How Should I Work in Light of the Gospel?
by Greg Wood
”… and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
… Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” – Ephesians 4:23-24,28
Is the world irreparably broken? Does my work have any hope of being truly fruitful? Can the gospel inform my motivation, purpose, and approach to work?
Apart from Christ, there is no hope for this world, and our labors are in vain. But the gospel of Christ changes everything! That’s what we want to examine in this post: When the gospel renews us as image bearers, the “why” and the “how” of our work will be changed.
In Part I we were reminded that God Himself works, and that work is therefore good. Genesis 1:31-2:3 shows us that God worked to put creation into place, including making man and woman in His own image.
Work was also an important part of God’s design for mankind.
As God worked, Humanity (the Image of God) is to work
A glorious thing happens in Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:5,15. There we see that God makes the first humans, male and female, in the Image of God. Mankind is in the image and likeness of God. Then God blesses them, bestowing upon them unique capacities:
To be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.
To subdue the earth, and have dominion over the other living beings.
Be fruitful… multiply… fill… subdue… this is the language of working! Labor with results, with fruit, whether that takes the form of a product, a service, or a child who knows and follows God. The use of the earth’s resources for good is included in the language “subdue” and “have dominion.”
Furthermore, this directive shows that God distinguishes the role of man and animal. He has enabled us as humans to be distinct from the beasts, birds, fish, and plants. Adam and Eve were sent with the idea, “Go out there and embody the image of God, not the image of a beast!"
But what does it mean that God created mankind in His image? As Gerald Bray writes, “The image of God is the special status that all human beings have as those made to reflect our Creator’s character and commissioned to carry out his purposes in the world.”
Adam and all his descendants were endowed with capacities that set them apart from other creatures. Adam served as a special representative, reflecting the character of God and fulfilling His purposes in the world. As he represented all of humanity before God, he was also tasked with representing God before all of creation, like a little king. Not only was Adam to work as God worked, but he was to execute the work in the same manner as God would and carry out God’s commands, for God is the Great King.
With regard to work, the creation narrative shows us that the image of God was to do the following:
Serve as God’s representative in all of our labors;
Be fruitful as a steward of God’s gift of creation, putting His resources to good use;
Subdue the chaos that lingered in creation;
Exercise our dominion as stewards who are under God’s dominion;
Establish a work and rest rhythm, akin to God's pattern of six days of work followed by one day of rest.
Regrettably, the image of God faltered in his duty to subdue. While work is not a direct consequence of the Fall, work was undoubtedly impacted by it with the curse of toil. Work, in itself, is not to be the same thing as toil. Toil is that hardship that resulted from the fall of mankind into sin which makes us less fruitful than we should be.
Work (and all of creation) was impacted by the Fall
Adam's failure to fulfill his role as the image bearer allowed chaos, embodied by the serpent, to infiltrate the Garden. Adam didn't subdue him as he should have, and had he done so decisively, our story might have unfolded quite differently. Eve succumbed to temptation and disobeyed God's command given to Adam for all of humanity.
Was it all over at that point? Not necessarily! Adam still had an opportunity to set things right. He could have resisted temptation and taken responsibility for Eve's actions. The narrative would have been drastically altered. How do we know? Look at Jesus: He did what Adam should have done.
The good news makes renewed image-bearers
Jesus was the perfect Image of God who took on flesh to rescue His bride, the church, from the death brought about by our sin. He lived as the perfect man, even saying in essence, “Father, punish me instead of my sinful bride.”
This was a righteous offer that the Father was pleased to reward. Jesus bore the penalty for His bride, yet He wasn't left in death. God raised Him on the third day, and forty days later, exalted Him to the right hand of the throne over the universe. Now the one in whom all the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell, the perfect image bearer, rules and reigns, representing God to the entire universe.
This gospel changes everything! It may not happen instantaneously, but it does indeed transform everything.
It redeems us from sin, welcoming us back into God’s family.
It offers us a bright future when Jesus returns to claim His bride for eternity.
It reshapes our approach to work.
Let’s work as renewed image bearers
First, we are to be renewed in the image of Christ.
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1–2)
What were the ways of the world which we were following before surrendering to Jesus?
We didn’t worship and serve God in our work
Our minds were veiled to God as our Creator who works and works through us
We treated work as everything, an idol
Our work was done to serve our self-interests, often at the expense of the good of others
Or we treated work as nothing, acting in sloth
But God! By union with Christ in His crucifixion, we are to forsake our old worldly ways of godlessness, and live in light of God renewing His image in us. What might this look like?
How do we work as renewed image bearers?
Work as an imitator of God. Do what God does with His purpose. Work with love.
No longer are we working for selfish pleasures or at the expense of others. We no longer profit from deceit or evil practices. Instead, we seek work that benefits others, creating honest products that serve and uplift. We labor to please God, not to grieve Him. When we work with rhythms that include rest but not idleness, as the Lord did in Creation with six days of work and one for rest, we honor Him and trust His design for us.
Work at something that does good for others.
Seek work that aligns with ethical standards. This might mean not extracting every possible benefit from a job. It means being honest on your timecard. We should never exploit the vulnerable or sell products that are harmful. We work with the perspective that it is a means to help others, but not as if it is something for which everything should be sacrificed.
Work to bring about the kingdom.
Just as God is actively working to establish His kingdom on earth, let us be engaged in this mission through our jobs, our leisure time, and our everyday interactions. We carry out the Great Commission, making disciples as we go. As renewed image bearers, we can work to help others thrive, whether they are customers, bosses, or co-workers. Plus, our worship exhibits the kingdom as present in the world, and when we work as unto the Lord, we work to bring about the kingdom.
All these are ways the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Bible that God wants His people to be renewed. In brief, all this activity as a new creation in Christ manifests in us being imitators of God as beloved children.
Conclusion
How I Should Approach Work in Light of the Gospel? – By remembering we are image bearers of the God who works.
I will leave you with one actionable takeaway: Approach your work not as a curse, but as an opportunity to represent God in the place He has assigned you by loving people in Jesus’ name. May the Lord bless us as we do so!