SERIES: Colossians: Christ is the Answer
“Work” Is Not a Four-Letter Word
SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:22-4:1; Ephesians 6:5-9; I Peter 2:13-23
SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus
Introduction: I have often heard it said that there are two God-ordained institutions in the pages of Scripture—the church and the home. Then last week I read an article that stated, “God has established three basic institutions: the home, the church, and government.” I believe both views are wrong. As I read the Bible, there are actually four God-ordained institutions. And what is the fourth? Not Bible Study Fellowship or the Republican Party or Sixty Minutes. It’s work.
Work is not a 4-letter word, as some people seem to think; it’s a divinely established institution. Nor does it constitute the “secular” part of our lives, which must be endured so that the “sacred” might be enjoyed. We could not survive in any meaningful fashion, and chaos would reign, if it weren’t for work; it is God-ordained, God-blessed, and God-regulated. Let’s begin today with
Some presuppositions regarding work
Work was God’s plan for man even before the entrance of sin into the world. (Gen. 2:15) In the first chapter of Genesis God Himself set the pattern by working six days creating the physical universe. Then in the second chapter we read, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” However, …
Work was drastically affected by the entrance of sin. (Gen. 3:17-19) In the third chapter of Genesis God said to Adam (after the Fall): “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground.” The implication is that work was once entirely pleasurable. No sweat, no tiredness, no boring sameness.
Imagine it! If you were a salesman before the Fall, there would be no rejections—every call would result in a sale. If you were a teacher every pupil would come to class with his homework done. If you were a housewife and mother every word of direction to your children would be immediately accepted with loving submission. If you were a doctor every examination would result in a complete diagnosis and every prescription an immediate cure (actually there wouldn’t be any doctors because there wouldn’t be any sickness). But then sin entered into the world and everything changed. Work became toil, and terms like “salt mine” and phrases like, “getting back to the grind” became part of the human vocabulary.
By the way, the fact that work was an important aspect of the human condition before the Fall is a strong hint to me that it will also be the same in Heaven, after the effects of the Fall are removed. If you’re expecting to one day strum idly on a harp while floating on a cloud, you may be in for a surprise.
But even with work taking a dive because of the entrance of sin into the world, the Scriptures indicate that …
Work is nevertheless an essential part of a satisfying life. (Ex. 20:9; Prov. 6:6-11; 14:23; 19:15; 22:29; 2 Thes. 3:6-15) Consider some of these Scriptures:
Exodus 20:9: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.” Isn’t it curious how much attention we’ve given to the one day that is a day of rest and how little to the fact that we are to work six days.
Proverbs 6:10-11: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.”
Proverbs 14:23: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Proverbs 19:15: “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.”
Proverbs 22:29: “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”
2 Thes. 3:6-13: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busy bodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers never tire of doing what is right.”
Obviously, if these passages are taken seriously, work is not optional in God’s economy.
Work is not “secular.” (23) Listen to verse 23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Larry Peabody has written a fine little book entitled Secular Work is Full-time Service. His thesis is that a false dichotomy has been made between the sacred and the secular, which in turn, has produced a schizoid lifestyle in which Christians frantically search for sacredness through teaching a Sunday School class, or serving as an usher during “extra” hours, while attempting to support the family, the church, and government through their secular work life.
The only other alternative seems to be to abandon the secular work world and become another “full-time minister” himself, who, of course, has to be financially supported by others who spend the bulk of their productive lives in that secular work world he has just abandoned.
The fact is, the Bible does not distinguish between secular and spiritual, but rather between temporal and eternal. Secular is spiritual if you are living for the eternal. Spiritual is secular if you are living for the temporal. Many of you are representing Jesus Christ to men and women in the marketplace as His priests, and this is what the ministry is all about, every bit as much as if you were preaching every Sunday morning to a large crowd. Eight to five Monday through Friday is spiritual, because your goals are eternal. Your vocation is your pulpit.
Man’s most basic problems are not economic or social or political, but spiritual. (Col. 3:22-4:1) You have undoubtedly noticed that our text is addressing slaves and masters, not employees and employers. These slaves were individuals who were owned, over whom their masters had virtually complete control. Such servitude is revolting to us today, and I think, quite likely, it was also revolting to Paul and to Peter. But you won’t find here a single direct word spoken against the institution of slavery, nor will you find such anywhere in the NT.
Before becoming embarrassed about that, however, please note that Paul was careful to instruct Christian slaves to secure their freedom if they could (1 Cor. 7:21); however, he did not advocate rebellion or the overthrow of the existing order. Ultimately the reason is that the Apostles never considered man’s basic problems to be economic or social or political, but rather spiritual in nature. You see, slavery was universal in the first century. In fact, it is estimated by historians that more than half of all the people in the Roman Empire were slaves. For Paul to divert his attention to attacking the institution of slavery would have been tantamount to abandoning his first love (the preaching of the Gospel), and it would have meant the death-knell of the Church.
What Paul chose to do instead is to apply biblical principles to the institution of slavery which, if practiced, would allow both the slave and the master to live meaningful, productive lives that were pleasing to God. After all, Christianity is a faith that can be practiced by people in all stations of life. Besides, the only sure way to permanently correct the social ills of a period is to change the people of that period. As has been often observed, “The heart of every problem is the problem of the heart.” [i]
And since Paul chose to apply principles rather than speak to the specific issues of slavery, we are able to apply those same principles to our modern labor-management situation. The principles are universal, though the times are different. Let’s turn, then, from our presuppositions to …
The practical responsibilities of labor (workers)
Recognize the extensive authority of management. (22; Eph. 6:5; 1 Peter 2:18). In verse 22 Paul states, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything.” The universal I see here is that management has extensive, God-ordained authority over labor. If management chooses to incorporate labor into the decision-making process and even to delegate certain decisions to labor, that is good and probably very wise (as the Japanese have shown), but the authority still lies with management.
Eph. 6:5 states the same strong view of management’s authority: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” And 1 Peter 2:18 adds an important detail—this prerogative does not only apply to sensitive, kind, fair management, but even to managers who are harsh and unfair. Listen: “Submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.”
Now this should not be interpreted as meaning that a Christian should never participate in a strike or never appeal to the union steward to settle a grievance or never use the courts to protect his rights. Those are legitimate tools the slave didn’t have, so Paul didn’t discuss them; neither, of course, did he discuss the option we have of quitting and finding a different job, because slaves couldn’t quit. But despite the greater freedom workers enjoy today, the underlying truth is that the boss is the boss.
However, we cannot go so far as to suggest that management’s authority over labor is absolute. It is not, any more than is the husband’s authority over his wife or the parent’s over the child. In every relationship in life, our submission is tempered by a higher priority, namely obedience to God. We must obey God rather than man. And if an employer asks a worker to lie or steal or cheat or sell an inferior product, or if the employer practices sexual harassment or racial discrimination, then the employee not only has the right, but even the obligation to object and refuse.
Show the boss your respect. (1 Peter 2:18, Eph. 6:5) Both 1 Peter 2 and Eph. 6 add to the expectation of obedience the expectation of respect. Just as in the case of children and their parents, it is possible for one to obey without showing honor and respect, but God requires both. Last week a man in this church was sharing with me an experience at work where an employee was causing him significant grief. She was not violating any company policies and she was getting her work done, so there was nothing he could report to the District Manager, but she was refusing to show him respect, and he was struggling with how to handle it. Scripture says to her, “Obey your earthly masters with respect.”
Avoid loafing and politicking. (22) God requires us to work, “not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor.” It’s human nature to work harder when the boss is watching than when he’s not; to get to work on time when he’s in town and late when he’s not; to concentrate when he’s there but to waste time talking to fellow workers when he’s not. That’s all human nature, but it’s not the Christian way. The Christian has no business being a clock watcher.
One of the biggest timewasters in the world is plain old talking. I have known people who wasted literally half the working day talking. And they weren’t usually talking to themselves, so that means they were probably wasting half of someone else’s day as well. Such behavior is disallowed in verse 22. Not only that, but the Christian employee also has no right to use his employer’s time even to evangelize. You are not paid to be an evangelist. Using your employer’s time that way is a form of theft. The end does not justify the means.
Now I didn’t say you couldn’t witness. In fact, you have to witness—you can’t help it. You are always either a positive or a negative witness. And the most positive witness an employee can give is to be the most industrious, honest, reliable, trustworthy employee the boss has. I think that’s exactly what Peter had in mind when he wrote in 1 Peter 2:15, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.”
Work enthusiastically. (23) “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” Pour yourself into it. Give it all you’ve got. You owe it to yourself, to your employer, and, most of all, to the Lord. Something that might revolutionize the work habits for many of us is to consciously imagine that we are working, not for our foreman or our manager or our boss but rather for the Lord, for that is, in fact, the truth. The sentence at the end of verse 24 is one that could well be placed on any businessman’s desk or housewife’s ironing board or professor’s briefcase, or taxi driver’s dashboard: “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
However, the apostle’s teaching here is not a call to workaholism. Capitalism is easily perverted to the worship of work, providing a theological cover for addiction to wealth, power, and exploitation. That is not encouraged here.
Incidentally, while Christians ought to be the best of workers, even that can sometimes create problems. Just this week I read about a man who was fired from his job for working too hard. He was earning money to go to college, and he wanted to give the employer a good day’s work each day. But his zeal was showing up the laziness of some of the other employees—and they started fighting back. One of them falsely accused the man of something and he was fired. He lost his job but he kept his character.
Keep the ultimate results in mind. (24-25)
God rewards faithful service, even when men don’t. There have been times in the lives of all of us, (and some of you are going through it right now) when you have worked very hard but have not been properly rewarded for it. You may have been cheated out of a raise you deserved, or summarily fired for something that was someone else’s fault, or been edged out of a promotion by someone who played politics better than you did. Perhaps you are asking yourself, “Is it all worth it? What do you get for breaking your neck for the company?”
Remember Tennessee Ernie Ford and his song, “Sixteen Tons”? The most memorable words were, “Sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.” Well, verse 24 tells you what you get: “You will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” Back in Wichita I was once given a plaque by a parishioner which humorously described pastorate: “The pay’s not much, but the retirement benefits are out of this world.”
God doesn’t promise you that you will be rewarded by your employer, but he does promise you that you will be rewarded. The only problem is that some of us don’t like to wait. We’re like the Prodigal Son in that we want our inheritance now. Well, if you insist, God may allow you to have it now, but at the expense of later. Nothing goes unwitnessed by the Lord and nothing well done is ever done in vain. You may receive only criticism and misunderstanding now, but God will balance the books later.
God judges impartially even when men don’t. Look at verse 25: “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.” We may think we’ve got the wool pulled over the boss’s eyes. We may have the security that the union won’t allow us to be fired for merely wasting time on the job. We may believe that our padded expense accounts are so well hidden they will never be discovered. But God knows about all these things and “whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap.” Perhaps you’ve heard a lazy employee say in defense of his own loafing, “Oh well, it all pays the same.” It doesn’t.
Let me ask you to do a bit of figuring in your head. Assume your work contract calls for 8 hours of pay for 8 hours of work. Take the amount of money you actually received for your 2080 hours of work last year. Add to it any money your boss cheated you out of by various means and the hours you voluntarily worked but for which you were never paid. Now deduct all the pay which you received but for which you didn’t work because of talking, extra-long breaks, daydreaming, etc.
When all the figuring is done will you be better off or worse off? You will be one or the other because an impartial judge is going to see to it. I can’t promise you that all of His rewards and deductions will be financial, but I can promise you they will be real. And what should you do now if you’ve been guilty? Friends, repentance and restitution is always God’s way of dealing with sin.
As we turn our attention briefly from the slave to the master, from the employee to the employer, we are reminded once again that the Scriptures are incredibly balanced. No word for the wives without a word also for the husbands. No demands for the children without demands for the parents. And Paul doesn’t put all the burden on labor either—he has something to say to management as well, but not as much. Why? Probably because there were more slaves in the church at Colosse than managers. In fact, you may recall this letter was carried from Paul in prison to Colosse by a runaway slave named Onesimus, whom Paul was returning to his master Philemon, but with specific instructions to Philemon that a new relationship between slave and master was expected since they were now both brothers in Christ.
The practical responsibilities of management
Treat workers justly and fairly. (4:1) “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair.” If employers would follow the principle of just this one verse, there would be no need for unions or for strikes or for the NLRB. Let me ask those of you who are in management, “Do you pay your employees properly, as compared to yourself? Do your employees get enough vacation time, or just the bare minimum? Are you rewarding creativity and productivity? Are you paying female employees the same as male employees for comparable work, even if your company is exempt from federal scrutiny?”
Avoid intimidating workers. (Eph. 6:9) Ephesians 6:9 calls upon management to “give up threatening.” It’s a natural human tendency to throw our weight around when we get into a position of authority. But threats and intimidation are rarely good motivators; pragmatically, they just don’t work well. People more often than not rebel when intimidated. It’s far better to let an employee know what’s expected of him, give him time to learn how to do it, grant him mercy for a few failures, and then replace him if necessary, than it is to deliver threats which you and he both know you’re probably not going to carry out.
Treat your workers as you want to be treated. (Eph. 6:9). “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” The implication is that since you obviously want to be treated right and fair by the Lord, you should treat your employees the same way. In Eph. 6:9 this is made even more explicit: “Masters, treat your slaves in the same way (i.e., the same way you’d like to be treated). Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in Heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” In essence the message here is the same as the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have then do unto you,” only with a slight modification: “Do unto others as you would have the Lord do unto you.”
It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking of slaves and masters, or of top-level and middle level management, or of sergeants and privates, or of foremen and laborers. It still stands true that all Christians are in the same boat before Christ—we are all bondslaves to Him. Our common obligation to Christ takes precedence over our obligations to one another and tempers our interpersonal relations with His love, His compassion, and His sweet reasonableness.
You see, if I accept the fact that I am a servant to Christ, just as my employees are, it should not be nearly as difficult to see my responsibility to treat them with a Christ-like attitude.
Conclusion: We’ve talked a lot about work today and its high status in God’s economy. But there’s one thing work can’t achieve, no matter how diligent we may be. Do you know what it is? You can’t work for and earn an eternal relationship with God. And yet without that relationship you’re going to find yourself totally unable to carry out the principles that have been given to us about work.
A relationship with God must be established by faith, not works. Salvation is a gift which God freely gives to those who come to Him by faith in Jesus Christ. They must come acknowledging their sin and their total inability to save themselves. They must accept the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
You know I live in a “two-boss world.”
Conflicting voices call for my allegiance,
but yours is the one I choose to obey.
Help me to please you today by
upholding your standards,
resisting temptation,
and faithfully representing you
in all I do.
I claim the promise of your presence this day
as I go about my work.
Christ, you are my ultimate authority.
Amen.[ii]
DATE: March 22, 1992
Tags:
Work
The Fall
Labor
Management
Slavery
[i] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Complete, 134.
[ii] David Maines, Ultimate Authority Prayer.