Loading Colossians 3:23-24…
Scripture presents work as something given before sin entered the world, made harder by the curse, and in Christ so that ordinary labour is done for the Lord rather than for people. It commands diligence, honest dealing, rest, and provision for one's household, and it refuses to make a person's worth depend on their job.
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God's answer first
Three passages give the arc: where work began, what it now costs, and who it is finally done for.
The passage that answers this
Loading Colossians 3:23-24…
Whatever you do leaves nothing outside. The audience in the surrounding verses includes household slaves, so this is addressed to people with the least interesting and least free work imaginable.
Read these with it
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Work is given before Genesis 3. It belongs to the good creation, which means labour is not part of the punishment even though its difficulty is.
Loading Ecclesiastes 3:12-13…
Enjoyment in labour is called a gift of God. Scripture allows for satisfaction in work without making work the meaning of a life.
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Why we ask this
Work fills most waking hours, and many believers quietly suspect those hours do not count spiritually.
Others find their identity in their job and are frightened of losing it, or grieve when work is dull, unjust or unpaid.
And some are exhausted. Scripture speaks about rest as directly as it speaks about diligence, and the two are usually separated.
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Historical context
- Written by
- Paul, writing from prison
- Written to
- the church at Colossae, including household slaves and their masters
- Written because
- instruction for the new life of those raised with Christ, Colossians 3:1-17
Colossians 3:22-25 addresses servants, and 4:1 addresses masters. The command to work heartily as for the Lord is therefore given first to people whose labour was neither chosen nor fairly rewarded.
That setting is what makes verse 24 so striking. The reward named is the inheritance from the Lord, and verse 25 warns the wrongdoer, with 4:1 requiring masters to give what is just, since they too have a Master.
Scripture describes such household service without endorsing it as an ideal. It regulates and undercuts it, telling masters they answer to God, Colossians 4:1, calling Onesimus a beloved brother, Philemon 16, and forbidding man stealing, 1 Timothy 1:10.
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Verse by verse
Loading Genesis 2:15…
Cultivate and keep are working and guarding words. Both are given in a world Scripture calls good, before any sin, which sets work in creation rather than in punishment.
Loading Genesis 3:17-19…
The curse falls on the ground, not on work itself. Thorns, sweat and futility explain why good work is often exhausting and frequently undone.
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Heartily is from the soul. The instruction changes the audience of the work rather than the task, which is why it can be obeyed in work nobody notices.
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The reward is an inheritance, which is received rather than earned. To a slave, who could inherit nothing, this reverses everything about the value of the day's labour.
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The command covers labour and rest together, and extends rest to servants, foreigners and animals. Rest in Scripture is a matter of justice as well as refreshment.
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Will not work, not cannot work. The same letters that command this also command generosity to those in need, which shows the target is deliberate idleness.
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Ambition is attached to a quiet life. Two reasons are given: a good witness to outsiders, and not being dependent.
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What Scripture says
Work belongs to creation, not to the fall
Adam works before sin exists, and God himself is described as working and then resting, Genesis 2:2. What the fall added was thorns, sweat and futility, Genesis 3:17-19 and Ecclesiastes 2:18-23.
Ordinary work is done for Christ
Whatever you do, as for the Lord. Ephesians 6:5-8 says the same to servants, adding that whatever good each one does he will receive again from the Lord. There is no category of secular hours in these passages.
Diligence is commended, idleness rebuked
The ant gathers in summer without an overseer. Proverbs 13:4 and 21:5 commend planning and steady effort, and 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 confronts those who will not work while remaining generous to those who cannot.
Rest is commanded, not earned
Six days of labour and a seventh of rest, grounded in God's own pattern. Mark 2:27 says the Sabbath was made for man, and Mark 6:31 shows Jesus taking his workers away to rest.
Employers and workers both answer to God
Masters are told to give what is just, knowing they have a Master in heaven. James 5:4 condemns withheld wages, Deuteronomy 24:14-15 requires same day payment, and Proverbs 11:1 makes honest weights a matter of the Lord's delight.
Work provides, and provision has a purpose
Work with your hands, so that you may have something to give to him who has need. 1 Timothy 5:8 makes providing for one's household a duty, so income in Scripture serves both household and neighbour.
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Cross references
Work in creation
The commission to fill and steward the earth.
Cultivating and keeping the garden, before the fall.
Man going out to his labour until evening, in a psalm of praise.
Work under the curse
Thorns, sweat and hard ground.
The grief of labour whose fruit is left to another.
Enjoyment in labour named as God's gift.
Work for the Lord
Heartily, as for the Lord, with an inheritance in view.
Service from the heart, not only when watched.
Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Justice and rest
Pay the hired worker the same day.
Withheld wages cry out against the employer.
The Sabbath made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
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Common misunderstandings
Work is a curse we have to endure.
Work is given in Genesis 2:15, before sin. The curse in Genesis 3:17-19 falls on the ground and makes work hard. Confusing the two turns an ordinary good into something to escape.
Only ministry work really counts for God.
Colossians 3:23 says whatever you do, addressed to household servants, and Exodus 31:3 describes a craftsman filled with God's Spirit. Jesus worked as a carpenter, Mark 6:3, for most of his life.
Hard work guarantees success.
Scripture commends diligence and refuses that promise. Ecclesiastes 9:11 speaks of time and chance, Psalm 127:1-2 says labour is vain without the Lord, and Habakkuk 3:17-18 shows faith when the harvest fails.
My job is my identity.
Colossians 3:24 says you serve the Lord Christ, and the inheritance is the reward. A believer's standing is given in Christ, Galatians 4:7, which is why unemployment or retirement cannot remove their worth.
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Things most readers miss
Colossians 3:23 was written first to slaves.
Verse 22 names the audience. The most dignifying statement about work in the New Testament was given to those whose work was compelled and unpaid, which is why it reaches monotonous and thankless work today.
The reward is an inheritance.
Verse 24. An inheritance is received by belonging, not earned by performance, so the passage motivates diligence without turning work into a wage before God.
The Sabbath command includes other people's rest.
Exodus 20:10 names sons, daughters, servants, animals and foreigners. Scripture does not allow one person's rest to be built on another's exhaustion.
The first person said to be filled with God's Spirit is a craftsman.
Exodus 31:3. Skill in metal, stone and wood is described as Spirit given, which quietly dismantles the idea of a spiritual and a secular tier of work.
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Someone in Scripture faced this too
Scripture shows skilled work, hard work under bad conditions, and work done alongside ministry.
Bezalel and the craftsmen
What he or she went through
They cut stone, worked metal and carved wood for the tabernacle.
How God responded
God says he filled Bezalel with his Spirit in wisdom, understanding, knowledge and all kinds of workmanship.
What we learn
The first person Scripture describes as filled with God's Spirit is a craftsman. Skill in a trade is treated as a gift of God, not a lesser calling.
Joseph in Egypt
What he or she went through
He worked as a slave and later as a prisoner, in a household not his own and under people who could dispose of him.
How God responded
The Lord was with him, and what he did prospered, verses 2 and 3, though it did not spare him from prison.
What we learn
Faithful work in an unjust position is still commended in Scripture, and God's presence is not measured by promotion.
Paul the tentmaker
What he or she went through
He worked at a trade with Aquila and Priscilla while preaching, and later said he worked night and day so as not to burden anyone, 1 Thessalonians 2:9.
How God responded
Scripture records it plainly, without treating it as a step down from ministry.
What we learn
Trade and gospel work sat together in one life. He also said the labourer deserves support, 1 Corinthians 9:14, so neither support nor manual work is disparaged.
How it points to Christ
Jesus himself was known as the carpenter, Mark 6:3, and worked with his hands for most of his life on earth.
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Christ and this question
The carpenter who finished the work
Jesus was known in his own town as the carpenter, Mark 6:3, which means most of his earthly life was spent in ordinary labour that Scripture does not describe in detail.
In John 17:4 he says he glorified the Father by finishing the work given him to do, and in John 19:30, it is finished. His work, not ours, secures our standing.
That is why Hebrews 4:9-10 speaks of a rest that remains for the people of God. Believers work from rest rather than for it, which changes both the diligence and the anxiety.
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What to do with this
Change the audience of tomorrow's work
Colossians 3:23 does not tell you to change tasks but to work as for the Lord. Name one task you dread and do it tomorrow as service to Christ.
Take the rest you have been given
Exodus 20:9-10 pairs six days of labour with rest, and Mark 6:31 shows Jesus insisting on it. Put one genuine stop in the week and keep it.
Make one thing honest
Proverbs 11:1 and Ephesians 4:28. If there is a rounded number, an unreported hour or a quiet misuse of an employer's time, correct that one thing.
Give someone their due promptly
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 and James 5:4 both press payment. If you owe wages, an invoice or thanks, settle it this week.
Aim part of your income outward
Ephesians 4:28 gives the purpose of working hands as having something to share. Decide one place your work will supply besides your own household.
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Study the question further
Is work part of the curse?
No. Work was given in the garden before sin. The curse made the ground resistant and the labour wearying, but the work itself belongs to God's good creation.
Genesis 2:15
Adam is placed in the garden to cultivate and keep it, before Genesis 3.
Genesis 3:17-19
The curse falls on the ground, adding thorns and sweat.
How to apply this today
- Do I treat my work as something to endure until real life begins?
- Which difficulty in my work is thorns, and which is simply work?
Father, thank you for work. Where it is hard, give me endurance; where I have despised it, change my mind.
Does God care about an ordinary job?
Yes, and Scripture says so most clearly to those whose work was least regarded. Ordinary labour done for Christ is real service with a reward attached.
Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, for the Lord, with the inheritance as reward.
Exodus 31:1-5
God fills a craftsman with his Spirit for skilled manual work.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Eating, drinking and whatever you do, to God's glory.
What does the Bible say about laziness?
It confronts deliberate idleness directly, while remaining generous toward those who cannot work. The concern is both provision and witness.
Proverbs 6:6-11
The ant's diligence set against sleep and poverty.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
If anyone will not work, addressed to the deliberately idle.
1 Timothy 5:8
Providing for one's own household treated as a serious duty.
How do I know if I am working too much?
Scripture does not give a number of hours. It gives a rhythm of work and rest, warns against anxious labour, and asks who else is bearing the cost of your pace.
Psalms 127:1-2
Rising early and staying late described as vain without the Lord.
Exodus 20:9-10
Rest commanded, and extended to those under your authority.
Mark 6:31
Jesus takes his workers aside to rest.
How to apply this today
- Who is paying for my working hours besides me?
- What am I afraid will happen if I stop for a day?
Lord, you rested and you command me to rest. Free me from the fear that keeps me working.
Should Christians be ambitious?
Scripture commends diligence and excellence, and it redirects ambition. The ambition it names is a quiet life, faithful work and good done to others, rather than status.
What is commended
Diligence, skill and faithfulness, Proverbs 22:29 and Colossians 3:23.
What is redirected
Ambition set on a quiet life and honest labour, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.
What is warned against
Greatness sought over others, Mark 10:42-45, and boasting about tomorrow's plans, James 4:13-16.
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Reflection
- Read Colossians 3:22-24, noticing who is addressed. How does that change what the verse asks of you?
- Read Genesis 2:15 and 3:17-19 together. Which part of your working week is thorns, and which is good work made hard?
- Read Exodus 20:9-10. Whose rest, besides your own, depends on how you work?
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Prayer
Father, you worked and called it good, and you gave work to us before anything went wrong. Thank you for the labour of my hands.
Where my work is thankless, help me to do it for you. Where I have been careless or dishonest, correct me.
Teach me to rest as you commanded, and keep me from building my worth out of what I produce. I serve the Lord Christ.
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Further reading
Colossians 3:17-4:1
Work, masters and servants inside the new life in Christ.
Genesis 1:26-2:3
The commission to work, and God's own rest.
Ecclesiastes 2:18-3:13
The futility of labour, and enjoyment in it as God's gift.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Idleness confronted, and quiet work commanded.
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Explore the passage
These are questions the text can actually answer. Take one, go back to the passage with it, and read until Scripture answers rather than until you have an explanation you like. Each question names where this study, or another passage, does the answering.
What this reveals about God
Start here, because every passage of Scripture is first about God before it is about us. Read for what He does, what He says, and what He is called.
What does these passages teach about God?
Underline every verb God is the subject of. What He does tells you who He is.
What does these passages reveal about God's character?
Look for the words the text itself uses of Him: holy, merciful, faithful, jealous, patient. Take the text's own vocabulary rather than your own.
What this reveals about us
Scripture is honest about people. Read for what it says of human need, human failure, and the kind of response it calls for.
What does these passages teach about humanity?
Watch what the people in the text want, fear, and trust. Scripture rarely flatters them.
What does these passages reveal about faith?
Faith in Scripture is always faith in someone, about something specific. Ask what exactly is being believed here, and on what word.
Where this arrives in Christ
Jesus said the Scriptures testify of Him. Follow the line the Bible itself draws rather than inventing one.
What does these passages reveal about Jesus Christ?
Look for what the New Testament does with this text. A connection Scripture makes is a connection you can stand on.
What does these passages reveal about salvation?
Ask who does the saving, who is saved, from what, and by what means. Let the text answer each part.
The world behind the words
The first readers knew things we have to learn. Recovering what they knew is study, not speculation.
How would the original audience have understood these passages?
Ask what they had already been told, what they were living through, and what this would have cost them to believe.
What historical or cultural background helps explain these passages?
Look at the work, the worship, the law and the customs the text assumes you already understand.
How this connects to the rest of Scripture
Scripture is its own best commentary. The clearest answers usually come from another passage rather than from a scholar.
Which Old and New Testament passages help explain these passages?
Prefer passages that quote or clearly echo this text. Those links are the Bible's own, not ours.
What biblical themes are developed in these passages, and where do they begin?
Trace one theme backwards to where Scripture first raises it, then forwards to where it lands.
What this asks of you
Application is the last step, never the first, and it must come out of the passage rather than out of general advice.
What does these passages teach believers to do today?
Say it as one sentence you could obey this week, and be able to point at the verse it came from.
Where faithful readers differ
Some questions here are genuinely open. Where Bible believing Christians read this differently, the readings are set out with the passages behind each one, and what Scripture states plainly is kept separate from what is interpretation.
Which parts of these passages does Scripture state plainly, and which parts are interpretation?
Write two lists. Anything you cannot put in the first list, hold loosely and say so when you teach it.
Questions Audela will not answer
Where Scripture does not answer a question, Audela says so plainly rather than filling the silence. An honest “the Bible does not tell us” is more faithful than a confident guess, and it keeps the reader’s trust in God’s Word rather than in our reasoning.
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.
- Ask instead: What does the passage say God did, and what does that reveal about His character?
- Ask instead: What has God told us about His purpose here, in this text or elsewhere in Scripture?
- Ask instead: What does Scripture say about how God acts, and where does it say it?
- Ask instead: What happened, and what does the rest of Scripture make of it?
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Study tools
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Where this leads
A question is a doorway, not a destination. Here is where this one leads if you want to keep reading rather than stop at an answer.
Topic hub
Primary study
Philippians 4: The Peace That Guards
Philippians 4 gives the settled mind a working life needs: contentment learned in plenty and need, strength through Christ, and every need supplied.
Supporting studies
Colossians 3:17-4:1
Read the fullest instruction on daily work in the New Testament.
Genesis 1:26-2:3
Read work and rest as they were given at the beginning.
Ecclesiastes 2:18-3:13
Read the honest account of labour's futility and its God given enjoyment.
Deep chapter studies
Philippians 4: Contentment Learned in Chains
Contentment, strength and provision for those who work and worry.