Biblical Perspectives On Works Humans Do

IN THE late 90s Bishop David Oyedepo powerfully spoke to me through one of his books. I cannot remember the title of the book, but some of his words in the book still echo in my spirit. The Bishop wrote that “hard work does not kill”, “living without working is dying without knowing” and “nothing works like work.”

Man was made and placed on the earth not to roam about or idle around purposelessly but to work. The Bible says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15). It seems that man first worked as a farmer, but over the years new occupations including engineering, journalism and teaching have emerged. I call them THE WORKS OF MAN which humans do to provide their needs.

But apart from these works which men and women do for themselves and fellow humans for wages, some people work for God while others work for the devil. These indicate that there are THE WORKS OF GOD and THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL. The devil, a malevolent spirit being, possesses people and influences them to work for him. The Lord Jesus Christ revealed this when He spoke to the Jews who refused to believe in Him:

“You are doing the works your father did…You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. And the Apostle John also says that “…the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL” (1 John 3:8).

There is no doubt that the devil has works in the world which are being done by himself, demons, and people he has captured and possessed. Some examples of the works of the devil are unbelief, lying or deception and murders which have bedeviled the peoples of the nations of the world. The devil influences people to doubt God’s goodness, disobey the commandment of God which eventually destroys the love relationship that exists between them and God.

Moreover, Jesus Christ talks about THE WORK OF GOD that is done in the world. Interestingly, there are many men and women who have also been appointed and indwelled by the Spirit of God to do the work of God. One day, while teaching the Jews, Jesus disclosed what God’s work really meant. That was when the Jews had asked Him about what God’s work was all about.

Today, many despise people who have given themselves wholly to do the work of God. Critics ignorantly accuse pastors of being lazy; it is clear that these accusers do not understand and uphold the nobility of the work of God. But Jesus Christ makes it clear to the Jews and everyone that there is the work of God that is done under the sun.

“Then they said to him, “What must we do to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28-29).

Notice that Jesus stressed on “the work of God” and not “the works of God” as the Jews put it. We can now see that God’s greatest work on earth is to get sinners to believe in Jesus Christ. Getting sinners released from the slavery of sins to believe in Jesus Christ for their freedom, getting them translated from darkness to light and from death to life is a work, a serious business.

This work involves the vigorous preaching of the gospel, teaching the Word of God, healing, deliverance, prayers, fasting and other things to save people from the controlling power of the devil. Thus, God fills people He calls, prepares and sends them to do this work in the world with His Spirit and Word. This indicates that the greatest duty of true apostles, prophets, evangelists, bishops and teachers and other workers of God is to get people to believe in Jesus Christ.

To believe in Jesus Christ is to completely trust Him, have faith in Him and commit to the saving grace that is vested in His name and the message of His death, burial, resurrection and second coming. To believe in Jesus Christ is to be willing to be taught about Christ, learn about Christ, know Christ, live the life of Christ, grow in Christ, conform to the image of Christ and eventually leave this earth to be with Christ forever.

Sinners turn to the Lord for salvation as ministers preach and teach God’s Word in cities, towns and villages throughout the world. Servants of Christ do the work of God, by the Spirit and grace of God. They carefully do this work by getting people to believe in Jesus Christ. Anything we do or say that gets people to believe in Christ constitutes the work of God, but deeds and speeches which make people disbelieve in Christ actually form the work of the devil.

Indeed, there is the work of God in the world, a serious business of getting people to believe in Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls. This is why the Lord calls, trains and sends people to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

However, unbelievers do not consider the work of God as any serious work. They mock and scoff at it. They cannot see how they will perish on the last day, and therefore rubbish the work of salvation. To them, getting people to believe in Jesus Christ is a foolish work, but to those who are doing it, it is a noble work.

By James Quansah.

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James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.