Labor Day, 2019

Labor is as old as the Earth. God describes His creation of all that is as work. Six days worth. His first documented interaction with His ultimate creation, Man, was to assign him work (Gen 2:15; 19-20). The curse from sin was not work; it was hard labor (Gen 3:17-19). Biblically, work is good. God did it. He assigned it to His creation. Scripture commends it (e.g., Eph 4:28; 1 Thess 4:11). It's a good thing.

It seems sometimes as if we don't think so. "What would you do if you won the lottery?" is often answered with "Stop working." Our aim is leisure, not work. Even Christian works. You talk about working as a Christian and Christians will get upset with you. "We're not saved by works!" No, we are surely not. But that doesn't change the fact that works are part of the essence of being a follower of Christ.

Take, for instance, Jesus's well known, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14:15). I don't think we read that as written. He didn't say, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." That's an imperative. He said "If you do, you will." That's an indicative. Obeying Him is what you do when you are in Christ. It's a product of the new nature and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote to Titus about how we are saved "not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" so that "we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7). Not because of works we have done. Got it. And in the very next verse he says, "I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works" (Titus 3:8). Paul says, "These things are good and profitable for people." We are saved apart from works (Eph 2:8-9), but we were saved for good works (Eph 2:10). Because good works are "good and profitable for people." Because "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works."

It's Labor Day. We're celebrating workers. Most of us have jobs, either as gainful employment or in other ways, and we're celebrating that. (Oddly enough, we're doing it by not working.) I would hope you would take this opportunity to celebrate Christian work as well. The working out of salvation (Php 2:12) that is brought about by God at work in you (Php 2:13). The joyful obedience of one who loves Christ. The work of one who, being forgiven much, loves much. The kind of work that causes people to glorify God (Matt 5:16). That kind of work is good to celebrate.