REFORMED WITNESS
Volume VIII, September 2000, Number 9
The Christian and Work
By Rev. Ron Cammenga
From the December 15, 1984, and January 1, 1985, issues of The Standard Bearer.
Labor is an institution of God. Like marriage and government, labor is a creation ordinance. The God Who made man, made man to work. We ought to work. Work is good for us. We should be thankful that we can work. We can be sure that we will work in heaven, in the new creation of God.
God's institution of labor is under serious attack today from many quarters. There is the pleasure-madness that has overrun our society with its inevitable disparaging of work. There is the assault of labor by the modern labor unions which violate every Biblical principle concerning labor. There is the fact that increasingly women are forsaking their God-assigned place in the home and are going outside of the home to work and pursue careers, something we hope to discuss in a future article. There is also, of course, the sinful nature within each one of us that is tempted to rebel against the will of God in the area of labor, is tempted to laziness or carelessness in regard to our work.
There is nothing we so need to be reminded of today as the teaching of God's Word regarding labor. We can be sure that a great many of our present physical and economic problems arise from our failure to observe God's weekly day of rest. But we can also be quite sure that a great many of our economic problems arise from our failure to honor the sanctity of six days of labor. God commands us to labor.
That God calls us to work is plain already from the account of man's creation. Making man in His own image, God made man to work. In Genesis 2:15 we read, "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." God gave man work to do in Paradise. He did not permit the man whom He had created to live in the Garden of Eden doing nothing. But He required of Adam that he keep and dress and care for the Garden.
The first mention of the institution of labor after the fall of man is in the curse pronounced upon Adam. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:17-19).
The understanding of this text is important. The important thing to notice in this Word of God is that the curse pronounced upon Adam is NOT the curse of labor, as some suppose. The curse is the pain and hardship, the frustration and disappointment that will now be connected to man's labor.
We find this echoed in the words of Lamech, the father of Noah, at the time of Noah's birth, when he said concerning the son whom God had given him, "This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29).
The fourth commandment of Gods law stands as the great call of God to the thankful redeemed Christian to labor. It is often forgotten that the fourth commandment is a command to labor as well as to rest. In fact, the command to rest is grounded in and arises out of the command first to labor. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work" (Exodus 20:9). The day of rest has no meaning except as rest from labor. We may be quite certain that the man who disobeys the first aspect of this commandment, who is unfaithful in his work, will never enjoy the benefits and blessedness of the day of rest.
The New Testament is equally clear on the gospel's call to work. In the parables of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27) and of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the Lord calls us to faithful labor in the kingdom. We must not bury our talents or squander our gifts. The Lord's judgment on the unprofitable servant is severe: "Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed hot, and gather where I have not strawed... cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:26, 30).
The teaching of the Apostle Paul parallels the teaching of Christ. In Ephesians 4:28 he says, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." In I Thessalonians 4:11,12 he admonishes the Thessalonian Christians: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing."
One of the clearest passages on the Christian's calling to work is found in II Thessalonians 3. In II Thessalonians 3:6 the Apostle admonishes the believers to "... withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." We might at first suppose that the Apostle is talking here about false doctrine, and that he has in mind our calling to separate from heretics. Or we might think that Paul has in view some gross, unrepented sin like adultery, or idolatry, or theft, or drunkenness. But the disorderliness that the Apostle has in mind here is idleness, laziness. That comes out in verse 11: "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies." The Apostle's judgment on this disorderliness is severe: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat" (verse 10). The churches today, of course, have no use for this judgment of the Apostle. They consider it to be uncharitable and unchristian. And so they launch their massive programs to feed the derelicts and vagrants, and consider that they do a good work. Instead they ought to listen to God's Apostle, "if any would not work, neither should he eat." The sluggard must bear the judgment of God. Our government is guilty of the same thing when it provides welfare for those who are simply too lazy to get and to keep a job.
The positive implications of the Apostle's instruction here are plain. It is a mark of faith in Jesus Christ, an evidence of the sincerity of faith itself, that we labor to earn our living and to provide for the needs of our family. The ethic advanced by the New Testament Scriptures is that Christians ought to work with quietness, and eat their own bread (II Thessalonians 3:12). Idleness is sin. And when that idleness is cloaked in the garb of piety which considers labor somehow incompatible with the requirements of communion with God and devotion to spiritual things, that idleness is only made a more serious sin still.
There are times, of course, when through no fault of our own we are unable to work. Perhaps that's on account of sickness or injury. Or perhaps it is the case that although we are able to work, the work is just not available. There is nothing shameful in this. Then it is God Who prevents us from working. And in that case, God has also provided means for our support, first through the help of relatives (I Timothy 5), and then through the diaconate.
The implication of Scripture's teaching concerning work is also that our work must be good work. The Scripture is not only concerned THAT we work, but its concern extends to HOW we work. In this area of life too, God requires our very best. Our work must not be halfbaked and slipshod. Our work must not be characterized by carelessness and sloppiness, whether this is our work in school, at home, or in the office or factory. The principle that too often governs our work is not how good a job we can do, but how little we can get by with or how quickly we can get finished. If this is the case with us then the great motivation that ought to be in view in all our life is absent in our work: the glory of God.
We ought to work. In our work, every legitimate area of endeavor is open to the believer. Every legitimate form of work is work that the Christian may be engaged in. He may be farmer or factory worker, office worker or plumber, carpenter or garbage collector, policeman or doctor, lawyer or store owner, teacher or preacher, businessman or mayor. The gospel does not forbid any area of legitimate work.
There are, of course, vocations that for one reason or another are closed to the people of God. It is not permitted the child of God to be a professional ball player, both from the point of view of the wrong of devoting oneself to a career in sports and also from the point of view of the desecration of the Sabbath Day by those who are involved in professional sports. It is not permitted God's people to be dancers or movie stars or to pursue careers in which they deliberately and unnecessarily place their life in jeopardy.
There is also work which although in itself is not wrong becomes wrong for the child of God because of circumstances. Perhaps it's the case that the child of God must join the union, something inconsistent with the principles of the fifth commandment. Or perhaps it's the case that in order to have a certain job he must leave a true church for no church at all, or for a church that does not preach the truth. In these cases, the Christian is confronted squarely with his calling to seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). He must not take the job that requires that he join the union or leave the church. It would be wrong for him to do so.
There are also those careers which, although legitimate in themselves, pose certain threats to the child of God. It is permitted for the child of God to be a doctor, or a nurse, or a policeman. It is even permitted that, on account of the work required by these careers, the child of God occasionally be absent from the worship services of the church. The work of these careers is to be considered work of present necessity which is permitted on the Sabbath Day. But there are dangers involved in such careers, dangers which our young people ought not to be unaware of. It is wrong for even those who are engaged in legitimate work on the Sabbath Day on that account always to be absent from the worship services of the church. When such legitimate work becomes a frequent hindrance to worship and the use of the means of grace, the Christian and the consistory of such a Christian must draw the line. It has been said that it is legitimate to pull one's ass out of the ditch on the Sabbath, but it would be wrong to devote one's whole Sabbath to the pulling of asses out of ditches. It's true that from time to time our work may justify our absence from the worship services. But the fact of the matter is that if we're not there, we're not hearing the preaching of the gospel and our faith is not being strengthened.
Next time we want, the Lord willing, to consider our work as a Divine vocation, and we want to discuss the purposes of our labor.
The Christian and Work (2)
In our last article we began to discuss the subject of the Christian and the ordinance of labor. We discussed the institution of labor by God and the teaching of the Scripture regarding the necessity of our working. In this article we want especially to consider the purposes of our labor and consider the truth that no matter what our specific calling in life may be, our labor is a divine vocation.
The first purpose of our labor is certainly that we may be able to provide for the needs of ourselves and of our family. God is the One Who cares for us, giving us all the necessities for our earthly life in the world. But God is pleased to do this ordinarily by our working. Our labor is the God-appointed means by which we receive our daily bread. And, ordinarily, apart from our working we have no reason to expect that God will care for our needs. The money that we need to meet our responsibilities, to pay our bills, to put food on our table, to pay our children's Christian school tuition, to provide housing and clothing for ourselves and our family is money that God gives us by means of our working.
That it is God's purpose to provide for our earthly necessities by our working is plainly the teaching of Scripture. In I Thessalonians 4:11,12 the Apostle enjoins believers to do their own business and to work with their own hands, walking honestly toward them that are without, so that the believers themselves may have lack of nothing. In II Thessalonians 3:10-12 the Apostle commands that they who will not work ought not to eat, and again he admonishes the believers to work with quietness, that is, not complaining, so that they may eat their own bread. In I Timothy 5:8 the Apostle teaches, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." On the basis of passages like these, the Marriage Form instructs husbands, "And since it is God's command, 'that the man shall eat his bread in the sweat of his face,' therefore you are to labor diligently and faithfully, in the calling wherein God hath sent you..."
The second outstanding purpose of our labor is that, besides providing for ourselves, we also might be able to contribute to the support of the ministry of the gospel. The clear teaching of the Scripture is that this is the duty, as well as the blessed privilege, of every Christian. Already in the Old Testament, God's people provided for the support of the ministry of the tabernacle and temple. They did that in various ways. They did that by the tithes that they brought of the annual increase of their flocks and herds. They did that by the many sacrifices which they brought, a portion of which often went to the priests. They did that by the free will offerings, the offerings made in fulfillment of various vows, the gift of the firstfruits, and the payment of what was referred to as the temple tax, the payment to the temple ministry of the half-shekel annually.
Also the New Testament binds upon believers the solemn calling to support the ministry of the Word. The Lord Himself ordains this in Matthew 10:9 & 10, where, after sending out His disciples to preach, He says to them, "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip (i.e., money or currency) for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat." The outstanding passage is I Corinthians 9. There the Apostle teaches that those who sow spiritual things ought to reap the carnal things of God's people (verse 11). And in verse 14 he says explicitly, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."
In harmony with this teaching of Scripture, the Heidelberg Catechism explains that part of our keeping of the Fourth Commandment is "...that the ministry of the gospel... be maintained..." This position is also reflected in the call letter used in our churches: "Convinced that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and to encourage you in the discharge of your duties, and to free you from all worldly cares and avocations while you are dispensing spiritual blessing to us, we... do promise and oblige ourselves to pay you... " a certain amount.
We work, therefore, so that we may be able to contribute to the support of the gospel ministry. Included with the ministry, of course, are all those other causes of God's kingdom to which we are also able to contribute.
The third purpose of our labor is that we may be able to help in the relief of the poor. This ought to be an important motivation to us in our work.
This is the will of God. In Ephesians 4:28 the Apostle exhorts, "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." To the elders of the church at Ephesus, Paul says in Acts 20:35, "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how that he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." For the support and care of the poor, Christ has instituted the office of deacon. The Form Of Ordination Of Elders And Deacons calls the members of the church to uphold the office of deacon: "Provide the deacons with good means to assist the indigent. Be charitable, ye rich, give liberally, and contribute willingly." The Marriage Form not only enjoins husbands to labor diligently so that they may provide for the needs of their own family, but so that they "...likewise have something to give to the poor."
Especially do the young people need to be reminded of their calling to support the ministry and contribute to the relief of the poor. Often, I fear, our young people do not take this responsibility seriously. They may have a good job and earn a good wage, but they contribute little or nothing for the kingdom. The money that they earn is consumed on a car, on pleasure, on a house, on clothing, on an education, on this and on that, so that when the collection plate is passed on Sunday all that's left is a little change in their pocket. This is wrong! Our young people need to be encouraged to give regularly and liberally to the kingdom. And they are in a good position to do so. They do not have all the financial responsibilities that a large family with several children has. God has put them in an ideal position to be of great help in the support of the causes of the kingdom. And if our young people do this, they may be sure that they will be rewarded by God a hundredfold.
The final thing that must be regarded by the believer is that the work and calling which is his in life is a work and calling that he receives from God. Our labor is a divine vocation. We often are inclined to think only of the ministers of the gospel as having a call from God. And although this is true, it is equally true that every believer in the particular position which he occupies and labor which he performs has a call from God.
The fact of the matter is that it is only as we have a proper sense of our labor as a divine vocation, will we also have a proper sense of our responsibility diligently to carry it out. When our work becomes drudgery, when our work involves hardship, when the conditions imposed upon us are oppressive, when we are tempted to individual or organized rebellion against our employer, when we are tempted to recompense evil on the part of our employer with the evil of careless work on our part, then we need to remind ourselves of the words of the Apostle in Colossians 3:23 and 24: "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."
In Ephesians 6:5-7 the Apostle lays his finger on the cardinal vice of our labor: we do it to please men. "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." Men-pleasing takes many forms. Even when the best job is done, if the only purpose is to please men, to receive the compliments and praise of men, we violate the fundamental principle of labor: "with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men."
Each of us must consider his work a calling from the Lord, whether that's mother in the home teacher in the school, worker in the factory, businessman, farmer, doctor, lawyer, minister of the Word. God assigns to each his or her own position. God is the one Who gives to us the gifts and talents that are ours for the work which we are called to do. Since our work itself is provided us by God, since our strength and ability to do the work comes from God, our work itself ought to be done to the glory of God.
Calvin writes:
It is to be remarked that the Lord commands every one of us, in all the actions of life, to regard his vocation. For he knows with what great inquietude the human mind is inflamed, with what desultory levity it is hurried hither and thither, and how insatiable is its ambition to grasp different things at once. Therefore, to prevent universal confusion being produced by our folly and temerity, he has appointed to all their particular duties in different spheres of life. And that no one might rashly transgress the limits prescribed, he has styled such spheres of life vocations, or callings. Every individual's line of life, therefore, is, as it were, a post assigned him by the Lord...
(Institutes, III, x, 6.)
May God give us the grace to regard our work as our calling from the Lord. In our work, may we labor "heartily, as unto the Lord." By means of our labor, may we be provided with the means of support of ourselves and our family, and have where-with to contribute to the support of the ministry and the relief of the poor.
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