25-0625wc Transcript

Teacher: Scott Reynolds

(0:04) Okay, time to get started. We’re on lesson 11, the sphere of labor, created to create. (0:15) Rediscovering labor as God’s creative calling in a world where work is often seen as a necessary (0:23) evil.

The truth project, lesson 11, labor created to create offers a refreshing biblical perspective. (0:32) Dr. Del Tackett challenges the cultural narrative that labor is a curse, revealing it is a divine (0:41) privilege rooted in God’s nature as the original worker, as reflected in Genesis chapter 1, (0:49) verse 1 through chapter 2, verse 3. Created in his image, humans are designed to reflect (0:58) his creativity through work, tending and enhancing his creation, Genesis 2, verse 15. (1:06) Far from drudgery, labor is a joyful calling.

Tackett dismantles the TGIF mindset, (1:15) arguing that negative views of work stem from Satan’s lies in the cosmic battle to distort (1:23) God’s design. Work is the engine room of culture, producing the wealth to meet physical needs and (1:32) bearing responsibility to address poverty through job creation, not just handouts, (1:39) Proverbs 14, verse 31. This perspective challenges Christians to see labor as worship, (1:47) aligning their efforts with God’s glory.

The lesson outlines seven biblical economic principles (1:55) which we will possibly get to as I watch this. The seven principles are in that mid-section (2:05) where I’d like to cut the video, so I don’t know how I’m going to do that. I might do (2:11) a couple other principles this week and then start them over, bring the two principles in (2:19) again next week for context.

We’ll see how that works. But anyway, the seven principles (2:26) are all things belong to God, Psalm 24.1. Humans are stewards with ownership rights, (2:33) Ephesians 6, 5-9. Theft and coveting are wrong, Exodus 20, verses 15 and 17.

(2:42) Skills come from God, Exodus 35, 30-35. And work is good, laziness is not, Proverbs 10, verse 4. (2:56) Love God, not possessions, Matthew 6, 24. And be generous to the poor, Deuteronomy 15, (3:05) verses 7-11.

These principles guide employers and employees to manage resources (3:13) with integrity and compassion. A special focus is given to arts and media, (3:19) where beauty must align with God’s standards of truth and goodness, Psalm 101.3. Dr. Francis (3:27) Schaeffer, quote, whoever controls the medium controls the culture, urges Christians to create (3:35) art that glorifies God, countering secular narratives. This call to solo deo gloria, (3:44) for God’s glory alone, inspires believers to shape culture through creative labor.

(3:52) Lesson 11 invites us to rethink work as a reflection of God’s image, (3:58) a means to steward his resources, and a platform to serve others. By embracing labor as a divine (4:05) gift, Christians can transform their workplaces, communities, and culture for God’s glory. (4:14) How might you view your daily work differently through this biblical lens? (4:20) And with that, we’ll start the video.

Okay, we’re going to stop there. (4:31) I particularly like his characterization of labor as God letting us play in his sandbox, (4:41) and God owns everything. What can we give him that he didn’t make? Everything belongs to God.

(4:52) So we are stewards, we’re allowed to use, as Del puts it, his stuff. And then the idea of labor (5:03) isn’t that we have to work, it’s that we get to, that we get to use his stuff, (5:10) and that we are allowed to be creative, and we’re allowed to make things. And then as you saw, (5:18) labor funds everything.

It’s not the government. Wealth does not come from the government. (5:25) Wealth comes from people’s effort, from labor.

All right, so we’ll wrap it up there. (5:33) And I’ll pick it up at the beginning of this section on the seven principles next week, (5:40) because this is just important things to know. So let’s close with a prayer.