A Bible Vision for the Workplace
Our chapter on the workplace begins by seeking to understand a biblical vision for the workplace. What is work? Is it a means to an end? Is it necessary? Should it be enjoyable? How much of the time? When should I leave one workplace for another? What we need is a biblical vision for the workplace to understand how to influence the workplace for heaven.
The Workplace is “the environment (1) where God’s image is manifested through individual giftedness, (2) where humanity cultivates and keeps it as unto the Lord, and (3) where humanity flourishes through a healthy work-rest rhythm.
“The environment…
Before the earth suffered from mankind’s sin and therefore curse, it was a place of fellowship, flourishing, and peace. God and man were one. Man and creation were one. The environment was blessed and mankind and creation flourished.
However, with sin came a curse. God said, in Genesis 3, “… Cursed is the ground because of you.” It wasn’t work that was cursed, but the ground. Therefore, “In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
“Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground.”
Work became a challenge, because the ground became a challenge. A new world was opened up for mankind to now image his Creator. It’s a new world full of hardship and toil, but not a place where work is cursed.
…where God’s image is manifested through individual giftedness…
This new environment brought with it new challenges, but the same opportunity to image God through work. When God created the heavens and earth in six days, He did so as a example for mankind. It is through creating, as it were, than mankind images God. This is obviously manifested in the birth of a child, but it is also manifested in the pouring of a well-mixed cup of coffee. As one article put it, “According to Luther, vocation is a “mask of God.” God is milking the cows through the vocation of the milkmaid. God is hidden in vocation. We see the milkmaid or farmer or doctor or pastor or artist. However, looming behind this human mask, God is genuinely present and active in what they do for us” (Vocation: The Theology of the Christian Life, 122). This captures the essence of vocation. God is working through the individual giftedness of mankind to accomplish one aspect of His mission of creating and redeeming.
…where humanity cultivates and keeps it…
To cultivate is to tend and care for. To keep is to maintain and sustain. This was God’s charge for Adam and Eve in the garden. The charge remains. On the other hand is exploitation, or a softer example is overconsumption. Both exploitation and overconsumption return the same results, namely, sickness. When a field is exploited through monoculture planting, herbicide and pesticide control mechanisms, it is robbed of its God-given organic matter and dynamic diversity. When an algorithm is written to exploit the most consumer data, and is driven by a consumption agenda coupled with built-in obsolescence, no one wins. The consumer spends more than he has and the producer gains more than he needs. It’s a vicious cycle.
Therefore, a biblical vision for mankind to cultivate and keep in the workplace is derived from a position of sustainability. The question isn’t, “how much can I consume?” but is, “how can I build structures for others to enjoy in years to come even as I enjoy it now?”
…as unto the Lord…
To work as unto the Lord means I understand at some level what the apostle Paul taught the church in Colossae. Namely, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” The basic premise is that there is an Authority above my earthly authority that will reward me according to my work.
Thus, my ultimate boss or authority is the Lord. My work takes a new aim and purpose. It is to honor my ultimate Authority.
…where humanity flourishes through a healthy work-rest rhythm.”
To flourish means more than to exist. We understand this intuitively. A flower that is flourishing is not drooping or weighed down. Instead, its petals are bolt upright and its flower is reaching splendidly toward the sky.
Flourishing doesn’t happen to us by default. We’re too distracted and too intrigued. We’re too driven and too lazy. We’re too focused on accumulation and accomplishment. There’s just too many aspects of living in the 21st century that keeps us tied to things that ultimately don’t lead to flourishing.
Let me explain. We think that making a certain amount of money will lead to flourishing, but it doesn’t. We think the height of pleasure will lead to flourishing, but it doesn’t. We think having this position or this prestigious reputation will lead to flourishing, but it doesn’t. Look at Hollywood’s marriages. Look at Capitol Hill’s office holders. Look at any human attempting to flourish in the world’s endeavors. In time, it all turns to dust.
That’s why a healthy work-rest rhythm is needed. Without rest, we won’t effectively work. Without work, we won’t understand rest. As Christians, we need to understand that the two are no mutually exclusive, but critical to pursue. When I rest biblically, I am able to work as unto the Lord. When I work as unto the Lord, I am able to rest biblically. This rhythm keeps me in the path of flourishing, and when I flourish all the environments around me have the potential to flourish.
— February 24, 2022