Principle
God created work.
Explanation
GOD created Adam and then placed him in the Garden of Eden. Then GOD gave Adam a purpose:
15 Then the Lord God took the man He formed and put him in the garden to tend and keep it.
(Gen. 2:15 OSB)
GOD created man (and woman) to be active—to do stuff, productive stuff. GOD gave humanity purpose.
Think about it: GOD could have easily created beings that simply bowed down and professed His greatness nonstop, doing nothing else. We see examples of certain heavenly beings doing that in visions within Scripture. But that wasn't GOD's purpose for us.
GOD created work to give us purpose. GOD designed humans to accomplish things, to make life better and to invent and do things.
Work is not a negative consequence of sin. Work was created before sin entered the earthly creation.
Yes, sin introduced thorns and frustration to work, but the concept of work itself is pure and good.
Work is healthy. The Bible warns often about the dangers of idleness and the character flaw of laziness.
Yes, work predates sin and it exists in the next life also. The Scriptures are clear about this. Here is one example:
11 “In that day I shall raise up the fallen tabernacle of David, and I shall rebuild its ruins and repair its damages and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that the remnant of men and all the nations upon whom My name is called will seek Me,” says the Lord, who does this thing. 13 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when the threshing will overtake the harvest, and grapes will ripen at the time the seed is sown, and the mountains will drip sweetness, and all the hills shall share in it.
14 I shall bring back the captives of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and drink wine from them. They also will make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I shall plant them on their land; no longer will they be uprooted from the land which I have given them,” says the Lord God Almighty.
(Amos 9:11 15 OSB)
We need to see work for what it is: a blessing from GOD.
