Grace for Work: Is It a Part of God’s Plan?
(Guest: Dr. Mark Rae) Partnering with God through our work is not a new idea. It dates way back to the beginning—all the way back in the garden, where Adam was entrusted by God with the care and maintenance of the garden of Eden. So, throughout the Bible, it is clear that God’s grace for work is one of the benefits of living by grace. Grace and vocation go hand in hand, if we are to honor God with the work of our hands.
As a matter of fact, what did God do at the very beginning? The Trinity created the world. Was that work? Absolutely. And how did God pronounce His work? “It is good.”
Moreover, we see God all throughout history as working. Even Jesus says, “I am working now even as my Father in Heaven is working.” (John 5:17)
So, work didn’t start after the fall as a result of sin. God created it as a component of human nature. In fact, you will find it in plain sight in the Bible that God gives us the responsibility to be productive. So, part of our purpose is to work! This is only the beginning of the story. Adam began by cultivating a garden, but God had other plans for him.
Part of our Purpose is to Work!
In Genesis 1:26-28, He makes a covenant with Adam. First He says, “Be fruitful and multiply.” We usually, wrongly, associate the word “fruitful” just with having children—be fruitful and go have children.
In truth, the Hebrew word “parah” means “be productive.” So, the first command to man in the Adamic covenant is to go and be productive and teach other producers (your children, for instance) who can be productive in God’s “garden” as well.
He also says in Genesis 2, “Go subdue it. Go have submission over it.” He places man in the garden to tend it and keep it. A huge part of the responsibility we have as workers in God’s Kingdom is to tend to and care for His creation. That’s work, but it is work that we partner with God.
“It’s amazing to think that God allows us to partner with Him in work! All the way to the beginning again, the pattern of work is set and it is set by God Himself.” – Dr. Mark Rae
Access this episode with Dr. Mark Rae, Executive Director of Grace Center for Spiritual Development. Know more about how to live by grace with your vocation and what partnering with God through work looks like here at Saving Grace Podcast, one of the many levels of learning at Grace Center for Spiritual Development (GCSD).
At GCSD, our vision is to develop spiritual leaders in every nation who can teach others about the love of Christ, a love that cannot be earned and cannot be lost. We also aim to provide a variety of exciting ways for you to engage with God’s Word and to be trained and equipped to be a spiritual leader in your sphere of influence.
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