Work is an ubiquitous assignment. It is a timeless universal reality required not only by Scripture1 but also to survive in the physical universe. Given a created universe, there is a Creator without whom there would be nothing. The Creator therefore defined all the rules of existence, including the rules of work.
The Epistle of James is a homily focused on the practics of life under the Lordship of Christ. James’s letter was addressed to Jewish people who, presumably, were well trained in Scripture and believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Consequently, James focused his tome on practics, assuming that his readers knew the theology that undergirded the practics. Furthermore, it is assumed that the Jewish people he addressed were descendants of the those dispersed as part of God's judgment for Israel's wickedness. This suggests that James’s readers were probably slaves. In the first century, slaves were the workers since Roman citizens viewed work as beneath their dignity. The Epistle of James therefore appears to have been addressed to people in the workplace. What then does James say about the practics of work to these early Christians who would have understood that work was to be performed under the Lordship of Christ?
A key overriding theme of the epistle is metaphysical awareness2 of the relationship between faith and work. Whatever one believes internally will be demonstrated externally through words and actions.
Living a Christian lifestyle begins with clarity and conviction about one’s internal being in Christ, that is, one’s identification as a new creation in Christ.3 This intimates that a true Christian lives under the Lordship of Christ.4 Consequently because internal being drives external actions, the root of enduring excellent work, therefore, must be a sound understanding of one’s being in Christ, which is then expressed by performing work that reflects Christ.5
This metaphysical awareness of being in Christ empowers a Christian’s mind, will, and emotions to seek alignment with the Creator’s rules of his universe. If the Creator most fully reveals truth to those who are increasingly growing in alignment with him, then sound being in Christ is a predicate for producing enduringly excellent work.
Here is your business tip. Given that internal being drives external actions, the predicate to performing excellent work is a sound understanding of a person’s being in Christ. Clearly, only those in Christ can have this understanding. Therefore, to build an efficient productive organization, management must seek to develop the metaphysical awareness of each worker and help each worker grow in an understanding of their being in Christ. Workers who refuse to be trained in a biblical understanding of being probably do not know Christ and will therefore not be long-term effective, productive workers. These workers will be, at best, effective only for a short time. But workers whose hearts are progressively transformed into alignment with the will and ways of God will produce excellent work and will be pillars of stability and long-term growth for the organization.
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1 Genesis 1:26–28
2 By the term metaphysical awareness, I am referring to the ability of a person to see reality as God sees it.
3 2 Corinthians 2:17
4 Galatians 2:20
5 Colossians 3:17
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