Is Work Part of Adam's Curse?
by David K. Bernard
Podcast recording (no venue stated in the delivered transcript)
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Genesis 3:19, Genesis 3, Genesis 2:15

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/david-k-bernard--is-work-part-of-adams-curse
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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let me say we need a good Theology of work so work is God's plan for humans it's not part of the curse of sin now toil agony you know suffering I'm not sure I could say how it's suffering but we can say to a great extent that is the result of sin so uh Genesis 3 talks about you'll contend with thorns and thistles and in the sweat of your brow you'll you'll have to work hard and women will have pain in childbirth so part of the agony or the uh suffering or struggle uh may be you know would we would say is a curse or sin but before there ever was sin if you go back and read in Genesis and I have Genesis 2:15 uh I'm reading from the new King James then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it so apparently God had a plan for Adam and then Eve to be busy tending keeping protecting managing um and God did say to be fruitful and multiply take dominion over the Earth and subdue it this doesn't mean to exploit the Earth in a negative way um Christians should be good environmentalist in in a proper way because our job is to manage and Steward so as stewards we are not the owners but we're to take care of it for the owner who is God so there is a very robust teaching of work even Hard Work Management stewardship and you know when we talk about suffering why does God allow suffering which is a big topic and we've talked about that before but one of the things is there are benefits from suffering so I don't think that we had to have sin ENT the world but I do believe there's a concept of of achievement and maybe struggle in a positive sense overcoming adversity so when you hike up a steep Mountain um that's not something you penalize yourself with but it's something you want to achieve but it does require struggle and exertion and effort but we see that as positive even exhilarating the adrenaline and all that even though there may be sweat and Agony it's almost a good thing or uh when we work out or we exercise or when we get involved in sports or even in business we plan strategies or a Craftsman building furniture or a baker you know making food so all these various Endeavors of human may require a lot of effort physical labor even temporary you know struggle or exertion or strain or pain but all these things we perceive as good healthy normal and in fact they help you become physically mentally emotionally strong and without those achievements and exertions uh we would be lazy slobs physically and mentally it would be bad for us you if we just had a life of luxury where we didn't do anything but eat and sleep and play gains you know we would be emotionally unhealthy as well as physically unhealthy so my point is work and achievement and even to some degree struggle overcoming uh adversity or or obstacles is not necessarily the result of sin but it was planned before and so that also has implications for eternity so sometimes you talk about eternal life with God that's wonderful but you know are we going to be floating in C clouds you know we're going to be angels playing Harps uh all the time that doesn't sound very exciting so I don't know what eternity is going to be like but to me I I like to use and I've stated this also in a past episode but you know when we look at our physical Universe they say one septian Stars one one followed by 24 zeros we can't even comprehend that number and then how many planets and so even our physical Universe we could spend eons exploring creating managing uh you know and then who knows what else God has that goes beyond our physical universe or in the realm of the spirit the Angelic realm so I do believe what's the most meaningful things in our lives right now we would have to say our relationships and our accomplishments so what makes it worthwhile to get up in the morning not just a paycheck but your family your friends even co-workers and colleagues uh people that you respect that respect you fellow ministers fellow Saints Church people uh and our relation with God of course but it's our relationships that give meaning to our life and so even when other things are not working out well if we've got good healthy relationship family and friends church people then we can we can feel satisfied and joyful even when all kinds of things are going wrong and then also work I mean yes we have to work to live and sometimes we do things we don't like to do because we need the money we have to eat and survive but really we want the kind of job where we're thinking we're creating we're achieving we're accomplishing we're making a difference we feel like we're making a difference for the church or for society or for other people we helping their lives to be better you know everybody has to feel like I've got a purpose in my work well that's that doesn't come because of sin so that was before sin that's the way God created us to have meaning and purpose and achievement and that will be after sin and I think that will be in eternity so the fact that we will work it may sound counter to you mean work in heaven work in eternity well what do you mean by work I mean the best work is something where you know I can't believe I get paid for doing something I like to do I mean it's work in the sense of effort exertion mentally and physically but it's enjoyment and I think I think that's a healthy concept of work and so even Paul talks about this in the worst case scenario of slaves which of course slavery is contrary to God's Will and when you really study old Old Testament and especially the New Testament we've talked about this before slavery is absolutely contrary to biblical principles and Christian teaching however the first century Christians live in a society where 30% of the population were slaves and especially in the beginning a disproportionate number of converts were slaves so what do you do if you are a slave and now you're a Christian are you supposed to kill your master in the middle of the night are you supposed to try to rebel against government and everybody gets slaughtered and Paul says no and you see this in the Epistles of Paul uh such as Ephesians also uh Peter that if you are in a situation where you're are a servant a household servant or or slave not to justify that from a sec you know from a theological point of view but that's your life well do a good job work hard as a good example um obey your masters not because they deserved on you because in this case in life you're going to be an example and you may be able to win your master to the Lord and transform that relationship and practically if not legally you you might gain your freedom but it's not just for that you're trying to win a soul and you're trying to grow the church and not hinder the church not have the church destroyed well but do a good job not just as ey service not just when people are looking not just as men Pleasers just to do what's required for your master but as unto the Lord so even in the worst circumstances of a servant or a slave or you're an empy employee of a job that's drudgery uh that you're you hate that you that's you're forced to do so to speak he said try to think of it I'm serving the lord and I'm going to do a good job whatever I do I do with Excellence not just for other people to notice but God notices and not just other people around but God's around and doing that gives your life intrinsic value no matter what forced you to do what you're doing you can take a Godly Pride that you are working with Excellence you're working for God and even though other people may be enslaving or abusing or controlling you in some degree yet you have inner freedom because you're working for God they might think they're forcing you to do whatever they want but in your heart you could say no I'm working for God and so that gives meaning even in the most miserable of existences and potentially that's a pathway to Freedom as well because you're employe or your even a slave owner May recognize those qualities and may change the way they treat you may give you their freedom may it may lead to a promotion it may lead to a better job may lead to better opportunity so there's a pragmatic component that if you do well and you seek Excellence even the worst of circumstances that's probably the most likely pathway out of that but you're not just doing that for utilitarian reasons you're doing that because you're a child of God so I do think we need a much more healthy and robust uh Theology of War work that help us give meaning to our lives here and now regardless of our circumstances and also give us a hope for an exciting future in the life to come