New Testament Phrases
The New Testament uses the following phrases these numbers of times:
- work of the Lord — 2 (1 Corinthians 15:58, 16:10)
- work of God — 2 (John 6:29, Romans 14:20)
- works of God — 3 (John 6:28, John 9:3, Acts 2:11)
- work of Christ — 1 (Philippians 2:30)
- work of an evangelist — 1 (2 Timothy 4:5)
- work of the ministry — 1 (Ephesians 4:12)
- thy works — 9 (James 2:18, Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 2, 8, 15)
The “works of God” above are definitely works that God does directly, if you read those in their context. I added those because they aren’t what I’m describing here. They provide a contrast. One could distinguish those from what I’m addressing. On the other hand, the work of an evangelist and the work of the ministry are both in the realm of what I’m covering here. They are works done by believers. What about the other four phrases?
Punishment and Reward
In my last post, I wrote about works and either their punishment or their reward. The evil works of unbelievers God will punish at the Great White Throne Judgment. The good works of believers God will reward at the Bema Seat Judgment. Then I said statements like the following (I will bold pertinent phrases):
In the age in which we live, God wants His work done in, through, and by the church. In the Old Testament, God used Israel. Also within Israel God regulated how He wanted His work done in, through, and by Israel.
The New Testament reveals God’s work done only through the church in this period, the church age. According to the New Testament, the church is sufficient to accomplish God’s work. Living by faith and pleasing God requires accomplishing His work in the way God shows to do it. The New Testament teaches only the church for doing His work. Doing it another way than the church is an invention of men and God isn’t pleased when someone does God’s work a different way. It isn’t obeying God, so it isn’t living by faith.
It is not obeying God or loving God to do what He said a different way than what He said. The church is the only way. All of the God’s work can be done through the church. God does not approve of doing His work a different way than what He said. Because God’s Word is sufficient, the church is sufficient for all of God’s work.
What Work Is God’s Work?
Is all the work of a believer God’s work? In one sense it is, but I don’t believe that is how the terminology reads in the New Testament. If I’m at home fixing my toilet, I should do it for God, but this isn’t a work of the ministry, like Paul describes in Ephesians 4:12. Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, you should do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), but fixing the toilet is not in the category of a “work of the Lord” in the New Testament.
The Lord Jesus provided a good clue for the work of the Lord, when He said in Luke 9:60:
Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
The spiritually dead can do certain temporal, earthly works, but only those alive in Christ can do His works. Jesus also said in John 14:12:
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Unbelievers cannot do those works, said to be “the works that I do” shall the believer do also. I like the idea of having a Christian doctor or lawyer, but it’s possible that an unsaved doctor could do a better job than a saved one. He might have more skill, knowledge, and better training. On the other hand, an unsaved doctor cannot do these works of God that Jesus references. These would include for sure, preaching the kingdom of God, like Jesus mentioned in Luke 9.
Usages through the New Testament
Corinthians
When Paul commands the Corinthian church, be always abounding in the work of the Lord, he speaks of the work done by the church. In the previous post, I was saying that God designated the church for that work and that it was sufficient for it. The New Testament doesn’t show parachurch organizations. Those doing that work are not operating outside the authority of the church anywhere in the New Testament. God uses the church to do it. Paul addresses the church at Corinth about abounding in that work.
Jesus
When Jesus says again and again in Revelation 2 and 3, “I know thy works,” He speaks of the ministry of the church, the work that He gave to the church to do, like that in John 14:12, the works that regenerate, immersed church members do that Jesus did also. In John 20:21, Jesus says, “As my Father hath sent me, so send I you.” What did the Father send His Son to do that His Son sent that group (plural “you”) to do? The work of God or the work of the Lord.
Ephesus
In Ephesians 4:12, pastors perfect or equip church members to do the work of the ministry for the building up of the church. In a technical sense, that is discipleship, which includes evangelism. Jesus designed that work for the church. He gave the church only the means of accomplishing that work. Jesus gave the church the New Testament, which is fulfilled by the church, which includes its offices, ordinances, and discipline. No other institution possesses those tools.
Paul and Epaphroditus
When Paul said about Timothy in 1 Corinthians 16:10, “he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do,” he wasn’t speaking of tent making. Paul made tents, but the work of the Lord was the church work that Paul did. When Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “For meat destroy not the work of God,” he addressed the undermining of evangelism and discipleship of new converts for the sake of eating meat offered unto idols. He differentiated the work of God from eating meat. For the sake of the former, eliminate the latter.
Paul told the Philippians that Epaphroditus “nigh unto death” for the “work of Christ” (Philippians 2:30). What work was Epaphroditus doing? He was near unto death from preaching and teaching the message of Christ in Rome, while Paul was imprisoned there. It was dangerous work to stand for Christ and proclaim His message in the capital of the Roman empire.
When I speak of the work of the Lord, I’m speaking of church work. God gave the work of the ministry to the church to accomplish, no other institution. The Holy Spirit divides severally to each church for the manifestation of Jesus Christ through His body (1 Corinthians 12:11ff). This includes all of the means God gave the church that He uses to do this, including the gathering or assembling of the church as His day approaches. The work of the Lord is the work of His church. That is the sufficient means or instrumentation by which Jesus ordained its accomplishment.
I anticipate that someone will challenge my writing a blog, likely because someone doesn’t want me to write a blog. I’m under the authority of a church to proclaim the truth and I write this under the authority of our church, the pillar and ground of the truth. Our church also publishes my sermons on its website and other writings there that I have written.
For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. (2 Corinthians 10:18)
How would I know that?
By my final authority, the Holy King James Bible since there is “no church” that has any authority except over those within their assemblies.
Of course, it did not have to be that way if we actually followed the biblical principles of administration as one body in Christ (at least as a nation).
If the founding fathers could build a physical nation using the biblical principles of the Holy bible, why is it that we cannot do the same in building “an holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9) of churches as one church, having the qualities of Ephesians 4:1-7.
At least associations like GARBC, BBF, ABA were on the right tract but failed to do it biblically.
Tom
Tom,
I’m not going to comment on your comment. I don’t agree, but I’ve written enough on this, that I’m not going to repeat it.