Last week, we considered some important questions about work and examined Scriptures that speak to them. As you reflected on those passages, what conclusions did you draw? Are there certain jobs that may not be appropriate for a Christian? For answers, let’s go back to the beginning…
God Worked First
The Bible introduces us to a working God. He created everything in six days, and rested on the seventh. The Bible tells us: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1, NIV).
“And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.” (Gen 2:2-3, BSB).
God worked, and He does not support laziness in any way.
PREVIOUS EPISODE: WHAT TYPE OF JOBS SHOULD A CHRISTAIN DO?
Christians Don’t Work for Money…
Now, hold your horses. The Scriptures do not despise earnings, else passages that say, “a labourer is worthy of his wages,” would not exist (Luke 10:7, 1 Tim. 5:18). There are mouths to feed and bills to pay, and so it is important to work and earn money.
However, the Christian cannot define his work merely by his income. While the money matters, he must also ask:
Is this work honest? “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28 ESV).
Can I ask God to bless this work? Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psa. 90:17 ESV)
Can I do it ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ without feeling a type of way? Everything you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col. 3:17 GW)
Is this work honourable? Finally, brothers and sisters, keep your thoughts on whatever is right or deserves praise: things that are true, honorable, fair, pure, acceptable, or commendable. Practice what you’ve learned and received from me, what you heard and saw me do. (Phil 4:8-9 GW)
Work Should Train You
Sometimes, instead of only asking, “How much does it pay?” you should also ask, “What is this work making out of me?” Some jobs will teach you how to take instructions, how to be faithful in small things, how to show up consistently, how to finish what was placed in your hands, be accountable, etc.
The Bible says, “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). While there are jobs that train you in patience, order, faithful service, and endurance, there are others that may put a lot of money in your pocket while eating away at your conscience, compassion, restraint, or reverence.
You should accept jobs that are useful, and decline others, not because you don’t want to earn money, but because you love your soul – For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36, ESV)
ALSO READ: CHANGING GOD?
Practical Scenarios
Can I sell alcohol or cigarettes in my supermarket?
To answer this, ask, should you build a profit on products that can cause bondage, damage the body, weaken self-control, and destroy households?
The Bible says, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful… I will not be enslaved by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12, ESV). If something is known chiefly for enslaving people, should a Christian deliberately become its distributor?
How about being a bartender in a nightclub?
Do you really want to work in an atmosphere built around intoxication, looseness, sensuality, vanity, and fleshly excesses?
What exactly are you helping to happen there? Would you be serving food to hungry people? Would you be preserving sobriety, or helping men lose it?
The Bible says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18, ESV). You may not be the one drinking, but what are you helping other people do?
But what if I am being told to sing and dance to secular songs as part of my job?
That’s like asking, “Should I lend my body, voice, and skill to celebrate what is vain, sensual, proud, or corrupting?” What are you endorsing? “Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.” (Rom. 6:13, BSB).
How about a doctor asked to perform abortions?
Medicine is ordinarily associated with healing, preserving life, relieving pain, and serving the weak. So if a procedure requires the deliberate ending of innocent life, the question is not what medical practice permits, but what God approves. “You shall not murder” (Exo. 20:13). If you were not being paid to do it, would it be a struggle in your mind?
The same principle applies to a pharmacy that sells abortifacients or harmful pills because they move quickly. If a medicine is being sold chiefly because it helps people do harm, conceal wrongdoing, or injure life, then the seller must not soothe himself with the phrase, “I am just running a business.”
Are you a steward of health or a merchant of injury?
Are you being led by the Spirit of God, or by greed?
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (1 Tim. 6:9-10 ESV)
What about cryptocurrency? Can I make a living from it?
Is it honest labour? The Bible says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (Prov. 13:11, ESV), and “There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Prov. 14:23 BSB).
Is cryptocurrency a patient, transparent, lawful trade or technology, or a cloak for greed, deceit, manipulation, or fantasies of gain without sound labour? Check your heart, does it have an appetite for ‘quick money’? Are you still a gambler in polished clothes?
Cybercrime (Yahoo) brings quick money…
This is theft by deceit. It feeds on lies, emotional manipulation, false identities, and hidden exploitation. The fact that it brings quick money only proves how far greed will push a person.
The Bible says, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel” (Prov. 20:17, ESV). A Christian has no business doing this type of work.
How about Gambling, or working in a gambling shop?
This is the desire to get increase without sound labour, and the increase is gotten from the losses of many other people.
Gambling teaches a person that they should be fed by chance, not faithful labour. The Bible says, “Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands…” (1 Thess. 4:11, ESV), and “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10, NASB).
Even if one says, “I will not gamble; I will only work in the shop,” the old question returns: what exactly are you helping to happen there? You may not place the bet, but are you not helping others to do so?
Finally, Work is a Way to Love…
Christian work is not a survival mechanism. It is a way to love your neighbour, be generous and avoid being a burden to others. When it comes to work, don’t merely ask, “What can I do to make money?”
Ask: “What sort of work can I do with a clean conscience before God?”
“Is my job a means of blessing, supporting, and strengthening others?” and
“Can I offer this labour without wounding my conscience, corrupting others, or training my heart to love what God hates?”
Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col. 3:23-24 BSB)
Let these principles guide your heart as you go on to do good and profitable work.
READ NEXT: What Type of Job Should a Christian Do ( PART 3)
