What is "Holy" Work?
Col 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
“Holy” is not a type of work (as if some types of work are holy and others are not holy). Any kind of legitimate work (by “legitimate” I mean work that is not of a criminal or evil nature) can be holy if it is done in the name of the Lord Jesus. I know that this sounds simple as I write it, but much of our world still hasn’t grasped this fundamental Biblical truth. As Paul says a couple verses later (in reference to slaves) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Col 3:23).
It is easy for me to convince myself that I am doing “holy” work, since I am a “man of the cloth.” And yet, my priestly work is only holy if it is done in the name (and for) the Lord Jesus. When my work is done without thought to Jesus and his work in the world (yes, priests can easily forget Christ even when doing seemingly “Christ-centred” work) I am doing “unholy” work.
On the other hand, it is easy for many people to think that their 9-5 work in the (so-called) secular workforce is something other than holy. This applies to people’s work as spouses, or parents, or grand-parents, or children (yes, children do work – I’m not talking about the horrors of “sweat-shops”, but their good work of play, and chatter, and learning). Many Christians see their Sunday morning attendance (or lack thereof) as the only “holy” work they do in the week. But, this is so contrary to the Biblical worldview. God has created each of us with unique abilities and passions and experiences that can (and should be) part of our “holy” work in the world. Parenting a stubborn child, drawing someone’s blood for a lab test, fixing a dripping faucet, or writing a policy brief, (and so on) are works as holy as consecrating bread and wine or baptizing a new believer if they are done in the name of (and for) the Lord Jesus. So, the question is not finding a holy profession or trade, but bringing holiness (ie. the act of working for, and in the name of, Jesus) to whatever trade we find ourselves in (or drawn to).
“Holy” is not a type of work (as if some types of work are holy and others are not holy). Any kind of legitimate work (by “legitimate” I mean work that is not of a criminal or evil nature) can be holy if it is done in the name of the Lord Jesus. I know that this sounds simple as I write it, but much of our world still hasn’t grasped this fundamental Biblical truth. As Paul says a couple verses later (in reference to slaves) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Col 3:23).
It is easy for me to convince myself that I am doing “holy” work, since I am a “man of the cloth.” And yet, my priestly work is only holy if it is done in the name (and for) the Lord Jesus. When my work is done without thought to Jesus and his work in the world (yes, priests can easily forget Christ even when doing seemingly “Christ-centred” work) I am doing “unholy” work.
On the other hand, it is easy for many people to think that their 9-5 work in the (so-called) secular workforce is something other than holy. This applies to people’s work as spouses, or parents, or grand-parents, or children (yes, children do work – I’m not talking about the horrors of “sweat-shops”, but their good work of play, and chatter, and learning). Many Christians see their Sunday morning attendance (or lack thereof) as the only “holy” work they do in the week. But, this is so contrary to the Biblical worldview. God has created each of us with unique abilities and passions and experiences that can (and should be) part of our “holy” work in the world. Parenting a stubborn child, drawing someone’s blood for a lab test, fixing a dripping faucet, or writing a policy brief, (and so on) are works as holy as consecrating bread and wine or baptizing a new believer if they are done in the name of (and for) the Lord Jesus. So, the question is not finding a holy profession or trade, but bringing holiness (ie. the act of working for, and in the name of, Jesus) to whatever trade we find ourselves in (or drawn to).
1 comments:
Hey Paul, glad to see the new blog. I'll be interested to keep up on things. Good thoughts on "holy work" - a great reminder that we all have our place and calling, no matter what we do.
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