📖 Biblical Definition
Purposeful labor — created good before the fall, cursed at the fall, redeemed in Christ. Genesis 2:15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it — work belongs to the pre-fall creational vocation. Genesis 3:17-19 records the curse: thorns, sweat, toil. The NT does not abolish work but transforms its motive and meaning: Colossians 3:23-24 frames every act of work as service to Christ: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and 2 Thess 3:10-12 set the biblical work ethic. Ephesians 4:28 commands the recovering thief to labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Christian work is worship, witness, and provision for one's own and for the kingdom.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Purposeful labor; deed; vocation.
expand to see more
Bodily or mental labor; that which is performed; deed; achievement; a person's occupation. Scripturally a creation good, fallen into toil, redeemed unto worship.
📖 Key Scripture
Genesis 2:15 — "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
Colossians 3:23 — "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."
2 Thessalonians 3:10 — "If any would not work, neither should he eat."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Detached from worship and reduced to either drudgery or self-actualization.
expand to see more
Modern culture splits work between drudgery (something endured for the paycheck) and self-actualization (a vehicle for personal fulfillment). Scripture's work — Eden good, fall-cursed, redeemed in Christ — is neither. The corruption is treating work as transactional or as identity rather than as worship rendered to the Lord.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew avodah — work and worship together.
expand to see more
['Hebrew', 'H5656', 'avodah', 'service, work, worship']
['Greek', 'G2041', 'ergon', 'work, deed']
Usage
"Work as worship; serve as unto the Lord."
"Lazy hands and exploitative work both fail the standard."