Did your parents let you sleep in on Saturdays? Did your parents give you chores to do around the house or around the farm? Maybe you grew up on a dairy farm and had to be in the barn at 5:00 a.m. to milk before school. Your parents probably explained to you that this is what you do in your family. Everyone works and helps out. This might have been the truth because necessity demanded it. Maybe your father needed help working on the farm. Maybe your parents did need you to do chores on a Saturday morning. However, there might be something more to it. They might have been raised that way and their parents might have been raised that way, and the principles behind this lifestyle might be rooted in the Protestant Reformation. Thanks to the Lord for raising up men like Martin Luther (1483–1546) and John Calvin (1509–1564).

The Reformed or Protestant work ethic is well known. In this article I don’t merely want to tell you what you already know. What I do hope to accomplish to root your life’s work in the Scriptures and then warn you against some of the abuses of the Reformed work ethic today.

The Medieval Church

When Martin Luther taught that it was just as holy, good, and righteous a work to be busy in the kitchen as it is to be studying the Scriptures in the monastery, he was bucking a trend that had been solidified for hundreds of years. Martin Luther was a monk in the sixteenth century, but for hundreds of years beforehand, people entered the religious orders because this was considered to be more faithful and holier before the Lord.

There was a distinction between secular work and spiritual work. Though secular work was good, it was not holy like spiritual work. In the eleventh century, when those in religious orders took vows of celibacy, a clearer division occurred. Those who were involved in religious orders were serving only God. They did not have a split allegiance to this world and heaven. In fact, the monastic view of calling is that which takes one out of this world and into the monastery.

   

Marriage, parenting, and secular work were viewed as good and necessary, but they were on a different level than spiritual work. It became clear that there were two classes in the church: those who labored in sacred ministry and those whose work was continually touched by the world. This is the world in which Martin Luther lived.

Work as Religion

In the medieval period, the only work that was religious involved being part of a religious order (e.g., a monk, nun, priest, bishop). Luther emphasized the priesthood of all believers. Not only do we have access to God regarding salvation, but also we do not need the intercession of a priest to enter into God’s presence; our whole lives become a service of worship (Rom. 12:1–2). Our vocation or calling is to do the thing God directs us to in the place that God directs us. We don’t need to contemplate a “higher” calling. We need to work and grow in the place that we are planted.

Coming closer to our modern period, we are indebted to Dr. Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920), who really developed the theme of the priesthood of believers. To Kuyper, and his spiritual descendants, all of life is worship. In Kuyper’s Stone Lectures delivered at Princeton Seminary in 1898, he showed how each sphere of life is under the lordship of Christ (see also the previous article in this series on the kingdom).1

With this understanding, all kinds of work in all different fields are opportunities to live a religious vocational life before the Lord. A helpful book in dealing with our calling before God is Rev. Kevin De Young’s Just Do Something.2 In that book De Young argues against those who operate under the principle that God is going to tell them what to do. He emphasizes rootedness in the Scriptures, wisdom, and the counsel of others.

Practically speaking, whatever it is that you are doing is your calling. There might be exceptions to the rule. There might be some kind of work which are contrary to God’s will. Most of these lines of work are against the law. But whether you are a lawyer, farmer, teacher, student, or mother in the home, that is the place you are called.

Principles of a Reformed Work Ethic

The first principle is that you can have more than one calling at a time. At the moment, I happen to be a husband, father, son, brother, pastor, softball coach, and so on. Though I am paid at only one of these jobs, they are all different hats I wear in life. In each one of them, I am to see it as part of my spiritual life. We don’t do our religious work on Sundays and then on Mondays go off to our secular jobs. Wherever it is that you go on Mondays to work, that is your vocation. I remind my children that their calling right now is to be students, and therefore the work they do in the classroom should be their best work.

In each of your callings, you are to operate with a recognition that you live your lives before the face of God (coram Deo). What this means is summarized well in Colossians 3:17, 23–24, where we are reminded that our work is ultimately done to the Lord.

The second principle is diligence or hard work. We are not always working, but when we are, we should be working hard. The more diligently people work, the more they can accomplish, the better they can accomplish it, and therefore the more beneficial or successful they can be to their bosses or in their industry.

I find the Reformed work ethic summarized well in the cadet code I learned when I was a young member of the Calvinist Cadet Corps.3 The Cadet Code is, “A Cadet must be reverent, obedient, compassionate, consecrated, trustworthy, pure, grateful, loyal, industrious, and cheerful.” That is a beautiful motto for a young Christian boy to commit to memory. Certainly an article or sermon could be written to break down each one of those characteristics. The book of Proverbs is full of warnings and encouragements to work hard; there are also many warnings against laziness.

A third principle is discipline. This might be connected to the phrase, “he runs a tight ship.” A Reformed employer should have clear expectations for his employees. This principle is first taught (as with all the principles) in childhood. Parents give clear expectations to children. When my father said, “I am not going to tell you again” regarding a task or chore I had to do, he meant it. That is important. It taught me discipline.

A fourth principle is frugality and stewardship. Frugality is not another word for cheap. As many jokes as there are about Dutch cheapness, this is not always accurate. Frugality is synonymous with thriftiness, and it is simply being economical with money. There is a reason that it is not wise to spend each penny one earns. If you do so, you will not have anything saved for a rainy day or for an economic downturn. On top of that, at least for the last 130 years, Reformed people have spent a good portion of their money on the building and maintaining Christian schools (that is the subject of the final installment in this series).

When there is a need, the people of God step up to the plate and open their wallets. When it comes to work, to trim off as much fat and waste in business is to save money. Ben Franklin is attributed to have said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” That is a quote regarding frugality and stewardship.

At the writing of this article, we are now deep into the isolating world of Covid-19. It will be incumbent upon diaconal benevolent funds to help and support those who have need. The deacons, as always, should be both stewardly and generous. Striking that balance is key to understanding what it means to be frugal.

Modern Dangers Regarding Work

There are constant dangers in the workplace. Many of the same dangers can be found no matter what it is one is called to do. I am not going to deal with the obvious dangers and temptations like theft, laziness, disrespect and other fifth-commandment issues. Rather, some of the dangers to those who are likely reading this are on the side of overworking.

The first danger is defining oneself by one’s occupation. We are more than our occupation. Though there are many reasons and benefits of working, in the making of money, it is a means to an end. Accumulating wealth is not the goal. Supporting our families, helping those who are needy, supporting kingdom causes, and living for the glory of God is how we should view the accumulation and distribution of our money. In fact, in Lord’s Day 42 of the Heidelberg Catechism, we have important principles drawn and applied to this subject. Answer 110 concludes by saying, “In addition God forbids all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts.” At the conclusion of Answer 11 we read, “and that I work faithfully so that I may help the needy in their hardship.”

Though our occupations are an important part of our lives, it is wrong to find our ultimate identity in them. We are children of God, first and foremost. As a pastor, I recognize that the priorities of my calling are first to God, second to my wife, third to my children, fourth to my church.

Second, we need to move past the idea that workaholism is a badge of honor. I met with a man a couple of weeks ago, and he told me why he was unable to go to an important meeting the week before. He told me that he worked eighty hours that week. Hard work is a biblical principle. Being a slave to work is not. Have you ever heard people brag about how much vacation time they didn’t take?

When people are workaholics, they then will abdicate their call to fulfill their other callings. We tend to be pretty good at justifying our workaholism. As with all things in the Christian life, balance and moderation are key.

We should move past the notion that it is selfish to take time off. Not only are we blessed to be in a position to enjoy the things of life, but also we need to realize that God gave us a pattern of work and rest. We recognize the unique blessing of the Lord’s Day, but we need to evaluate how much time we are spending on our daily job. If we are married with children, then we need to listen to our spouse and ask their advice on how much time we are spending at our “jobs.”

Third, we need to beware of burnout. Burnout can be caused by a number of different things. This isn’t always caused by overwork. It could be caused by stress. It could be occasioned by sin. It could be a combination of a number of different factors. If you are a person who easily becomes depressed, then you need to give special attention to this subject.

Though burnout isn’t necessarily sinful, there are things that we can do to avoid it. We need to be honest with ourselves and with those who care most about us. When someone is burned out, one becomes unable to fill one’s vocation as one ought. Self-care, rest, a weekly Sabbath, nourishment in the Word and prayer, putting oneself in healthy situations all are ways to prevent burnout. To serve God in our vocations involves taking a meditative look at our goals and the pace of our life and re-evaluating from time to time.

Where We Are Today

I realize that this article might be published at a unique time. There are some who are laid off at the moment. Others might be forbidden to work because of an executive order from the government. What times like this make us realize is how thankful we can be for our daily bread and a means to receive it.

Be encouraged, for this too shall pass. If you are stuck at home, use this time to the best of your ability. Read and grow, get some projects done that need to be done, and seek ways to serve others. Remember above all, our calling is to the Lord.

1. Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism: The Stone Lectures of 1898 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948).

2. Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009).

3. See https://about.calvinistcadets.org/our-ministry/our-goals/the-cadetlandmarks/

Steve Swets is the pastor of Rehoboth United Reformed Church in Hamilton, ON, and the co-editor of Faithful and Fruitful: Essays for Elders and Deacons (now available at reformedfellowship.net).