What is the Biblical Definition of WORK?

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Aug 2, 2021
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#21
in the new covenant we dont need to keep the sabbath religiously.

colossians 2:16-17
Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah.
HalelluYAH friend.
Actually we are commanded to keep the Sabbath Rest of God and the penalty of death is still upon those who work on it.


For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 
Feb 24, 2022
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#22
Something changed when the LORD showed up - or did it?

Red Pill takes you somewhere, Blue Pill keeps you under status quo(religion).
All religions are work based, which saddens me. In the judgement of sheep and goats, the judgement for the sheep and the judgement for the goats come as big surprises for both group. All the sheep who served men with secular work are rewarded with the millennial kingdom, while all the goats, who think they've been serving God for their entire life in religion and therefore deserve a spot in the millennial kingdom, are rejected.
 

Journeyman

Well-known member
Jan 10, 2019
2,107
763
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#23
Work is seeing faith,

...Jesus seeing their faith... Mt.9:2
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#24
"Good Works"... are a symptom, the result of the proper application and practice of genuine faith, which is a gift of God.

All else is either the necessary labor required to be a faithful steward of what God has provided, or a purely self-serving endeavor for profit.

The shame is that we put our own endeavors before God, then expect God to bless us. Remember Cain and Abel?
 
Aug 2, 2021
7,317
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#25
"Good Works"... are a symptom, the result of the proper application and practice of genuine faith, which is a gift of God.

All else is either the necessary labor required to be a faithful steward of what God has provided, or a purely self-serving endeavor for profit.

The shame is that we put our own endeavors before God, then expect God to bless us. Remember Cain and Abel?
Cain knew what God required for sacrifice but he would not humble himself and go to his brother, instead he killed him.
Sound familiar?
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#26
Cain knew what God required for sacrifice but he would not humble himself and go to his brother, instead he killed him.
Sound familiar?
Abel took inventory of what God freely provided and made himself a good steward, a shepherd.

Cain put himself to work making the earth produce as Cain saw fit. Then, in his arrogance, he expected God to be impressed.
 
Feb 24, 2022
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#27
Abel took inventory of what God freely provided and made himself a good steward, a shepherd.

Cain put himself to work making the earth produce as Cain saw fit. Then, in his arrogance, he expected God to be impressed.
It's not just a typology. Jesus actually confirmed that in Matthew 23:34-35. From Abel to Zechariah they had murdered through religious persecution.
 
J

JAPOV

Guest
#28
It's not just a typology. Jesus actually confirmed that in Matthew 23:34-35. From Abel to Zechariah they had murdered through religious persecution.
Nice! Good catch :cool:
 
Aug 2, 2021
7,317
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#29
Abel took inventory of what God freely provided and made himself a good steward, a shepherd.

Cain put himself to work making the earth produce as Cain saw fit. Then, in his arrogance, he expected God to be impressed.
God instructed Adam and Eve while in the Garden what sacrifice was required.
Cain and Able both knew this.
Cain was unwilling to go to his brother to acquire sheep for the sacrifice.
Sound familiar?

"but you refuse to come to ME that you may have Life" - John 5:40
 
Aug 2, 2021
7,317
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#30
It's not just a typology. Jesus actually confirmed that in Matthew 23:34-35. From Abel to Zechariah they had murdered through religious persecution.
Cain was a big pain
he did not offer righteous Blood
instead of love Cain brought grain
God not wanting something to eat
accepted Abel's sacrifice at His Feet
for grain was the work and toil of men's hands
that toil from the soil could not bring about God's Plan
So Cain grew ill for he swallowed a sour pill
once inside him it began to burn his will
knocking constantly at his door
the door swung open only to poison
and Cain slew Abel and rejected God's Plan
now Cain was stuck with a Warning Label
a dire notice to every man
righteous blood on the ground came from Abel
 

awelight

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2020
1,491
449
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#31
It seems like there's a big misconception around the topic of WORK, a lot of folks here follow the Pharisees by having equated work with keeping the Mosaic Law, but nothing could be further from the truth. What exactly is WORK? Let the bible interpret itself. The answer is the fourth commandment:

Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Ex. 20:8-11)

When it comes to this commandment, usually the focus is all on the Sabbath and any controversy thereof, while WORK is often neglected. Sabbath is the day of the Lord that ought to be kept holy, but before the sabbath, we work six days. This is a basic pattern of life that was set at the beginning for us to follow. God gave this commandment to the Israelites in the wilderness through Moses on Mount Sinai. Now notice that BEFORE the ten commandments were given, Israelites were already being trained to get accustomed with this pattern of life - by gathering manna from heaven in Exodus 16. I'm not gonna throw the entire chapter here, just a few key verses:

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”(Ex. 16:3-5)

In summary, "will work for food" is the name of the game. Israelites went out every day to gather this bread from heaven, and it was only sufficient for the day. Some tried to gather more and save the extra for the next day, and surprise, surprise, the extra all went spoiled overnight. (16:20) However, on the sixth day, they were ordered to gather twice as much to prepare for the Sabbath day, because there won't be any manna on Sabbath. (16:26) This time, none of it was spoiled (16:24). Some of them didn't listen, they went out on Sabbath, and they found nothing. (16:27) This had become their rhythm, and they did it for 40 long years in the wilderness. In the Lord's prayer, "daily bread" is a subtle reference of this, and everybody in the audience understood it.

So, here are a few bullet points:

- "Work" is what we do to make a living, to put food on the table, roof over the head and clothes on the back. It is NOT associated with salvation, for Jesus is the true bread of life, there's nothing we can do to impress God and earn salvation. The purpose of work is to sustain THIS LIFE, not the next life. "He who does not work, neither shall he eat." (2 Thess. 3:10)
- The fourth commandment sets up a weekly schedule. In order to have the Sabbath day set apart from the work days and dedicated to the Lord, all the secular work must be done in six days. If there's anything left undone, chances are, that piece of work will weigh on my mind, I'll be concerned about it, and I'll be distracted while I'm supposed to be worshipping God. Therefore there's a preparation day before Sabbath to wrap up all the work of the week. That puts more pressure on work instead of diminishing the importance of it.
- Notice that although God as the ultimate Provider fed the Israelites with manna, it did not appear in their tents on their table. This is a key principle - "Seek, and you shall find". The manna is out there, but I have to go out and gather it. The purpose was clearly stated, that it's a test of obedience.
- Although "Work" is referring to our secular work, it is NOT limited to our paid job in the office. Any productive activity is work honored by God. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Colossians 3:17) There is no "secular-sacred" divide. God never put ministerial or religious work over other secular works. On the contrary, Pharisees and scribes were harshly criticized by Jesus for virtue signaling through their ministerial and religious work, while all the heavy burdens were put on the shoulders of other people, while they didn't lift a finger. (Matt. 23:3-5)
- Actually, by God's standard, unpaid work that I do voluntarily, either at home or in the community, at the cost of my own time and resources, seeking nothing in return, is more honorable than my regular job, for my job is just what I'm paid to do, unpaid work without anybody asking me to do is what really reflects my character. You can see this in Matt. 5:46-48 - "If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

You have asked and answered:

It seems like there's a big misconception around the topic of WORK, a lot of folks here follow the Pharisees by having equated work with keeping the Mosaic Law, but nothing could be further from the truth. What exactly is WORK? Let the bible interpret itself. The answer is the fourth commandment:

The Jews were guilty of thinking that they kept the "letter" of the Law. While failing to keep the "spirit" of the Law. As believers in Christ, we keep the spirit of the Law as given to us by Jesus:

Mat 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments the whole law is hanging, and the prophets.

As to what is true works? We should acknowledge these Scriptures:

The warning:
Jas_2:17 Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
Jas_2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Work defined:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

Therefore, "works" has nothing to do with Salvation, however, once Salvation is experienced, then the one saved should walk (Live there life), in the service of Jesus Christ. Assemble with like minded believers. Help in the Assembly, where God's gifts, given to you, can be put to work. Witness for the cause of the Gospel. Grow in knowledge and wisdom. Apply what we learn to our walk. Defend the Truth.
 
Feb 24, 2022
1,346
288
83
#32
You have asked and answered:

It seems like there's a big misconception around the topic of WORK, a lot of folks here follow the Pharisees by having equated work with keeping the Mosaic Law, but nothing could be further from the truth. What exactly is WORK? Let the bible interpret itself. The answer is the fourth commandment:

The Jews were guilty of thinking that they kept the "letter" of the Law. While failing to keep the "spirit" of the Law. As believers in Christ, we keep the spirit of the Law as given to us by Jesus:

Mat 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.
Mat 22:39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments the whole law is hanging, and the prophets.

As to what is true works? We should acknowledge these Scriptures:

The warning:
Jas_2:17 Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
Jas_2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Work defined:

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them.

Therefore, "works" has nothing to do with Salvation, however, once Salvation is experienced, then the one saved should walk (Live there life), in the service of Jesus Christ. Assemble with like minded believers. Help in the Assembly, where God's gifts, given to you, can be put to work. Witness for the cause of the Gospel. Grow in knowledge and wisdom. Apply what we learn to our walk. Defend the Truth.
That's very profound. Jesus's work was finished on the cross, while the church's work is not finished yet, although I believe it's drawing close to an end when the gospel is preached to all nations on earth, according to Matt. 24:14.
 

ResidentAlien

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2021
7,501
3,116
113
#33
It seems like there's a big misconception around the topic of WORK, a lot of folks here follow the Pharisees by having equated work with keeping the Mosaic Law, but nothing could be further from the truth. What exactly is WORK? Let the bible interpret itself. The answer is the fourth commandment:

Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. (Ex. 20:8-11)

When it comes to this commandment, usually the focus is all on the Sabbath and any controversy thereof, while WORK is often neglected. Sabbath is the day of the Lord that ought to be kept holy, but before the sabbath, we work six days. This is a basic pattern of life that was set at the beginning for us to follow. God gave this commandment to the Israelites in the wilderness through Moses on Mount Sinai. Now notice that BEFORE the ten commandments were given, Israelites were already being trained to get accustomed with this pattern of life - by gathering manna from heaven in Exodus 16. I'm not gonna throw the entire chapter here, just a few key verses:

And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”(Ex. 16:3-5)

In summary, "will work for food" is the name of the game. Israelites went out every day to gather this bread from heaven, and it was only sufficient for the day. Some tried to gather more and save the extra for the next day, and surprise, surprise, the extra all went spoiled overnight. (16:20) However, on the sixth day, they were ordered to gather twice as much to prepare for the Sabbath day, because there won't be any manna on Sabbath. (16:26) This time, none of it was spoiled (16:24). Some of them didn't listen, they went out on Sabbath, and they found nothing. (16:27) This had become their rhythm, and they did it for 40 long years in the wilderness. In the Lord's prayer, "daily bread" is a subtle reference of this, and everybody in the audience understood it.

So, here are a few bullet points:

- "Work" is what we do to make a living, to put food on the table, roof over the head and clothes on the back. It is NOT associated with salvation, for Jesus is the true bread of life, there's nothing we can do to impress God and earn salvation. The purpose of work is to sustain THIS LIFE, not the next life. "He who does not work, neither shall he eat." (2 Thess. 3:10)
- The fourth commandment sets up a weekly schedule. In order to have the Sabbath day set apart from the work days and dedicated to the Lord, all the secular work must be done in six days. If there's anything left undone, chances are, that piece of work will weigh on my mind, I'll be concerned about it, and I'll be distracted while I'm supposed to be worshipping God. Therefore there's a preparation day before Sabbath to wrap up all the work of the week. That puts more pressure on work instead of diminishing the importance of it.
- Notice that although God as the ultimate Provider fed the Israelites with manna, it did not appear in their tents on their table. This is a key principle - "Seek, and you shall find". The manna is out there, but I have to go out and gather it. The purpose was clearly stated, that it's a test of obedience.
- Although "Work" is referring to our secular work, it is NOT limited to our paid job in the office. Any productive activity is work honored by God. "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Colossians 3:17) There is no "secular-sacred" divide. God never put ministerial or religious work over other secular works. On the contrary, Pharisees and scribes were harshly criticized by Jesus for virtue signaling through their ministerial and religious work, while all the heavy burdens were put on the shoulders of other people, while they didn't lift a finger. (Matt. 23:3-5)
- Actually, by God's standard, unpaid work that I do voluntarily, either at home or in the community, at the cost of my own time and resources, seeking nothing in return, is more honorable than my regular job, for my job is just what I'm paid to do, unpaid work without anybody asking me to do is what really reflects my character. You can see this in Matt. 5:46-48 - "If you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
For Christians a "work" is merely an act of obedience. We don't have to worry about works of the Law because we've been set free from it.

"But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."—Romans 7:6

Under the Old Covenant, they obeyed the letter. We still have the "letter" but it teaches us how to obey the Spirit, we don't serve the letter.

There have always been, and will always be, those who insist it must be salvation through Christ + works of the Law. They usually try to justify this by saying: "We don't serve the Law of Moses but 'God's Law,' the Ten Commandments, or whatever. But they fail to realize we don't serve any kind of "law"; we serve Christ.
 

awelight

Well-known member
Aug 10, 2020
1,491
449
83
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#34
That's very profound. Jesus's work was finished on the cross, while the church's work is not finished yet, although I believe it's drawing close to an end when the gospel is preached to all nations on earth, according to Matt. 24:14.
Thanks for the kind words.

I too believe, the time is drawing very near. With the printed Bible being in place for more than 400 years and with all of todays social medias - I believe the world has heard or has read the Gospel.

The only thing we are waiting on now - is for the "last of the Gentiles be come in."

Rom_11:25 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,763
113
#35
It seems like there's a big misconception around the topic of WORK, a lot of folks here follow the Pharisees by having equated work with keeping the Mosaic Law, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Paul spoke of "the works (plural) of the law" as a means of earning salvation by many Jews. And went on to say that by the works of the Law no man would be justified in the sight of God. So there is no "misconception". The works of the Law could be quite extensive, but not necessarily about working for a living. And Christ made it perfectly clear that good works (such as healing) on Sabbath days were perfectly lawful. Indeed the priests prepared the showbread on Sabbath days (Lev 24:8;1 Chron 9:32) as an act of worship.
 

Magenta

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2015
55,247
25,716
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#36
The establishment of a Sabbath day rest pointed forward to the time when Jesus would become our
Sabbath, allowing us to rest from all work to attain salvation, reconciliation with God, and eternal life.
 

brighthouse98

Senior Member
Apr 16, 2015
618
295
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#37
Brother Carry, (James 1:22) A dog acts like a dog, a believer should act like a believer. saying one believes means one acts like they believe. The only work we have is to believe in our Jesus, and by believing would one not act as if they believe? I would say so, otherwise one's words mean nothing. DOING is a work! It does require effort on our part. Did the disciples do nothing after they believed? SURE, they did! A work of righteousness. (Isaiah 32:17-18)
 
Feb 24, 2022
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#38
Paul spoke of "the works (plural) of the law" as a means of earning salvation by many Jews. And went on to say that by the works of the Law no man would be justified in the sight of God. So there is no "misconception". The works of the Law could be quite extensive, but not necessarily about working for a living. And Christ made it perfectly clear that good works (such as healing) on Sabbath days were perfectly lawful. Indeed the priests prepared the showbread on Sabbath days (Lev 24:8;1 Chron 9:32) as an act of worship.
Well, medical treatment and food preparation are real physical labor. The kind of work that Jesus specifically rebuked in the first half of the Sermon on the Mount and harshly condemned in Matt. 23 is religious, ceremonial, showy work for the sole purpose of exalting or justifying oneself without creating any value, in modern time known as "virtue signaling", which covers the vast majority of what you see on tv and social media.
 
Mar 1, 2021
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#39
Well, medical treatment and food preparation are real physical labor. The kind of work that Jesus specifically rebuked in the first half of the Sermon on the Mount and harshly condemned in Matt. 23 is religious, ceremonial, showy work for the sole purpose of exalting or justifying oneself without creating any value, in modern time known as "virtue signaling", which covers the vast majority of what you see on tv and social media.
Amen to that. It is exhausting trying to keep up with what people put on social media. It makes you feel like you are constantly failing. We shouldn't hold ourselves to a standard that God doesn't approve of anyway.
 
Feb 24, 2022
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#40
Amen to that. It is exhausting trying to keep up with what people put on social media. It makes you feel like you are constantly failing. We shouldn't hold ourselves to a standard that God doesn't approve of anyway.
Yep. Social media is a big black hole designed to get its users addicted and depressed.