Forming a Theology of....

Forming a Theology of Work- 
      Living out our work life for the glory of God

   A few months back I started a personal study series I called "Forming a Theology of....". My aim was to 'search the scriptures' and to 'work out my salvation'. I wanted to build up a biblical worldview, covering- in the fulness of time- a whole range of topics.
 
    I began, rather naively, with the topic of 'God'.

    That took some time.

    Since then, my study certainly hasn't been exhaustive, in fact it has hardly scratched the surface of the vast depths of God's written word. Years ago, in a physics lesson, we were shown a cross section of the earth, marked on it was the deepest mine shaft dug by mankind. It was a speck. Our attempts to fathom the word of God are like this. Even the greatest scholar would have to admit: there is still a long way to go!

    Why is this?

    I've recently been reading a fantastic book by Graeme Goldworthy called 'Gospel and Kingdom'. I would highly recommend it*. In it Goldworthy helps us to understand why finding answers in the Bible can seem like such hard work. The Bible, he says, is not a text book with an easy-use index. If we found a simple answer to 'How much money should I tithe?' under 'T' for tithe, then we wouldn't need to prayerfully search through God's word, trying to learn from Jesus' example or by understanding the role of grace in a believer. The Bible wasn't written as a glorified dictionary of Christianity, rather its fundamental aim is to make us grow.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

    Sometimes when we grab our bibles in search of a 'quick fix' to our problems, we instead find ourselves amazed by stories of God's sovereignty and love and fall on our knees in praise and thanksgiving. Gradually, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we may find that we are growing in grace and maturity- even though we might not have found the solution we were originally seeking.

    A text book has never done that to me yet.

   My preamble has served as a longer introduction than I had originally intended! If you are still reading and haven't fallen headfirst into a deep slumber then I congratulate you!

   The intention of this  post is to share with you a biblical 'statement', explanation, or expression, of the role of work in the life of a believer. I wrote this statement yesterday, after studying the issue of 'Forming a Theology of... Work'. Rather than deciding what I believed and then finding bible verses to back it up, I started from the bible and then formed this 'statement' around the principles and commands I found.

   Feel free to disagree or comment. I would love to hear your thoughts. Keep them biblical though!

 


   God designed man to be working (Genesis 2:15). Through our sin, in the fall, work has now become difficult and sometimes painful (Genesis 3:19). In the New Creation (New Heavens and New Earth) the LORD will restore work to its initial position in our lives (Isaiah 65:21-25) -it will be more fruitful and satisfying than is currently the case.
    While seeking to supply for our earthly requirements (1 Thess 4:11, 2 Thess 3:10-11) we must keep our 'work lives' in perspective; (Eccl 2:18-26) our chief focus in life is the glory of God and not the acquisition of material wealth (Luke 12:13-34). With this in mind, we should exercise Godly contentment with our wages and positions, while still seeking to provide for our families as best as possible (Luke 3:14, Phil 2:14-15).
     In our workplace we find ourselves under the authority of a head figure. They- however badly and whatever their deficiencies may be- are a picture of Christ, the Head of the Church, and therefore must be treated with respect and honour (1 Tim 6:1).
    Work provides two further specific benefits to the believer. Firstly, it aids us in our struggle against sin;  it has been said that 'the devil makes work for idle hands' (2 Thess 3:10-11). Secondly, it gives us a vital opportunity to witness to outsiders whom we might not have otherwise met- both through our godly  actions, ethic and behaviour in the workplace, and also through our conversations with them. (1 Thess 4:11-12, Phil 2:14-15).
    Our attitude in the workplace should be a genuine expression of our love for the LORD and our love for our lost neighbours; it is only possible through a transformed heart, and through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Eph 6:5-9, John 8:38). Our desire, as in all things, is to glorify God (Col 3:17, 1 Cor 10:31).







*The aim of 'Gospel and Kingdom' is to show how the theme of the bible- both old testament and new- is the coming of the Kingdom of God. This, Goldworthy articulates, is the 'good news' of the Gospel message. If, understandably, it looks like a too difficult read to even attempt then Vaughan Robert's book 'God's Big Picture' might be a better place to start (thats what I did!). By his own admission, Robert's book is a simplified version of 'G&K' written to help us understand the message of the Bible.