In recent years, many Christians have stated that the workplace will be the venue for the next move of God. A by-product of this focus is a concept known as “integrating faith and work,” which implies that work can exist independent of faith.
The concept of integrating faith and work is not explicitly found in the Bible; hence, we don’t have a clear biblical definition. Furthermore, as far as I know, no prominent theologian has offered even a biblically inferred definition. So the question is, what does the phrase mean?
To develop a definition, consider the common perspective of work—even among Christians. In my experience, most people view work as little more than a means to make money. It is not something that most workers enjoy, but something they have to do. The workplace is a difficult environment. Competition is cutthroat. Customers are demanding and bosses can be insufferable. The general perspective of workers is that work is a necessary evil. As a result most of them cannot wait until they retire.
Given this glum perspective, most people don’t view work as something that involves or interests God. But since Christianity now has adopted the idea of integrating faith and work, this suggests that we must invite God into our workplaces, where arguably He does not belong. This is how most people define integrating faith and work. Is this definition consistent with Scripture?
In the above text, the apostle Paul said that Christ—who is God and the second person of the Trinity—created everything. Therefore, Christ created the workplace and the rules of the workplace. This suggests that Christ is interested in the workplace. He wants to rule and reign in the workplace just as He wants to rule and reign in every sphere of life.
If you believe that Christ is interested in ruling the workplace, how does this impact the meaning of “integrating faith and work”? To answer this question, start by recognizing that faith cannot be separated from work. All activities in the workplace are built on faith, that is, assumptions about God. Whatever you believe about God will define how you view the workplace. There is no separation of faith and work—work is based on faith. This means that your view of God defines your worldview and your worldview defines how you work. Therefore the phrase “integrating faith and work,” as commonly understood, is a misnomer.
Here is your business tip: Since Christ created everything, He made the rules for the workplace. These rules are revealed primarily through the Bible; hence, the only correct worldview is a biblical worldview. To succeed in Christ’s universe, therefore, a person must adopt a biblical worldview. This means that employers and managers who want to maximize their success will hire people with biblical worldviews. If an employer has workers who don’t share a biblical worldview, the employer should seek to train those workers in a biblical worldview. If they are not trainable, the employer should replace them with people who have biblical worldviews or who are willing to be trained.
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