The first couple chapters in the book of Genesis have a lot to say about our callings and our work. In Genesis 2:15, the Lord puts man “in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The Lord then says to Adam, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). Right from the beginning, there is a link between working and enjoying the fruit of one’s labor.
Genesis 3 is where Adam and Eve sin by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Consequently, God issues judgments to the serpent, the woman, and the man. In his judgment to Adam, God declares that by hard work and pain will Adam partake of the fruits of his work, again linking work and the harvest. In chapters 2 and 3, there are references to labor and references to the fruit of labor, but the sin of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 casts a different light on the nature of work when compared with the beautiful potential in chapter 2. In these first few chapters of Genesis, there are key themes that connect with a biblical view of work, including the sinful fall of man, human identity, and the purpose for work.
As people seeking to be faithful to God in our work, how does this relate to us?
Work & Identity
Notice that Adam and Eve eat of the tree of the “knowledge of good and evil.” The lie that is put into their minds is that they will “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Adam and Eve are confronted with an identity crisis. Do they trust God’s character, or do they take things into their own hands and possibly become “like God, knowing good and evil?”
Adam was given the assignment to work and cultivate the garden. There was a job to do, but in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve succumb to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (see 1 Jn. 2:16). The serpent tempts them with a false identity, one that promises to make them like God but instead leaves them hiding from the Lord in shame soon after they eat from the forbidden tree.
The temptations that face us today in our jobs are no different than the temptation that was presented to Adam and Eve. In just these first few chapters of Genesis, it becomes clear that work is designed by God to be a good thing. It is an opportunity for stewardship, cultivation, and creativity, all characteristics that reflect God’s work in creation. Work continues to be a good thing, but the effects of sin are evident throughout all of creation, including in people’s work.
Like Adam and Eve, many people work hard so they can be like God.
Another example is the Tower of Babel narrative in Genesis 11. In this passage, the people come together and say, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top to the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves” (Gen. 11:4). To quote the serpent, they want to “be like God.” Like Adam and Eve who temporarily lose sight of their identity as God’s creation, these individuals in the Babel narrative completely miss the reality that their lives are meant to exalt the name of God, not their own. In both situations, God’s creation seeks to define its own identity apart from that of being image-bearers reflecting God’s character and goodness.
The work we do is important in part because it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect God’s creativity, goodness, and beauty to the world, but sin and the desire to be like God continue today. Every person who has career aspirations will be tempted with a false identity that seeks to make themselves bigger. How do we remain content as image-bearers of our Creator rather than seeking to be like him in knowledge and power?
Remembering Who We Work For
The answer may rest in the biblical principle of humbling ourselves while exalting God. Take the Apostle Paul’s writings as an example. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, and Colossians 3:23, Paul exhorts his audiences to do everything for the glory of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul describes Christians as “ambassadors for Christ.” We are not here representing our own name, image, and likeness, but rather we pray in Jesus’ name, bear his image, and reflect his likeness to the world.
Like the people in the Babel narrative, the temptation will always be present to build something for our own name that the world thinks is wonderful. But a good thing quickly becomes an idol when the praise is misdirected away from the source of all that is good and beautiful.
We are called by God to build, cultivate, and create (as is made possible by the resources and tools God has provided in this world). We need entrepreneurs, teachers, business leaders, and executives who lead well. The call to work and cultivate this world for the glory of God is a wonderful assignment, but we will only be as successful as our willingness to direct all the praise to God alone. For without his grace in our lives, our best offerings are but rubble because we were never created to exalt our own names.
We are image-bearers of an almighty God, and his Son, Jesus Christ, has modeled true human flourishing for us. This type of flourishing is marked by lives of humility, free from the lusts of this world, and wholly devoted in obedience to the will of the Father.
Whenever we hear a voice encouraging us to build something for our own name, may we remember Paul’s words in Philippians 2:10-11 where he writes,
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It can be easy to believe we are self-made men and women, but we are made in the image of Almighty God. Let us build, create, and work in a manner that directs all the credit to God for he is “the builder of all things” (Heb. 3:4).
