Which Came First? Work or Sin

Did work happen before or after the Fall of man? Is it a result of sin?

God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden and gave them dominion over all that He had created (Gen. 1:26).

To have dominion indicates rulership and stewardship, or the ability to make things better. Genesis 2:5 tells us that before the Creation of man, there was no one to work the ground. God placed them in the Garden to work and keep it, to even make it better! (2:15)

All this happened before sin!

Work was a part of the perfect world prior to sin and death. When Adam and Eve sinned, work became more difficult. Sin corrupted every aspect of life, including work.

God values work so much that He includes it in the Ten Commandments. Exodus 20:8 tells us “to remember the Sabbath Day…six days you shall labor”.

This command is dealing with the day of rest, but by implication tells us to work hard for the other six days.

In the New Testament, Paul helps the Thessalonians blend a hope for the second coming with a proper work ethic. They thought the return of Christ was near, so they stopped working. They were so “heavenly minded”, they were of no “earthly good”. He urges them to admonish the idle (1 Thes. 5:14), even going so far to say if they did not work, they would not eat! (2 Thes. 3:10)

Hard work brings value and life to the individual, it helps one feel productive and part of the whole.

When God created a perfect world, He included work.

Work is God’s idea.

Let’s do it with all our strength and enjoy it along the way!

Application points
1. There is not a separation of God’s work and secular work – all work is God’s work. Whatever you do is spiritual as long as you are being obedient to God. Full time Christian service is not more spiritual than being a scientist. In what areas does your thinking need to change on this?

2. Would there be any difference in the way you worked if you thought the return of Christ was next week or in the next 1000 years?

“Work is not something one does to live, but what one lives to do” John Stott

This post is one in a series of devotionals published in La Biblia Del Discipulo (The Discipleship Bible), which is a Spanish language Bible. For more information on the Bible, please visit : http://www.bibliadeldiscipulo.com.

The E-Version is also available for IPads or mobile devices. Copyright 2011.