guided by higher motivations. Apart from our physical requirements for survival, we yearn for meaning in our lives. We require a reason to wake up in the morning. We seek to understand why we exist and whether life holds purpose.

Work was designed to fulfill some of those needs.

Work is the means by which we provide for our basic needs and assist others who may not be able to work “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.”, (Ephesians 4:28). Laziness, the consistent avoidance of work, is condemned in Scripture (Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 21:25). We are to accept the work God has assigned to us and show gratitude to Him for granting us the ability to provide for ourselves and our families. Colossians 3:23 states, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” God established the tithe in the Old Testament as a reminder to the people that it was God who was blessing the work of their hands (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:28-29).

Individuals who fail to provide for their families were criticized by the early church “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”, (1 Timothy 5:8). Paul instructed that those who refused to work should not be given food “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”, (2 Thessalonians 3:10). He also reminded the churches that, although he had the right to earn his living solely from his ministry to them, he also worked as a tentmaker to provide for himself (Acts 18:3; Acts 20:34; 1 Thessalonians 2:9).

Jesus worked. It would have been understandable if the Son of God had spent all His time in the temple, discussing Scripture. However, for the first thirty years of His life, Jesus worked with His earthly father, Joseph, as a carpenter (Mark 6:3; Luke 2:51-52).

The biblical theology of work indicates that work was designed by God as man’s earthly occupation. It is the means by which we sustain life and make discoveries about God’s world. We were created in God’s image, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.”, (Genesis 1:27), and God works (Psalm 19:1; John 5:19). His work is creative, purposeful, and thorough; it is enjoyable to Him and beneficial to us, “For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.”, (Psalm 92:4). One day, in the new heaven and the new earth, work will be restored to its pre-fall condition—it will be a fulfillment to us and a blessing to everyone else.