Doing Business in God's Universe

Business Tips from a Biblical Worldview

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. (Acts 4:24 NIV)

A fundamental principle of the universe is that whoever is in charge gets to make the rules. In a family, the parents are in charge and make the rules. In a business, the owner of the business is in charge and makes the rules. In a church, the church leaders are in charge and make the rules. And in a country, the government is in charge and makes the rules. But in the universe, God, the Creator, is in charge; therefore, He makes the rules.

Given that we live in God’s universe, we need to understand and obey His rules. Since He created everything, as the verse above notes, this means that all human authority is derived from God. Hence, the question is: What are God’s rules for the various jurisdictions?

For most of us, God’s rules of family and church are easy to accept because we believe that God is relevant to these jurisdictions. Our struggle is that we don’t really believe that God is relevant to business and government.

The popular phrase “separation of church and state” is a way that we marginalize God in the jurisdiction of government. Today the common interpretation of separation of church and state is that we must keep God out of government. Of course, this assumes that we can. The problem is that our assumption is wrong. How can we keep God out of something that He created? Because He created everything, He created the rules of government.

A corollary to separation of church and state is separation of church and business. We humans commonly assume that business occurs outside the purview of God or that God does not concern Himself with such mundane activities. Such thinking is contrary to Scripture. After all, God created the physical universe and put man on earth to rule it (see Genesis 1).

Therefore since God created the universe, He must have made the rules for the physical universe, and therefore, the rules of business. Hence, the real question is: What are God’s rules of business? After all, we are doing business in God’s universe.

Here is your business tip: The separation of church and state and its corollary, separation of church and business, are wrong assumptions about reality because God makes all the rules for the universe that He created. Any value, principle, or practice that produces long-term success, as defined by God, in business must be aligned with His rules.

Listen to Dr. Chester's presentation on:

Separation of Church and State: An Illusion