If work is so important, and every Christian is engaged in it, and we spend most of our waking hours doing it, then why is the Bible overwhelmingly focused on pastoral and church issues? There are detailed instructions for elders and deacons, for how to conduct the Lord’s Supper and how to care for the widow—and all of that is good and important. But if our work is such a big deal, why aren’t there more scripture passages that directly address it?
For the writer, I first want to say thanks for the question. It’s a good one, and it seems to include a deeper question behind the question: how would God have me work out my faith in my day-to-day labor?
As we turn to the Bible, one clear pattern I see is that there is no ‘playbook’—do this, do that, and your work glorifies God. The absence of direct instruction is the instruction. And work isn’t the only domain that falls under this category. Whether you’re thinking about how to have a good marriage, how to parent, how to take care of your physical body, or how to make decisions, there are few places in scripture that give a specific word. But if you look at the whole of scripture, you can see patterns and examples that answer these questions—including the question about work.
With that as a lens, I want to highlight a few places where these patterns show up—and how they’re more instructive than just instruction.
Your Work Right Now
You can’t get out of the first chapter of Genesis without seeing the glimmers of what God intends for our work:
Genesis 1:26: God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
As we look through the Old Testament, a theme emerges that follows this creation mandate: people use the gifts that God has given them at the place and time he’s put them in.
Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Bezalel and Oholiab, “and all the skilled craftspeople” (Ex. 36:1) use their work in a specific place and time. Moses’ father-in-law Jethro is arguably the father of organizational design. Priests do all kinds of things from helping fight infectious disease to ensuring buildings are built to code.
A pattern emerges: God gives people an opportunity to use their gifts in a way, in a time, for the furthering of his kingdom and service of his people. As they do the everyday tasks of tending sheep, running a prison, or sewing temple curtains, it doesn’t seem like much progress is being made. But from this distance, we can see they were (and we are) contributing to a much bigger work.
The Purpose of Work
Further on in the Old Testament, we get more tactical patterns for how to think about work, the seasons of work, and the purpose of work.
The Teacher (Kohelet) in Ecclesiastes gives an unflinching but ultimately redemptive look at the more painful quandaries of work and life—without God it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. The seasons for everything in Ecclesiastes 3 paint a picture of rhythms for life and work that are essential for our effectiveness and thriving. The book of Proverbs also has many nuggets of wisdom—guidance on the benefits of being diligent, smart with resources, and purposeful in your work activities, among other things.
You could pluck a single thread out of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs for instruction about work, but their broader tapestry is about being a thoughtful steward of the many and varied experiences of work as a whole.
Work for Christ
Another pattern emerges in the New Testament. The early church is mixing and melding, and the apostles are trying to give pastoral guidance to their fledgling churches. Inevitably the topic of ‘how should we live?’ comes up.
Paul writes to the Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23–24).
Paul doesn’t say “whatever you do, except for non-church work . . .” The phrase whatever you do is sweeping. Your work is service to Christ, regardless of what it is. Elsewhere, Paul says to work hard, but don’t work for the sake of just working: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thess. 4:11–12).
And here is the answer to the questions of the Old Testament—why are we doing this work? What does it matter if we do it well?
The work that God gave us, that without him is meaningless, is meant to give glory to Christ.
Glory to Christ
Our work glorifies Christ because he is our example of what it means to live out an ultimate Work—the work of salvation by means of his death and resurrection. The author of Hebrews sums it up this way, “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1b-2).
Jesus had work to do. Hard work. Ultimate work. Work we could never do ourselves. And he did it with perseverance, looking to the joy ahead and the reward of being at the right hand of God.
Our work is not salvific. But as the “pioneer and perfecter,” Jesus set an example of fully and perfectly completed work. We can aspire to endurance and perseverance in whatever work we do if we have a savior and paragon in Jesus’ saving work.
New Work
By God’s grace, he’s given us work to do. The absence of instruction—a playbook, a syllabus, a step-by-step guide—is our clue that the general sanctification the Bible calls for also applies to our work. Be self-controlled. Don’t lie or cheat. Give generously. Be gentle, peace-loving, joyful.
As our souls look more like Jesus, our lives change. We become better spouses, better friends, better children, better parents—and better employers and employees.
God loves you and cares about how you live your life. In your work, use your gifts, work your best, persevere, and give glory to God in all the vain days of your life (Ecc. 1:1).
