(LifeSiteNews) — I was walking out of my office at lunch time, and I saw a lady from our church walking with a cane. I was shocked and confused because I had never seen her walk with a cane before. As it turns out she had just been to see adult social services. She was faking a disability so that she could claim benefits without having to work.
What brought this about? A societal view that work is a curse and the belief that people are entitled to benefits. In the United Kingdom, millions of people claim “jobseeker” benefits, many of whom can work.
While there are genuine claimants, the sad fact is that many people fake not being able to work, fake a disability or drag out their job search for years. This cultural sin has crept into the church with many Christians doing the same. Many Christians are equally guilty of viewing work as a curse that we should avoid. If I am honest, I often view work as a burden too and wish I did not have to work.
So, what is the Biblical view of work?
Work is a gift from God, not a curse
God created work. It was part of his plan for people from the beginning. Many Christians mistakenly think that work is a result of the fall. However, God put Adam in the garden to work and keep the garden BEFORE his fall into sin. Genesis 2:15 says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
We are doing our work for God and His glory
God wants us to do our work to the best of our ability. In Colossians 3:22–24, Paul commands us to work hard and follow our manager’s instructions, not just when they are watching us, but always. We should work with the mindset that God is our boss, and we are doing our work for Him and His glory, not just for our manager.
We should seek to be good and successful employees
God wants us to do our best in our work, seeking to be good and successful employees. Here are some guidelines from Proverbs regarding what one should do in work:
- Develop skill in your work and know that it will not go unnoticed (Proverbs 22:29).
- Be diligent in your work to ensure your promotion and satisfaction in your work (Proverbs 12:24).
- Be diligent in your planning, and not too hasty in getting things done (Proverbs 21:5).
- Prioritize your work and life (Proverbs 24:27).
- Work hard because our hard work will be blessed and provide for our needs. On the other hand, talk and ideas on its own, without doing anything will lead to nothing (Proverbs 14:23).
There are also guidelines in Proverbs regarding what not to do in work:
- Do not be lazy, for it will irritate your employer or manager (Proverbs 10:26).
- Do not slack off and be sloppy in your work because it will ruin your company / employer. It might also destroy your reputation and your ability to keep your job (Proverbs 18:9).
We should have the right priorities for work
- Righteousness, not riches, should take priority in our work and our pursuit of work. Our main purpose for working should not be to acquire wealth. After all, wealth can go at any moment anyway (Proverbs 11:4, 28 and 23:4-5).
- We should not seek to get rich or even make an income through injustice. It is better to have a small amount of money gained through honest and righteous means than to be rich off the backs of others through unjust and wicked tactics (Proverbs 16:8).
- God wants us to be honest, positive, and humble in work and in our pursuit of work, including in how we portray ourselves on our CV and in interviews.
- We should keep work in its proper balance, along with family, church, ministry, and community.
God wants us to work to provide for ourselves and for our families
One of our priorities for working should be to provide for ourselves and for our families. In Proverbs we learn that we need to work if we want to live, eat, and provide for ourselves and our families. If you are hardworking and attentive in your work, you will see the fruits of your labor and you will be able to provide for your family. We are warned against pursuing leisure activities instead of work (Proverbs 12:11, 16:26, 27:23-27).
On the other hand, in 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul teaches us that if we do not provide for our household and relatives, we have denied our faith in God and we are worse than an unbeliever because even unbelievers provide for their family.
God has commanded those who are able to work
In both the Old and New Testament God commands his people to work and warns against the consequences of laziness. In II Thessalonians 3:6-12, Paul instructs the people to work and not be idle. Paul talks about the ethic of work, saying we should work hard, rather than being lazy. We should also not take a paycheck for not working. In this passage, Christians are commanded to keep away from idle people. Paul says that if anyone is not willing to work, he or she should not eat. These are extraordinarily strong and even shocking statements to hear within our modern political and cultural context, but they outline the seriousness with which the Bible views work.
In Proverbs we learn that laziness has the following consequences:
- When people get into a pattern of not working, being lazy becomes extremely attractive (Proverbs 6:6-11)
- Laziness leads to poverty (Proverbs 10:4)
- Laziness brings shame (Proverbs 10:5)
- Lazy people are selfish, and their laziness leads to death (Proverbs 21:25-26).
In contrast, the righteous person works hard and gives to others selflessly.
So, the next time your heart is leading you to groan and moan about work, to avoid work, to be slack at work or to think of work as a curse, remember that God has created work as a gift for our good and for His glory.
