In this article, I have collated over twenty excerpts from nearly every chapter of my book, Immanuel Labor – God’s Presence in our Profession, that highlight what the Apostle Paul teaches us about the theology of work in his two epistles to the Corinthians. I have done this with several other books of the Bible: Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Minor Prophets, John, Romans, Exodus, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians. At the end, I have added a few insights I have observed since my book was completed in 2017.

Chapter Four: God’s Purposes for Work

A number of years ago, I made some observations from meditating on 1 Corinthians 7:17, where Paul stated, “Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him.”

I noticed that in every job I had, God gave me seven good things that began with the letter P—a place to grow in my faith, a purpose for me being there, provision for my family’s needs, a unique plan for my life, people to serve, a platform for me to live out and share the gospel, and preparation for my next assignment. This gave me a basic framework for what God does through our work.

Chapter Five: Immanuel Labor, God’s Presence at Work

Regarding the church, every follower of Jesus Christ is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We are all “walking tabernacles” of God’s presence wherever we go, including the workplace (1 Cor. 6:19). Tom Nelson in Work Matters states, “When we embrace the gospel and experience the new birth of regeneration, our physical bodies become indwelling places for the Holy Spirit and are temples of God. . . When we go to work every day, we bring a temple of God with us.”

Nelson later echoes this same idea: “The Holy Spirit brings the power and presence of the triune God with the believer to work every day. The Holy Spirit works in the worker through his or her vocation and permeates the workplace with the fragrance of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:14-15).

Chapter Six: More on God’s Presence at Work

I also observe that this episode about Spirit-filled tabernacle construction workers may tie in with the New Testament teaching on spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:1-31). Many commentators have concluded that the gifts mentioned here do not make up an exhaustive list. There may be other talents given to believers who can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:7, Paul highlights the value of these Spirit-filled abilities: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

God worked through Paul and his associates as his coworkers to spread the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles. Paul refers to himself and his team as “God’s fellow workers” in 2 Corinthians 6:1.

Paul readily acknowledges that his competence to fulfill his calling as an apostle did not come from himself, but rather his competence was given directly by the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 3:5-6). Later, we read that in Paul’s weakness, God gave his all-sufficient grace and strength (2 Cor. 12:9).

In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, we read in the context of unity in the body of Christ that the Lord assigns each believer a ministry. Paul planted, and Apollos watered; however, God caused the growth. Jesus’s followers have one overall purpose, namely to participate in building the church as God’s coworkers.

Chapter Seven: Thorns, Thistles, Trials, & Transformation

Here is one point worth considering (from Sherman and Hendricks, Your Work Matters to God). Christ’s death does not change work, but it does change the worker (2 Cor. 5:17).

Regarding being transformed through trials, I shared one relevant passage that has been extremely helpful to me over many years. In 2 Corinthians 2:3-4, Paul addresses God as “the God of all comfort.” Paul then gives us insight as to one of the main purposes of the situations we go through that require God’s comfort. It is in our deepest trials where God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

There have been many times that I have been able to apply this verse in the workplace, sharing words of comfort to those who are going through what I have already gone through, which brings glory to God.

Chapter Twelve: Working Wisely (Advanced Concepts)

Paul also had some things to say in his epistles regarding money, and his own life was an example.

In 1 Corinthians 9:7-14, Paul applied the same principle from Deuteronomy 25:4 to all who serve Christ vocationally. However, he was reluctant to take these gifts as his sole means of support. He did not want to hinder the spread of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:12). Paul’s reward was his ability to preach the gospel free of charge in order to win as many as possible (1 Cor. 9:18).

Paul and Barnabas worked hard to support themselves to avoid being a burden on those to whom they preached (1 Cor. 9:6). Paul worked hard day and night in his tent-making job so that he could be financially independent (1 Cor. 4:12). Paul chose to follow his calling. He was willing to work two jobs to see that his own financial needs were met, living by faith in dependence on the Lord.

Paul clearly embraced God’s calling on his life. God called him to be something, not merely to do something. Paul identifies himself in Romans 1:1 as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle of God.” He says the same thing in his other epistles (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1). Paul did not seek this holy calling. God gave it to him. It was Paul’s focus and motivation. . . Paul describes how hard he worked as a servant of Christ, the sacrifices he made, and the suffering he endured (2 Cor. 11:23-28).

It is crucial to apply the principles Paul lays out in 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, where he compares spiritual gifts and abilities with body parts. All body parts are unique and necessary. None of them is any more or any less valuable than the other parts. All were designed to have equal value, function, and purpose.

Additional Insights

In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Paul wrote, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” God’s presence, through his Holy Spirit, was working through the gospel Paul preached.

In 2 Corinthians 2:12, I found a reference to a common term used by many Christians as they make decisions, especially regarding their vocation. Paul mentioned that “the Lord had opened a door for me” in Troas, where he went to preach the gospel. The Lord does indeed open and close doors.

In 2 Corinthians 3:3, I noted another verse where Immanuel labor was illustrated. Paul described the people he ministered to as “a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God.” You can see the connection between God’s presence and Paul’s work.

I trust that these highlights of Paul’s biblical view on work will help you get through the trials you face at your job. God is indeed present in your ordinary work. Your work matters to the Kingdom of God.

Editor’s note: This article was adapted from the author’s personal blog. Republished with permission.