Doubt & Devotion

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.​

The core of this discussion is the meaning and purpose of work in the bible according to Paul’s instructions in Colossians 3:23. 

Colossians 3:18-25 is some sort of family code, and there are several instances in the Epistles where we can find family codes in the works of both Paul and Peter.​

The original audience of this verse was the Christians at Colossae, particularly house slaves. Prior to this verse, Paul was giving instructions to the husbands, that they should love their wives, and to the wives, that they should submit to their husbands, and to the children, that they should obey their parents in everything.​

During that time, the households were highly authoritarian, and the male patriarch or the father held the power of life and death. Paul was showing the Colossians that it was different for the Christian household.​

In the Christian household, Jesus is Lord. In this household, the wife lets the husband become responsible for her, and the husband submits to Christ by placing the well-being of his wife above his own. Finally, in this household, the children obey their parents in everything on the condition that Christ is acknowledged as Lord in their actions.​

After this, Paul addresses the slaves. He wasn’t talking to just anyone—he was primarily addressing slaves. So, when we read this verse, the first thing that should come to our minds is that Paul is talking to slaves—not fathers, not mothers, not businessmen, not teachers, not just anyone.​

In the verses after that, Paul turns toward the masters. This time, Paul addresses those who own slaves and instructs them to treat their slaves fairly, knowing that they also have a Master in heaven.​

One-third of the population of the Roman Empire during Paul’s time consisted of slaves. Some slaves had the privilege of owning servants themselves, but slaves didn’t have rights, and their masters could do anything to them.​

When Christianity spread, many citizens of Rome became followers of Christ, some of whom came from Colossae, which was under Roman rule during that period. Many of these Colossian Christians owned slaves, especially those who were of higher status. And not only that, their slaves also became Christians.​

Paul starts this line by writing, “Whatever you do…”

Whatever You Do: Your Daily Work Matters

Sacred-Secular Divide

Perhaps some of you have heard of the expression “sacred-secular divide.” Some might have heard it for the first time.​

There are two extremes to this. Many Christians believe that there is a sacred-secular divide so they tend to treat work done within the context of the church as holier or more spiritual than work done outside of the church.​

On the other hand, many Christians also believe that there is no sacred-secular divide, yet because they don’t have a proper understanding of the concept, they tend to go to the extreme and think they can do anything because everything is sacred or spiritual.​

These are the two things we should avoid regarding the concept of “sacred-secular divide.”

No one is sure who first coined this term, but it’s a concept that has been around since the time of the early church. In fact, it was Martin Luther who first attacked this idea in his writing titled, An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility.​

Allow me to share an excerpt: It is pure invention [fiction] that pope, bishops, priests, and monks are called the “spiritual estate” while princes, lords, artisans, and farmers are called the “temporal estate.” This is indeed a piece of deceit and hypocrisy. Yet no one need be intimated by it, and for this reason: all Christians are truly of the “spiritual estate,” and there is no difference among them except that of office.​

Pastors, priests, missionaries, and those who work full-time in the ministry all have a unique calling, but there is no difference between them and lay people except that of office.​

Many of us know how the reformation impacted Christian theology and doctrine, but what most of us don’t know is that it had a huge impact on the theology of work and vocation.​

In this regard, the reformers highlighted two things: that all space is sacred space and that diligence is an essential Christian virtue. This is the application of the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, so that now, work as a farmer is just as godly as a pastor’s vocation. The barrier has been removed.​

Why is this important for us to understand? It’s because many Christians often devalue the material world, thinking that only those things that are done within the context of the church are deemed important, sacred, and holy, and that only pastors, missionaries, and church volunteers are doing the work of God.​

The truth is, whether you’re an engineer, a doctor, a teacher, a virtual assistant, a salesperson, a housewife, or even a student—as long as you perform your vocation in a Christ-like manner and as service to the Lord—your work is deemed sacred.​

Being kind to your colleagues at work and serving them is spiritual. It’s more spiritual than if I preached in church and shouted at my wife and son when we got home.​

Being faithful in what you do is sacred. Picking up trash, making up your bed, cleaning your house—these things are more spiritual than possessing the title of “director” or “engineer” and leaving people suffering from poorly constructed roads and infrastructure.​

Many Christians dream of holding positions in the ministry, and there is nothing wrong with that. We hear stories of evangelists, missionaries, and pastors who performed amazing work in the name of Christ, and we become envious of them. We compare ourselves to them and wonder whether we’re doing work that actually matters to God.​

We see celebrity preachers and worship leaders, and we aspire to be like them. This is a trap. I have met students in the seminary who left after only a year or sometimes after only a semester. I observed them and interviewed some of them. And a common theme that I got from them was that they joined the seminary because they thought being a pastor was cool.​

This is an issue of obsession with Christian celebrity. This is an obsession that many Christians have nowadays with being seen in front. Before we volunteer, let us ask ourselves first what our motivation is. If it is so we can share our gifts, then good. But if it is to feel good and think that we are doing the work of God, then we have to think again.​

I once met a young man who held a very good position in the company he’s working for. He told me he wanted to leave his job and work full-time in the ministry. Thank God he didn’t pursue that ambition.​

Please don’t get me wrong. I would love for more young people to pursue pastoral and missionary work or volunteer at church. But I would prefer that they first count the cost. I would also prefer that they hold a mindset that serving God full-time in the church is no more sacred than working as a virtual assistant, customer service representative, teacher, doctor, engineer, or policeman. It’s not even more sacred or spiritual than being a housewife doing work at home or a garbage collector.​

You can be doing what society would deem as a menial job, but if you produce the fruit of the Spirit, you are more spiritual than a pastor or priest with a large ministry, and yet manipulate and abuse young girls and boys.​

There is no sacred-secular divide. However, there is an extreme to this that we must avoid, namely, that anything that displays a form of religion must be shunned. I want to be clear that the sacred-secular divide doesn’t mean you can do everything you please because everything can be considered sacred. It doesn’t mean you can act in church the way you act at home. There is a proper place and time for everything.​

Many Christians within the evangelical circle have become arrogant and lost a sense of reverence to the point that when we come to church, we forget that we should dress and act appropriately when we gather on Sundays to worship.​

Many of us are even intimidated with anything that represents tradition.​

“Oh, we’re non-denominational, so we can wear anything to church. We can do anything.”​

Some would say, “How about David, who danced naked before the Lord?” That was a one-time event and is not a prescription for Christian worship.

The Distinction Between Work Done for the Lord and Work Done for the Kingdom

Another thing we need to understand is that in Paul’s epistles, he distinguishes work done for the Lord and work done for the Kingdom. When I say work done for the Kingdom, I refer to work resulting in people knowing Christ. That said, while washing the dishes can be considered a spiritual activity, it is not work done for the Kingdom. Unless your washing of dishes brings someone to the saving knowledge of Christ.​

Preaching is work done for the Lord and for the Kingdom at the same time. Doing paperwork at the office is work done for the Lord but not for the Kingdom.​

Sharing the Gospel with a friend is work done for the Lord and for the Kingdom at the same time.

In addition, when Paul said “Whatever you do,” he was referring to actual work. Remember that he was addressing slaves, and slaves existed for work. When the slaves heard Paul’s letter being read at church, they didn’t think about just any kind of activity. They were thinking about doing household chores, running errands for their masters, farming, and all those kinds of things.​

That said, not everything we do as Christians can be placed under the category of “whatever.” Reading a book is not work, unless it’s done in the context of work or study. Watching reels and videos on social media is not work. Singing karaoke with some friends for the sake of having fun and socializing is not work at all.​

I want to be clear with that because we non-denominational evangelicals sometimes don’t know how to distinguish between what’s actually sacred and what’s not.​

A lot of us are confused and don’t know how to behave in church.

Work Heartily: Excellence In Your Chosen Vocation

Paul then writes, “work heartily.” The Greek word means “to work from the soul.”​

It is easier for us Christians today to apply this instruction than it was for the original recipients. Why? Because we get paid to do what we have to do. Given that we don’t always get paid to do what we love doing, but the original recipients of this command by Paul didn’t get paid at all.​

They were slaves. Slaves never got paid. Slaves were the least happy people in the Ancient world.​

If we who get paid for our jobs aren’t always happy with what we have, how much more slaves?

Paul didn’t give this instruction to hired workers. I can only imagine how difficult it could have been for the slaves to hear this portion being read in church during those times. “We are slaves. We don’t generally love doing what we’re doing, and we don’t get paid. And you want us to work with an attitude of excellence?”​

So, if we want to apply this Scripture to our lives today, it’s supposed to be easier. We don’t have any reason to grumble because most of us get paid. The only people who don’t get paid for what they do are students. But still, children should be grateful for the responsibility given to them by their parents—perform chores at home, study hard—all these things are for their own good anyway. But for slaves in ancient times, it was different. They had to work for the benefit of their masters.​

So, what’s our excuse for not being excellent in our chosen vocation?​

Also, what does working from your soul mean? It means doing your work with enthusiasm and excitement. The Greek word for “soul” here is ‘psyches’, from which we get the word “psychology.” That means, when you work from the soul, you put your personality into it. You put your whole being into it.​

I once wrote a paper for our Contextual Theology class. The title of the paper was “Moving From ‘Bahala Na’ Toward A Theology of Excellence.”​

I argued that excellence is a virtue that seems foreign to Filipinos. It’s not to say that Pinoys don’t strive to excel at all. Filipinos are no doubt some of the hardest-working people in the world and are ready to do anything required of them. We are also very flexible and adaptable. However, it is that adaptability that has gotten us into trouble. We easily adapt, and therefore, we easily get contented. The result: we settle for anything. What’s worse is that we have been in such a situation for so long that it has become the norm for us.​

Unfortunately, many of us have this kind of mentality when it comes to work.​

“Oh, my boss wouldn’t know.”

“My subordinates wouldn’t care.”​

That is not working from your soul.​

If you’re a nurse, you work with compassion for your patients. If you’re a teacher, you teach your students with passion and dedication. If you’re a virtual assistant, you approach your work with creativity. Whatever your job is, you prepare for it diligently and work as if it’s the last day of your life, giving all you’ve got and without holding anything back. Not halfheartedly. Be competent. Be excellent. Continue improving your skills. That’s what it means to love people.​

Not by mere force and necessity, grudgingly, and with murmurings, but from the heart, and with good will, having a true, real, and hearty affection for your master, having their good and interest at heart, and a delight in their service; like the Hebrew servant, that loved his master, as also his wife and children, and therefore would not depart from him.​

Paul was telling the slaves that, though they are working for a human master, even in doing so they are actually working for the Lord.​

Finally, Paul writes, as for the Lord and not for men.​

As For The Lord: Pleasing Christ And Not Men

Work as if you are working for the Lord. Slaves lived and worked for one purpose: to please their masters. Christian slaves, however, were instructed by Paul to live and work not for their earthly masters but for the Lord Jesus Christ.​

Does that mean we shouldn’t do anything when our employers abuse us? Of course not. Again, unlike slaves, we are protected by our rights. We have the right to fair wages and benefits, safe and healthy working conditions, and so on and so forth—things that Christian slaves didn’t have the privilege to enjoy.​

Again, it’s easier for us to apply these words by Paul.​

Perhaps you’re in a season in your life right now that you’re wondering whether God is glorified in your career or chosen vocation. Rest assured that as long as you are doing your job excellently, as if you are directly working for God, God is honored and glorified.​

You may be a doctor, an engineer, or a banker. You may be working in human resources or the BPO industry. As long as you are working to please God and not man, you are in the right place, and you can rest assured that God has placed you there.

Seeing Your Vocation as God’s Calling

But what if you don’t like your job? This is another privilege we have that slaves didn’t have. Slaves couldn’t choose for themselves the kind of work they should do. Although we also can’t deny that there are instances where we get stuck with a job that wasn’t really our first choice.​

There are several reasons for this. One, you didn’t have the qualifications to get hired for your first choice. Two, you couldn’t afford to wait for a better opportunity and grabbed the first one that came your way.​

Maybe you wanted to be an engineer, but you weren’t able to pass the licensure exam yet, so now you feel stuck working as an assistant.​

Maybe you wanted to start your own business, but you couldn’t because you don’t have enough money, skills, and experience, and now you feel stuck as an office clerk.​

Or maybe you wanted to work abroad, but your family needs you to take care of your farm here, and now you feel stuck because it was never your ambition to work under the heat of the sun.​

Some people don’t even have that privilege. Some even end up as garbage collectors.​

But as the American lawyer and the world’s most influential Justice in the 20th century, William J. Brennan Jr., said, “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.”​

So, whatever job you are doing right now, even if it is the only one available, you need to see what you are doing as God’s calling.​

The word “vocation” came from the Latin word ‘vocare’, which means “to call,” and it is God who calls us to whatever kind of work we are involved in right now. And God intends for you to be useful in your current work. But what if my health is suffering because of my work? Still, he intends for you to be useful in that job until the day you can find the ideal job that won’t cause you to compromise your values.​

You need to see that you’re not just a teacher, a businessman, a saleslady, a bank teller, a cashier, a vendor, or a garbage collector.​

Whatever you are doing, you are participating in God’s care for his creation.​ This is at the heart of a biblical theology of work.

If you’re a housewife, you are participating in God’s work in caring for your children. If you’re a financial advisor, you are participating in God’s work in caring for the financial needs of his people. If you are a teacher, you are participating in God’s work in caring for the educational needs of others.​

Since you’re doing your work as for the Lord, it means every time you serve a customer, every time you run an errand for your boss, every time you publish a blog, every time you make an effort to sell a product—you are worshiping the Lord.​

Worship is not just coming to church every Sunday to sing a song, pray, or listen to a sermon. Worship is not just reading and studying your bible. Worship is also giving all you’ve got in terms of your daily work.​

If you are here today thinking that your job is not as sacred as that of other Christians, let the Word of God remind you that God values your work and that he values your contribution. Whatever your work is, do it with all excellence and do it not as eye-service to your employers, not to please men, but as service to God from your heart.