THE THEOLOGY OF WORK
Pst. Vlad Savchuk
We first meet God in the Bible as a worker, a creator
o His first attribute in the Bible is a creator
o As His imagers we are also workers and creators
Genesis 2:2-3
o God’s work didn’t give him a paycheck, but it gave Him
satisfaction
o Psalms says that God’s works praise Him, they declare His
nature and qualities
o God finds joy, honor and pride in His work
Our God is a hardworking God – John 5:17
o Jesus is also a hard worker
o We have a Father who is always working
o God has put dignity in work.
o Jesus spent most of His earthly life doing manual labor.
Three important points
i. God created man to work with Him in the world
Four types of workings: Work against God, Work without
God, Work for God, and Work with God.
God intended us to work with Him, and not just for Him.
Our work should be a collaboration between us and God.
God made the Garden, Adam managed it. God created
animals; Adam named them. God placed seeds in a man
and eggs in a woman, and we work to reproduce.
Psalm 115:16
Work was created by God initially not for a paycheck, but
for a purpose. Adam never needed a paycheck.
A job is what gives you a paycheck, but work gives you
purpose.
We were made in the image of the worker.
If you stop working you forfeit purpose.
Pleasure is often against work and purpose. – Gen 1:28
Job doesn’t give you a meaning, purpose and work does it.
1 Cor 3:9, Col 1:29 – We are co-workers with God.
We were created to work, created to make things happen.
There is a pleasure in working with God, it even
strengthens our relationship with Him.
Every work is significant, as long as it is done with God,
even if it doesn’t change the world.
Working with physical stuff, building, farming, etc. are as
important as working with spiritual stuff.
We were entrusted with the world to manage it with God,
so whatever earthly work we do is valuable and it’s a part
of fulfilling our responsibility.
Work is part of our partnership with God.
ii. When sin entered the world, and it right away entered the
workspace.
Genesis 3 – After man sinned, sin entered the home and
the workspace
Before sin, man was to eat from the garden, after sin, man
had to eat from the ground
Genesis 4 – The first murder happens at the workplace.
Jacob got most of his troubles in the workplace. Joseph got
tempted and harassed in the workplace.
People are broken, and as long as we work with people,
we’ll face challenges.
iii. We are not saved by good works, we are saved for good works
Ephesians 2:8-10
We are saved by Jesus’ finished work, grace!
We are saved to do good works
If you don’t bring the gospel in your workplace, you’ll miss
God’s working inside of you.
Titus 2:9-10 Living the gospel in our workplaces.
We might not be able change the whole system in our
workplaces, but we can infect the system by being the salt
in whatever position we find ourselves in, a good example
is Joseph as a slave in Egypt.
We cannot change the world with our opinions, but with
the gospel.
If the gospel changes us, we’ll change our world with it.
If you work with God as your boss, you will receive not
just the paycheck, but also a reward.
Colossians 3:23-25 – Whatever you do… “Our attitude
towards our work is more important than the work itself”
God is watching what you do, and He’ll reward you.
Our provisions are not from our work, but from our God.
We should put our trust in God than in our works, we
should work as though onto God.
God knows how to provide and protect, trust Him.
The gospel teaches us to work with an eye towards
obedience, and not towards a paycheck.
If you work with God as your boss, you will receive not
only a paycheck, but also a reward.
All legitimate work is an act of worship – there is no such
a thing as secular and sacred work.
Martin Luther reformer revolutionized Christian
perspective on work. He viewed work as a very sacred
matter.
Another good example is a guy named Robert G.
LeTourneau a machinery builder.
When you retire from your job, you should not retire from
your work. – Numbers 8:26, 1Tim 5:6
Turn your job into your work for God.
o Work with God, but also allow God to work in you at your work.
o What if your job is also God’s factory – What is God decided to
use our workplace as a place to work on our character.
o God gives us special skills for building His kingdom - Exodus
31:3
o Working is how we wait for Jesus’ return.
