For example, our culture often teaches the purpose of work as a means to a paycheck and a way of life, a necessary stepping stone toward a life of leisure. But the Bible upholds a much higher view. Beginning in the first chapter of Genesis, God instructs us to “fill the earth and subdue it” (vs 28). This call to work entered the world before the fall of man and was not the result of our sin. In fact, He designed work for our joy and as a means to love and serve others.
The ancient Greeks had a low view of work, a necessary evil for man to carry out so that the gods would not soil their hands. Yet the God of the Bible does work (and also rests); therefore, our work reflects the image of our Creator. Furthermore, the Bible upholds a dignity in work that applies to both the ministry and in the secular realm. All of work is an acceptable offering to God.
What struck me as particularly relevant to Trinity was a discussion on the implications of the gospel-- what God did to save us out of His good pleasure and not because of any work we might perform to earn it. This gospel gives us a crucial perspective on our daily endeavors in the workplace. Tim Keller says it well, “The gospel frees us from the relentless pressure of having to prove ourselves and secure our identity through work, for we are already proven and secure… All work now becomes a way to love the God who saved us freely; and by extension, a way to love our neighbor” (p 73).
This clearly expresses one of our defining convictions at Trinity: “Gospel in our motivation.” We desire gospel motivation in everything we do, especially our work. Furthermore, we are preparing students for a lifetime of work, whether that is for a major corporation, a small business, public service, in the ministry, or in the home. We are preparing them for their “calling” (the Latin word for calling is vocare, which is the root word for vocation).
Regardless of what this calling or vocation becomes for each of our students, our hope is that they will work diligently at it, as a way of loving their neighbors and saying “thank you” to God.
In Christ,
Stephen Sprague
Headmaster
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12