The Intrinsic Value of Work: In Light of the Doctrines of Creation, Redemption and Eschatology
The aim of this paper is to provide the theological bases for the intrinsic value of work by considering the doctrines of creation, redemption and eschatology. While noting that all Christian doctrines are relevant for all of life [1], the discussion in this paper is limited to three doctrines only. These doctrines were chosen for embodying the breadth of God’s action in history from beginning to end. They are important for our purposes because “if we are to understand what human existence is, and what human beings are destined or called to be, we must see these human beings as belonging within the all-embracing coherences of God’s history with the world” [2].
The Doctrine of Creation
In considering the doctrine of creation, the primary concern is to discover God’s original intent with respect to work and if that intent has changed as a result of sin.
According to the creation story, work originated with God: “God is the beginning of all activity, of all movement, and of all work” [3]. To him is ascribed all measure of work in the creation story from the extraordinary work of fashioning the heavens and the earth to the ordinary work of planting a garden. Since God is the author of all good work and he is himself a worker, all human work that is acceptable on ethical, moral and legal grounds, finds its validity and dignity in him.
Created in God’s image, human beings are workers “by nature and design” [4]. The human mind is said to be patterned after that of its Maker with the common characteristic of having both “the desire and the ability to make things” [5]. In working, human beings affirm their own existence in a way that fulfils the purpose for which they are destined [6]. Work is a vital expression of human nature. That being the case, one can argue that “to be denied the opportunity of work is to be treated as something less than a human being” [7].
Human work corresponds to God’s providential rule [8]. Unlike the rest of creation, human beings are special in that they exist not only as objects of God’s divine providence, but they themselves are active “as acting subjects” [9]. Putting it another way, “In our work, we participate in God's providence. God works in this world through human hands. Through our work, God provides” [10].
Work is also a command. The creation story tells us that human beings are entrusted with stewardship of the earth: to “tend the garden” (Gen 2:15), “subdue the earth and rule over all the creatures” (Gen 1:28). They are to care for human lives and the rest of creation [11]. As trustees, they are accountable to God. It must be noted that the command to work was given before the Fall and thus, fulfils God’s original intent. One can therefore argue that “work … is not a curse but a blessing” [12].
Work is also necessary to sustain life. We have need for a wide range of goods and services including food, clothing and shelter that are the result of human engagement in different forms of labour. Without them, life would not be possible. As such, “God has provided for [our] need both in the astounding and incalculable riches of the legacy he put at [human beings’] disposal in the earth’s crust and in the equally incalculable endowment of ingenuity and adaptability he gave to [humankind itself]” [13].
Wright proposes a paradigmatic interpretation of the land to argue that God has not changed his original intent with regards to work even after the Fall. His interpretation assumes that God’s relation to Israel in their land is a redemptive response to the fracturing of his original purpose. As such, it considers the Old Testament laws as encapsulating God’s original intentions. “From the laws … and from the prophets’ reaction to their neglect, we can see that there was a deep and detailed concern in the Old Testament with work and employment…. And this concern applied across the whole spectrum of the working population—employers, free hired workmen, slaves. Indeed, the principles of fairness and compassion extended even to working animals” [14]. Clearly, work is still an integral part of God’s purpose even after the Fall. It is meant to serve and enhance community, and to be carried out according to God’s character.
But not all work reflects God’s intention. Due to the effects of sin, some work is clearly unacceptable whether on moral, ethical or legal grounds.
The Doctrine of Redemption
This section will address the following questions: Has the redemption mandate invalidated the creation mandate? Has God’s redemption given rise to a hierarchy of work such that certain kinds of work are now more “valuable” and “acceptable” especially those relating to the salvation of human souls? To answer these questions, we must consider both the scope and the goals of God’s redemption.
Because the effects of sin and the curse are so pervasive—affecting both human beings and the rest of creation—the redemptive plan of God has to be equally comprehensive, to bring about full restoration to the created order. From Col 1:15-20, we note that the scope of God’s redemption is the same as that of God’s creation, just as “the Creator and the Redeemer are one and the same”[15]. The implications are that “the gospel is for all things” [16] and not just for human souls. Rom 8:19-23 supports this argument further. The passage makes clear that the rest of creation also suffers under the effects of sin and is also awaiting freedom from oppression.
The cosmic scope of God’s redemption has vast implications. It means that everything that was affected by sin and the curse can be redeemed by God. Nothing within creation is exempted, conditional only upon repentance and faith in the case of human beings. God’s redemption is both thorough and complete; and it includes human work. Since everything in creation falls under the lordship of Christ, all kinds of work—except those that are morally, ethically or legally wrong—fall within the will and purposes of God.
The validity of the creation mandate is also clear from the goals of redemption. On the basis of Eph 1:6, 12, 14, it can be argued that God has redeemed human beings in order to restore them to their original purpose. That purpose is so that they can live to honour God [17]. The implication is that all human work that is done to honour God—whether associated with the church or not—is acceptable and pleasing to him, and is in accordance with his original purpose for humankind.
God’s purpose in redemption is also to heal human relationships. That is to say, God has restored “the whole person in relation to [himself], to neighbour and to the environment” [18]. In the outworking of the restored relationship between humankind and God, human beings are reinstated and re-enabled to act as stewards of the earth. Since God’s plan is also to restore creation, it follows that he has renewed the stewardship mandate given to humankind. In other words, stewardship of the earth is still relevant today which implies that the work ordinance must continue.
God’s redemption plan is also to establish the kingdom of God. Prior to the complete destruction of Satan and full consummation of the kingdom of God, the church’s primary calling is carry out God’s mission in the world. This mission is multi-faceted to reflect the scope of God’s redemption which is for all creation. The multi-faceted nature of God’s mission is evident from Jesus’ earthly ministry—which included not only preaching and teaching but also, healing, casting out of demons and feeding the multitudes—and the diverse gifting of the church (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:7-11; Eph 4:11-12). Hence, one can argue that all human work that embodies kingdom values and serves the kingdom goal—to extend God’s kingdom on earth—can be regarded as kingdom work.
The New Testament teaching regarding work is that “far from being a hindrance to Christian living, [it] is a necessary ingredient of it” (see 2 The 3:7-12) [19]. But because this is a fallen world, we will continue to bear the effects of sin in our work. The appropriate Christian response is to “fight sin and bring work closer to what God intended” [20]. God redeems work through his church. Through the obedience of believers, almost all kinds of work can be service to God since almost all kinds of work can originate in faith (qualifier mine) [21].
The Doctrine of Eschatology
Under this section, our concerns are with the kinds of work that is valued by God and if their value will extend beyond this life. In other words, does the work we do here and now have eternal implications and significance? To answer these questions, we need to consider the judgement criteria, the resurrected body of Jesus and our future destination.
Human tendency is to associate duration with value; the longer something lasts, the more valuable we think it is. A proper reading of Matt 25:14-30, however, shows that what will have eternal significance is not duration but rather, “our faithfulness right now with the resources and responsibilities God has given us” [22]. It is clear also from Matt 25:31-46 that we will be commended for mercy. From both passages, it is clear that we will be judged on the basis of our faithfulness as stewards, and in keeping with God’s will and command. Hence, we ought to give due attention to all our material resources, gifts, training and skills. The judgement criteria put into perspective God’s expectations of us on a broader scale and thus, validate our present human labours.
Perhaps, the strongest evidence for the significance of our human labours is found in the resurrected body of Jesus. According to the biblical accounts, Jesus’ resurrected body is not an otherworldly body that is completely different from his earthly body prior to the resurrection. After assuming his resurrected body, Jesus undertook some very earthly activities including walking, talking, breaking bread, cooking and eating (John 20:11-18; Luke 24:13-35; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:26-31; John 21:1-25). Furthermore, his resurrected body bore the marks of the crucifixion. Clearly, there is similarity and continuity between Jesus’ resurrected body and his body prior to the resurrection although it must be stressed that it is “a continuity in radical discontinuity” [23].
The resurrection of Jesus—that guarantees a similar resurrection for all believers—has serious implications for human work. The marks of the crucifixion on Jesus’ resurrected body testify to a continuity that suggests our present human labours have bearing on eternity. Hence, Paul ends his exposition on the resurrection in 1 Cor 15 with the exhortation to “always give yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58).
In the culmination of God's end-time purposes, there will be a “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1; 2 Pet 3:13). Whilst its citizenship is in heaven (see Phil 3:20) [24], the church is destined to live on the new earth (Rev 21:2-3).
It is argued that the new earth is a transformation of the present earth rather than a completely new creation (ex-nihilo). The choice of words itself—new earth—suggests some measure of continuity [25]. One can also appeal to the goodness of creation. A complete destruction of this present world presumes that “what God will annihilate must either be so bad that it is not possible to be redeemed or so insignificant that it is not worth being redeemed” [26]. Furthermore, the language used in Rom 8:19-22 is that of “liberation from bondage” which supports the argument for a transformation of the cosmos [27]. The continuity is a “return” but not “a return to the beginning” which implies “a renewal of all things” [28].
If God's purpose is to transform the present cosmos, it implies that “the material universe is important”—which validates all our engagement in “material ministries” as the eschatological community [29]. Thus, we can engage in all forms of work knowing that our efforts will somehow impact the new creation. In an incomprehensible way, the second creation will be “the result of humans shaping the first creation by their labours” [30]. But we must not imagine that “the results of human work should or could create and replace ‘heaven’” [31]. It must be emphasised that our contributions are made, at best, in a “modest and broken way” [32].
Support for continuity is also evident from the language used in the book of Revelation. According to Revelation, our future destination is a city into which “the splendour of the kings” (Rev 21:24) and “the glory and honour of the nations” (Rev 21:26) will be brought in. A city is “the creation of human culture” [33] and hence, it is argued that various elements of human culture will find its way into the city [34].
The fact that the redeemed community will be made up of people “from every tribe, language and nation” (Rev 5:9) further suggests continuity. Interestingly, we will not appear as homogenous, unidentified objects in the new creation but rather, as people with distinctive cultural features and heritage.
Finally, according to Rev 14:13d, the deeds of Christians will follow them into the new creation. Scholars cannot agree on the interpretation of “deeds” in this verse but even if one adopts a minimal view, our human labours would have an impact on eternity.
When one considers the purpose of eschatology—which is to restore God's creation to its original purpose—and the fact that human beings were originally created to work, it follows that the redeemed humanity will not remain idle but will be working in the new creation. Wright arrives at the same conclusion by examining the eschatological visions in the Old Testament (see Amos 9:13; Mic 4:3ff; Isa 11:1-9; Hos 2:18-23) [35].
Conclusion
Clearly, work has intrinsic value in the light of the doctrines of creation, redemption and eschatology. The question is what shape should marketplace theology take in the light of this truth? In developing a viable and relevant marketplace theology, the church needs to consider paradigm shifts with regard the following:
One Mission: The church needs to see that it is called to build both the human community as well as the faith community. The former issues from the creation mandate whereas the latter from the redemption mandate. There is a unity of mandates in the one mission of God (see diagram below which is adapted from Charles Ringma’s diagram presented at the Theology of Laity lecture, Regent College) [36].
Secular-sacred Divide: The church needs to understand that everything comes under the lordship of Christ given the cosmic scope of God’s creation, reign and redemption. As such, nothing is ‘secular’—falling outside the will and purpose of God. The terms—‘secular’ and ‘sacred’—suggest a false dichotomy.
Church Model: The church needs to move away from a hierarchical model whereby the leader/pastor is seen to be at the top of a pyramid (and hence, does all the work) whilst church members are at the bottom. From the New Testament, Fee argues that the church should be viewed as a circle that embraces “the whole people of God, among whom the leaders function in service of the rest” [37]. Within such a model, the clergy exist to nurture and equip the laity for works of service whilst the laity are ministers in their own right within their specific spheres of influence within the church and society.
Relationship with the World: The church needs to understand that it is called to two ministries—inward and outward—that both are important and are to be integrated. The church ministers to itself as each member functions according to his/her gifting for the common good. The inward ministry of the church has an outward orientation since in ministering to itself, the church is burdened and empowered to serve the world. The church ministers to the world through the everyday life and work of the laity as well as through organised, corporate efforts in community involvement. As it experiences the outworking of God’s power in its ministry to the world, it is built up internally. But there will be times when the church will be discouraged by circumstances and will need encouragement from its inward ministry. In other words, the outward ministry of the church has an inward orientation that leads to the serving church being built up in its inner life. In the movement of this cycle, the church is strengthened by its inward ministry—that includes testimonies from its outward ministry—before returning to serve the world. Hence, the inward and outward ministries of the church are simultaneous movements. Each has an orientation towards the other and leads to the other in a continuous flow. Both are fully integrated aspects of the church’s calling.
**This paper is a condensed adaptation of Siew Li's masters thesis entitled, “A Defence of the Intrinsic Value of 'Secular Work' in the Light of the Theological Doctrines of Creation, Redemption and Eschatology” (Vancouver, B.C.: Regent College, 2000). A copy of the thesis is available from Regent Library as well as on TREN.
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