The Protestant Work Ethic, pt. 3
It is a wonder how the Reformers who rejected salvation by works (only by God’s grace through faith) developed such a high work ethic. The Protestants were not trying to compensate for something lacking in their theology; they were merely following the Scripture. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God does not save people because of their good works (in reality, all of our works are tainted with sin. Is. 64:6). No one can put God in their debt. Eternal life cannot be earned; it must be received as a gift. The Reformers, however, also understood Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are not saved by works, but we are created for good works. These good works are not just random acts of kindness; the good works God calls us to are primarily done through our vocations. As we’ve discussed, a vocation is not just a job, it also includes family, church, community, hobby, rest, and recreation. Vocation is living the life that God has called us to as His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) and priests (1 Peter 2:9).
Our calling of good works, then, is not a calling for self-gratification or self-glorification; it is a calling to serve others. William Perkins wrote, “Every man for himself, and God for us all is wicked, and is directly against the end of every calling.” Then he wrote, “They profane their lives and callings that employ them to get honors, pleasures, profits, worldly commodities, etc., for thus we live to another end than God hath appointed, and thus we serve ourselves, and consequently neither God nor men.” The Reformers viewed vocation as the way to carry out the greatest commandment—to “love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourselves.”(Matt. 22:37-40) Luther wrote in his Larger Catechism, “In God’s sight it is actually faith that makes a person holy; it alone serves God, while our works serve people.” Gustaf Wingren wrote, “God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.” The Reformers saw that through our vocations we can become Christ-like by not looking to be served, but to serve others (Matt. 20:28).
In our community (or any community) you’ll not find one person who is completely independent (that idea should deflate some egos). Where would any of us be with out the plumber, the garbage man, the electrician, the grocery store clerk, the doctor, the lawyer, the insurance agent, the pastor, the road worker, the policemen, the firemen, the truck driver, etc. We all need each other, and we all serve each other whether we like it or not. The Reformers understood that God calls us to the good works of loving our neighbors by serving them through our vocations. As we do this, we’ll soon discover that we’re not only loving and serving our neighbor, we’re also loving and serving Christ. As Matthew 25:40 says, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
Our calling of good works, then, is not a calling for self-gratification or self-glorification; it is a calling to serve others. William Perkins wrote, “Every man for himself, and God for us all is wicked, and is directly against the end of every calling.” Then he wrote, “They profane their lives and callings that employ them to get honors, pleasures, profits, worldly commodities, etc., for thus we live to another end than God hath appointed, and thus we serve ourselves, and consequently neither God nor men.” The Reformers viewed vocation as the way to carry out the greatest commandment—to “love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourselves.”(Matt. 22:37-40) Luther wrote in his Larger Catechism, “In God’s sight it is actually faith that makes a person holy; it alone serves God, while our works serve people.” Gustaf Wingren wrote, “God does not need our good works, but our neighbor does.” The Reformers saw that through our vocations we can become Christ-like by not looking to be served, but to serve others (Matt. 20:28).
In our community (or any community) you’ll not find one person who is completely independent (that idea should deflate some egos). Where would any of us be with out the plumber, the garbage man, the electrician, the grocery store clerk, the doctor, the lawyer, the insurance agent, the pastor, the road worker, the policemen, the firemen, the truck driver, etc. We all need each other, and we all serve each other whether we like it or not. The Reformers understood that God calls us to the good works of loving our neighbors by serving them through our vocations. As we do this, we’ll soon discover that we’re not only loving and serving our neighbor, we’re also loving and serving Christ. As Matthew 25:40 says, “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
posted on Friday, June 29, 2007 |
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