Working For God (II)

This is the second post in a series on 'Work'. Previously, we looked at God's intention for work in Genesis 1-2, and the way this has been lost in the fall of mankind into sin. Now we turn to God's solution.

3. Redemption: The Work of Christ

From Genesis 1:26-28 we saw that God's intention for humanity was that of ruling over creation. "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air..." But did God give up on humanity after the Fall? Is our rulership over creation compromised beyond repair? Surprisingly, we see from Psalm 8 that this is not the case. For King David still speaks with awe of the position God has given to humanity in the terms of Genesis 1:

When I consider your heavens, ... what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

There is still the promise that God hasn't given up on mankind. In Hebrews 2, the writer comments on these very words from Psalm 8, saying...

In putting everything under him [mankind], God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

So God has not given up on his plans for mankind to rule over creation. Although at present we fail to rule the world as God intended, through Jesus God's intention for mankind is restored. Jesus is the true man - 'crowned with glory and honour' - who in his suffering provides the way to 'bring many sons to glory'(v10).

Without an understanding of the Fall, humans try many solutions - all of which come from our side. Religion, moralism, humanism, technological progress - all these things are put forward as solutions to the problem of the curse, and our falling short of God's purposes for humanity. But we cannot simply return to the garden. We are cut off from God and under his judgment - facing death. The solution to this problem must come from God's side.

We see the beginnings of this solution in the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. Notice that it is God's initiative which is the distinguishing feature of this promise. God says to Abraham:

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

The undoing of the curse will only be achieved by God's means, through God's program, on God's initiative. Genesis 12:1-3 sets the trajectory for the rest of biblical history. The story of the Bible is about the restoration of God's purposes for creation and the undoing of the curse. This plan is worked out in history as we see the Old Testament shadows of what was to come; as God uses prophets, priests and kings to achieve this purpose. All of the OT points in some way to the fulfillment of God's plan in Jesus.

In John's gospel, Jesus is the one who has come to do the work he has been given by his Father. On the cross he cries out "It is finished" (John 19:30) - his work has been completed. Reading this cry in the context of the whole of John's gospel, we see that Jesus' work is to bring us eternal life by his loving and sacrificial death. During his life Jesus taught that his Father was working, and that he too was working according to the Father's will - and promised to finish this work (John 5:16ff, 5:36ff). The work which God requires of us is simply to believe in the one he has sent (John 6:27-33). Jesus' work is to bring us life, the task he finished as he breathed his last on the cross of calvary.

Salvation is a gift. We do not work for it, it is something God achieves for us. Abraham did not work, but 'trusted him who justifies the ungodly'. We cannot work to reverse the curse - Jesus has accomplished this on our behalf. All we are required to do is believe on him, the one who has finished the work God gave him to do. Salvation from the curse is by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone. It is freely given.

4. New Creation: Working with God

Creation shows that work is good, and commanded of us. But the work of Jesus shows that our work will not save us. God has a new work, that of building his church. In Matthew 16 Christ says, "I will build my church" - the gathering of those who are in God's kingdom and recognise the King. The new work which Christ is doing is gathering people around himself.

The phenomenal thing that the New Testament asserts is the possibility of working with God. Paul speaks of those who helped build the church at Corinth as "God's fellow-workers". Paul planted, Apollos watered, but it was God who was working, causing his church to grow (1 Cor 3:1-9). But how is it that we may be involved in God's work when we have already asserted it is Christ's work alone that brings salvation? The answer is that fellow-workers are those who proclaim Christ's work. It is through speaking of Christ's work on the cross that the church is built. We are Christ's ambassadors, and what a privilege that this is!

God's new task for us is that of 'new creation' work. The Christian is still committed to 'creation work' - obeying the command to be fruitful and multiply; to fill the earth and subdue it; to serve others and have dominion over the earth. But we have also been given the new task of building Christ's church. Jesus' has begun this work ('I will build my church'), and he invites us to join him in it.

But how to these 'works' relate? - those of 'creation' and 'new creation' work.

• Firstly, both are the responsibility of us all. The gospel does not call us out of our day jobs, but instead sends us back into the workplace with a renewed sense of vision, and a desire to love and serve our neighbour. But we are all responsible for the growth of the kingdom, and have all been given gifts to build up the body (1 Cor 12-14).
• Likewise, both 'creation work' and 'new creation work' are united in service of God and of our neighbour. We love people by our labour in industry, society, and the family, as well as in the task of building Christ's church.
• Both 'creation' and 'new creation' work are acts of worship. Ephesians 6:5-9 instructs slaves to work as for the Lord Jesus, and to treat their everyday work as worship to God.
• Together, these tasks proclaim Christ in Word and Deed. Responsible stewardship of creation, and care for our neighbour in our work, gives credibility to our proclamation of the gospel. It is also the fruit of the gospel to love God and neighbour through our work, and therefore can't be divorced from proclaming Christ.
  

But...

• The kingdom of God comes through the proclamation of Christ's work, not by the existing tasks of creation. It is the gospel which truly changes people, and without this, our work to transform society is merely a bandage for a terminal illness. Our 'creation work' will not bring about the kingdom of God
  
• They are not equal in priority for the Christian. In Acts 6, the early church recognises the need for freeing up the apostles from distributing food, so that they can devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. In the same way, Jesus prioritised preaching the kingdom even above healing people. 1 Corinthians 7 also highlights the new priorities of the kingdom. Paul says:
  

What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. (v29-31)

It is God's word which builds the church (Eph 4). Christ has given servants of his word to the church so that his people will be equipped, and Christ's church will be built - both outwards and upwards. As the gospel is spoken to unbelievers, people are brought from darkness to the kingdom of the Son. As the gospel is spoken to believers, the church is built in depth and strengthened by speaking the truth in love to one another. Gospel work is building the church to save the world.

All Christians are called to be involved in the work of building Christ's church, in whatever way God has gifted them. In Matthew 9:38 (what has often been called 'the other Lord's prayer') Jesus calls us to pray for gospel workers to be sent into God's harvest field. So we need to pray urgently that Christ would provide the means to build his church, and also be prepared to be the answer to that prayer ourselves if necessary. Do we live with this priority of the kingdom in mind? We often plan our lives around which job we can get, then move city to get the right job, find a house, then find a church and get involved in Christian things with whatever time we have left. But the priority of 'new creation' work should cause us to first consider what ways we can be involved in building Christ's church, and then find a location, job, house, which will enable us to do this. Jesus calls us to an intentional life of seeking the kingdom first. New creation work is priority.

In the final post in this series, we will look more closely at the relationship between 'creation work' and 'new creation work', and how these priorities may take shape as we await the final day when Christ renews all things.