Why We Work
A Brief Summary of the Theology of Work
God Works: The Bible opens with God working. Genesis 2 calls his creating activity in Chapter 1 “work.” No less than three times! Later, the Bible speaks many times of God’s “works.” For example, “his works are perfect” (Deut. 32:4). God is called a potter, a shepherd, a musical composer, an architect, a builder, a judge, a ruler, and so on. Jesus said both he and his Father are workers.
We Work Because God Does: God himself is the pattern for who we are and what we do. Made in his image, his likeness, we are similar to him. We cannot, of course, create from scratch, know everything, or be present everywhere all at once. But working is a major way we can show our God-likeness.
After he finished his work of creating earth, sky, land, oceans, plants, animals, and people, he stopped to savor and enjoy it, calling it all, “very good” (Gen. 11).
We Rest Because God Does: Just as we work because God works, we rest because God rests. So God is not a workaholic, and—made in his likeness—neither should we overwork. He set up the sabbath for our well-being. So we need to put into practice a rhythm that includes both working and resting.
