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The Gospel & Work
You are not what you do.
So often, in America, we define who we are by what we do. We introduce ourselves by our job titles. We ask, “What do you do?” to be polite in small talk. We define others by their occupation.
But there are good reasons to connect what you do with your time, whether that is 9-to-5 work, or managing a household full of children. God created us to work, not as judgment, but in cooperation with a mandate given to humanity long before the fall. Your work isn’t who you are, but it is central to why you are here. When we get that confused, our work can be the most frustrating aspect of our lives.
So, what now?
Editors Russell Moore and Andrew T. Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) assemble leading voices to frame the issue with a gospel-centered perspective. The Gospel for Life series gives every believer a biblically-saturated understanding of the most urgent issues facing our culture today, because the gospel is for all of life.
So often, in America, we define who we are by what we do. We introduce ourselves by our job titles. We ask, “What do you do?” to be polite in small talk. We define others by their occupation.
But there are good reasons to connect what you do with your time, whether that is 9-to-5 work, or managing a household full of children. God created us to work, not as judgment, but in cooperation with a mandate given to humanity long before the fall. Your work isn’t who you are, but it is central to why you are here. When we get that confused, our work can be the most frustrating aspect of our lives.
So, what now?
Editors Russell Moore and Andrew T. Walker of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) assemble leading voices to frame the issue with a gospel-centered perspective. The Gospel for Life series gives every believer a biblically-saturated understanding of the most urgent issues facing our culture today, because the gospel is for all of life.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2017
7 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Russell D. Moore
54 books346 followersRussell D. Moore is President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns.
Dr. Moore earned a B.S. in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received the M.Div. in biblical studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He blogs frequently at his “Moore to the Point” website, and is the author or editor of five books, including Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, and The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective. In addition to these, Dr. Moore is also the author of dozens of academic articles and essays within the field of systematic theology and Christian ethics. He also serves as Senior Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity.
Dr. Moore earned a B.S. in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received the M.Div. in biblical studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He blogs frequently at his “Moore to the Point” website, and is the author or editor of five books, including Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, and The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective. In addition to these, Dr. Moore is also the author of dozens of academic articles and essays within the field of systematic theology and Christian ethics. He also serves as Senior Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews
June 23, 2020
The content was very good, but pretty sure every contributor quoted the same Abraham Kuyper quote lol.
October 30, 2019
Work. It seems to be an area of contention in the world today. The idea towards work for a lot of people, dare I say the majority, is that they would not have to work. But in the divine economy that the Lord Jesus Christ has set up, work is a part of it. Having the right attitude about it is crucial for a life that is fulfilling and purposeful.
The Gospel for Life series has addressed the subject in their book The Gospel and Work. There are total of nine books in the series addressing various topics of the day like pornography, abortion, and religious liberty.
It is not just a book by one individual but many authors who contribute to a particular aspect of the topic. In The Gospel and Work, each contributor asks five things om the topic:
• What are we for?
• What does the gospel say?
• How should the Christian live?
• How should the church engage?
• What does the culture say?
Addressing these five issues are Bethany L .Jenkins, Benjamin T. Quinn, Greg Forster, Tom Nelson, and Daniel Darling.
In The Gospel and Work, it addresses the issue of work being a part of worship. It is putting it in that context where we can see our work as an offering to God with the gifts and talents He's given us. That first and foremost, our work is to glorify God.
Bethany Jenkins says,
“The more we understand how the gospel redeems our work, the more we understand that our talents and gifts and not ours to keep, but to give away. Our primary calling is to know Christ. Our vocational assignments are merely outgrowths of that calling which means that knowing Christ is the everyday pursuit that fuels how we exercise our gifts and talents.”
In one of the best parts of the book, Greg Forster addresses the issue of worship being an everyday reality and how that is expressed by the work we do.
“If church members see Sunday morning as the primary time they worship God and do not understand that what they do on Monday morning is prime-time worship, then our good and great triune God who is worthy of our true and best worship receives puny and impoverished worship from His new covenant people. In the original creation, God designed us to work and worship in a seamless way.”
Overall, the book addresses the change of mindset for the child of God towards their work. Once we begin to see work as worship, then we can get begin to see our lives as being meaningful on a daily basis since work is a major part of our existence. It is important to understand that the first thing God gave Adam was a job before he gave him a woman.
The book is a decent primer on understanding and connecting work as something that is meaningful and God-given. It gives a solid foundation on our attitude and outlook when it comes to work. It addresses the balance that needs to be between the meaningfulness of work and the curse that comes along with it which makes it hard.
Daniel Darling addresses this issue when he says:
“Work in a fallen world is still a means by which we bring glory to our creator, but it is now met by groaning creation. The words of Jesus introduce the threefold corruption of work: pain, frustration, and futility. Work is painful, not simply because of the exertion required. Even before the fall, God established rhythms of working rest. What is different about labor in a corrupted cosmos is that work now brings pain.”
This then is the one reason why many people don't want to work. They don't want the pain that comes with it. Understanding this about our work from a gospel perspective, or rather a God perspective when we go back to the book of Genesis, helps us to bear it and know we still can glorify God even on the worst days in our work.
The Gospel and Work is worth the read if not for the reminder of how we as Christians should look at work and come to a place to work God gets more glory from our lives through it. It's not real deep but it is practical and faith-building.
I give a C+. Now, don't let that fool you. I recommend this for Bible study groups and general discussion. It's worth getting on that basis.
The Gospel for Life series has addressed the subject in their book The Gospel and Work. There are total of nine books in the series addressing various topics of the day like pornography, abortion, and religious liberty.
It is not just a book by one individual but many authors who contribute to a particular aspect of the topic. In The Gospel and Work, each contributor asks five things om the topic:
• What are we for?
• What does the gospel say?
• How should the Christian live?
• How should the church engage?
• What does the culture say?
Addressing these five issues are Bethany L .Jenkins, Benjamin T. Quinn, Greg Forster, Tom Nelson, and Daniel Darling.
In The Gospel and Work, it addresses the issue of work being a part of worship. It is putting it in that context where we can see our work as an offering to God with the gifts and talents He's given us. That first and foremost, our work is to glorify God.
Bethany Jenkins says,
“The more we understand how the gospel redeems our work, the more we understand that our talents and gifts and not ours to keep, but to give away. Our primary calling is to know Christ. Our vocational assignments are merely outgrowths of that calling which means that knowing Christ is the everyday pursuit that fuels how we exercise our gifts and talents.”
In one of the best parts of the book, Greg Forster addresses the issue of worship being an everyday reality and how that is expressed by the work we do.
“If church members see Sunday morning as the primary time they worship God and do not understand that what they do on Monday morning is prime-time worship, then our good and great triune God who is worthy of our true and best worship receives puny and impoverished worship from His new covenant people. In the original creation, God designed us to work and worship in a seamless way.”
Overall, the book addresses the change of mindset for the child of God towards their work. Once we begin to see work as worship, then we can get begin to see our lives as being meaningful on a daily basis since work is a major part of our existence. It is important to understand that the first thing God gave Adam was a job before he gave him a woman.
The book is a decent primer on understanding and connecting work as something that is meaningful and God-given. It gives a solid foundation on our attitude and outlook when it comes to work. It addresses the balance that needs to be between the meaningfulness of work and the curse that comes along with it which makes it hard.
Daniel Darling addresses this issue when he says:
“Work in a fallen world is still a means by which we bring glory to our creator, but it is now met by groaning creation. The words of Jesus introduce the threefold corruption of work: pain, frustration, and futility. Work is painful, not simply because of the exertion required. Even before the fall, God established rhythms of working rest. What is different about labor in a corrupted cosmos is that work now brings pain.”
This then is the one reason why many people don't want to work. They don't want the pain that comes with it. Understanding this about our work from a gospel perspective, or rather a God perspective when we go back to the book of Genesis, helps us to bear it and know we still can glorify God even on the worst days in our work.
The Gospel and Work is worth the read if not for the reminder of how we as Christians should look at work and come to a place to work God gets more glory from our lives through it. It's not real deep but it is practical and faith-building.
I give a C+. Now, don't let that fool you. I recommend this for Bible study groups and general discussion. It's worth getting on that basis.
June 27, 2017
The Gospel for Life series is meant to assist pastors and church leaders to answer urgent questions that people are asking, questions that the church isn’t always immediately ready to answer. Each book in the series is structured the same: What are we for? What does the gospel say? How should the Christian live? How should the church engage? What does the culture say? This book is intended to be an introductory look at how Christians should understand work and vocation from every angle of the Christian’s life—their place in culture, their engagement as everyday Christians, and their role in the body of Christ, the church. The book includes the following chapters:
What Are We For? Bethany L. Jenkins
How Should the Christian Live? Greg Forster
What Does the Gospel Say? Bruce Ashford and Benjamin T. Quinn
How Should the Church Engage? Tom Nelson
What Does the Culture Say? Daniel Darling
Helpful discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter.
Here are a few of my takeaways for each chapter:
What Are We For? Bethany L. Jenkins
This was my favorite chapter, and was worth the price of the book for me. Jenkins looks at the Bible’s narrative arc—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—to discover the proper place of our work in light of God’s larger work of redemption. Our work is a vocational assignment if God calls us to do it and if we do it for the sake of others, not ourselves. Christians can do almost any kind of work—from data-entry to education to medicine to so much more—as an offering of worship to God. She states that since all assignments are from God for the common good, then all work is “ministry” work.
What Does the Gospel Say? Bruce Ashford and Benjamin T. Quinn
The Gospel makes demands on our lives—beginning with the humble recognition that everything we have in life is a gift from God. A second demand that the gospel makes on our vocations is the love for God and neighbor in all times and places. Third, the gospel demands that the redeemed of the Lord recognize their vocations as ministry. When we consciously recognize our role as conduits of God’s love and provision, our work takes on new dimensions. We begin to do our work with excellence, because if we are the “hands of God” through our jobs, we want those hands to provide the best service and the best product.
How Should the Christian Live? Greg Forster
Jesus will give you grace, power and wisdom to face whatever His calling requires you to face. Work is the main way we carry out the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. In our work, we must first and foremost love God, must serve God as His stewards. Our work must be productive—fruitful—for God. To be faithful in your work, you will need to persevere through suffering.
How Should the Church Engage? Tom Nelson
This chapter includes some wonderful information, but it was mostly familiar to me from having read Nelson’s excellent book Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work. He writes that for many pastors and Christian leaders, there is a large Sunday-to-Monday gap. This gap leads to a deficient understanding of the integral relationship between worship on Sunday and work on Monday. If we perpetuate a Sunday-to-Monday gap, our efforts at spiritual formation—leading followers of Jesus into increasing Christlikeness—will be incomplete. He believes that pastors must become more intentional in teaching a robust theology of vocation that informs our people’s work.
What Does the Culture Say? Daniel Darling
Many, if not most, Christians see their workplaces as simple vehicles by which they can provide for their families, tithe their incomes to the church, and perhaps engage in occasional evangelistic conversations. The actual work seems unimportant in light of eternity. Your job on Monday is not a means to an end—it is part of your divine calling to fulfill the mandate given to us as God’s image bearers. The cubicle, the garage, the classroom—these are sanctuaries where you are called to worship your Creator with your best work. Our work on earth, when done for the glory of Christ, passes the test of fire (1 Cor. 3:12–13) and is mere preparation for our perfected vocations in eternity.
What Are We For? Bethany L. Jenkins
How Should the Christian Live? Greg Forster
What Does the Gospel Say? Bruce Ashford and Benjamin T. Quinn
How Should the Church Engage? Tom Nelson
What Does the Culture Say? Daniel Darling
Helpful discussion questions are included at the end of each chapter.
Here are a few of my takeaways for each chapter:
What Are We For? Bethany L. Jenkins
This was my favorite chapter, and was worth the price of the book for me. Jenkins looks at the Bible’s narrative arc—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—to discover the proper place of our work in light of God’s larger work of redemption. Our work is a vocational assignment if God calls us to do it and if we do it for the sake of others, not ourselves. Christians can do almost any kind of work—from data-entry to education to medicine to so much more—as an offering of worship to God. She states that since all assignments are from God for the common good, then all work is “ministry” work.
What Does the Gospel Say? Bruce Ashford and Benjamin T. Quinn
The Gospel makes demands on our lives—beginning with the humble recognition that everything we have in life is a gift from God. A second demand that the gospel makes on our vocations is the love for God and neighbor in all times and places. Third, the gospel demands that the redeemed of the Lord recognize their vocations as ministry. When we consciously recognize our role as conduits of God’s love and provision, our work takes on new dimensions. We begin to do our work with excellence, because if we are the “hands of God” through our jobs, we want those hands to provide the best service and the best product.
How Should the Christian Live? Greg Forster
Jesus will give you grace, power and wisdom to face whatever His calling requires you to face. Work is the main way we carry out the Great Commandment to love God and neighbor. In our work, we must first and foremost love God, must serve God as His stewards. Our work must be productive—fruitful—for God. To be faithful in your work, you will need to persevere through suffering.
How Should the Church Engage? Tom Nelson
This chapter includes some wonderful information, but it was mostly familiar to me from having read Nelson’s excellent book Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work. He writes that for many pastors and Christian leaders, there is a large Sunday-to-Monday gap. This gap leads to a deficient understanding of the integral relationship between worship on Sunday and work on Monday. If we perpetuate a Sunday-to-Monday gap, our efforts at spiritual formation—leading followers of Jesus into increasing Christlikeness—will be incomplete. He believes that pastors must become more intentional in teaching a robust theology of vocation that informs our people’s work.
What Does the Culture Say? Daniel Darling
Many, if not most, Christians see their workplaces as simple vehicles by which they can provide for their families, tithe their incomes to the church, and perhaps engage in occasional evangelistic conversations. The actual work seems unimportant in light of eternity. Your job on Monday is not a means to an end—it is part of your divine calling to fulfill the mandate given to us as God’s image bearers. The cubicle, the garage, the classroom—these are sanctuaries where you are called to worship your Creator with your best work. Our work on earth, when done for the glory of Christ, passes the test of fire (1 Cor. 3:12–13) and is mere preparation for our perfected vocations in eternity.
October 25, 2017
Very good content in here and a very good chapter on connection our Sundays to our Mondays in regards to teaching our congregants how valuable their work is. My only negative is the various authors at times made me feel like I was rereading as there were similar points and identical quotes.
April 23, 2020
A wonderful collection of thoughts on the gospel and work. Sunday worship should affect the rest of our week. Our worship to God is expressed through our work more than we think.
I would have given it a 5 were it not for the repetition of quotes and ideas.
I would have given it a 5 were it not for the repetition of quotes and ideas.
April 5, 2021
A quick read about what a vocation truly means in our life. This is a rare book and more for professionals, for there are many books in this genre written for businessman or business owner.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 7 reviews