Labor: How to be a Christian Doctor, Lawyer, or

Labor: How to be a Christian Doctor, Lawyer, or

Whatever

Paul Dean

Over the Labor Day weekend I’ve been thinking about, well, labor.
The truth is that labor is a gift from God. Labor is not the
consequence of sin but rather the toil associated with labor. Yet, for
the believer who lives under the providential care of God, labor can be
rewarding, productive, and God-glorifying all at the same time. Labor
is an opportunity to put our God-given skills and gifts to work. Labor
gives us the prospect of making a contribution to our world. It gives
us occasion to put God’s glory on display as we work as more than mere
men-pleasers. At the same time, labor provides for us an avenue by
which we may serve others physically and spiritually. Of course, in
order to serve others in both capacities, we must see our labor from
God’s vantage point and embrace the reality that our physical labor can
and should be used to help persons move toward Christ.

By way of example, how should a Christian physician respond to one
who suffers from chronic pain? The truth is that pain is a reality and
there are physiological issues that cause pain. At the same time, pain
is often the result of or at least exacerbated by “inner” or spiritual
problems. Can anger, bitterness, and a general feeling that life is
unfair contribute to the misery one experiences when she has a physical
problem? The answer is “yes!” Is life unfair? Again, the answer is
“yes!” But, the real question is this: do we deserve to have a life
that is fair? Answering this question properly, along with a number of
others, can help us get some unexpected relief from pain and help us in
other areas that may surprise us.

In his book, True Competence in Medicine: Practicing Biblically-based Medicine in a Fallen World,
Jim Halla, M.D., asserts that the real issue is whether we are living
like atheists or those who understand that God is our environment. In
other words, life is unfair because of the fall, we do not deserve a
life that is fair, and all of life is lived in connection to God and
His providence. When we recognize these foundational principles, we
will respond to our pain very differently than we will if we fail to
recognize them. If we hold to a biblical worldview, we know that we
will suffer as a result of our fallenness, that we deserve our
suffering, that God is gracious to give us relief from our suffering in
so many ways, and that God is using even our suffering for our good and
His glory. Our bitterness toward our circumstances will turn to a rest
in God and His providence in our lives.

The point that Halla makes is that we must view our occupations as
theological endeavor. Though addressed to Christian physicians, all
believers will glean insight from his approach. For Halla, “The
overriding principle in any endeavor is faithfulness to God. This book
challenges every Christian physician to act upon the truth that the
delivery of medical care is at the core a theological issue which
should bring honor and glory to God.” So it is in any profession.

Don’t miss the concept of theological endeavor. By way of summary,
Halla begins with an actual patient case study of Mary. She presented
with chronic fatigue and pain. She was on medication for both but
described her life as overwhelming. She felt as if she was in a black
hole with no hope or relief in sight. Depression, anger, and bitterness
had overtaken her.

Halla took her pain seriously, treated her as a whole person, gave
her exercises for her physiological problems, and then gave her “pain
papers” he had written to help her think about issues related to pain
and how to view them. He entered the patient encounter as a theologian,
was able to develop rapport with her, and guided her to a biblical view
of her circumstances which ultimately gave her a bright outlook and
some pain relief. She moved from acting like an atheist to acting like
a Christian in response to her plight.

Halla points out that Mary, like many of us when we look at our
circumstances, was a poor theologian. All of life is theological. We
are either good or bad theologians as we look at and react to the
providential circumstances in our lives. The issue for believers is
whether or not we are looking at life in the context of God’s
environment, that is, living as if God is completely sovereign over all
things, including our difficulties.

Halla also notes that we are either good or bad stewards. We must
understand that in terms of health, we have an inner person and an
outer person and the two are connected. In other words, we are
bipartite. We have a physical body and we have a spiritual nature and
the two affect one another. Our reaction to physical problems can
either help or exacerbate those problems.

By way of application, all Christians must enter their encounters as
theologians. All believers must bring a biblical worldview to bear upon
their service to others both in the performance of their duties and in
the direction they point those they serve. Our employment, vocation,
labor, and/or encounters at the core are all theological issues through
which we must bring glory to God. What is proper for the Christian
physician is proper for the Christian attorney, banker, teacher,
construction worker, electrician, etc. There is no doubt that certain
professions require more conversation or specified counsel from the
practitioner to the one seeking service than others. At the same time,
as we are able to do the work God has called us to do, not only do we
do it for His glory, but, insofar as we deal with people and have
opportunity to meet some kind of need for them, we must do so as
theologians with God-glorifying goals in mind.

How can we do such? It is quite simple to apply Halla’s counsel to
our respective fields of endeavor. Regardless of who you are, if you
are a Christian, you can implement these values into the everyday ebb
and flow of your life.

First, make a commitment to approach your vocation and/or
interactions with others as a true, biblical theologian. That does not
mean that you must study the latest systematic theology text book.
However, it does mean that you will have to become familiar with the
Scriptures and how to help others with them. God requires such from us
anyway.

Second, make a commitment to approach the one you serve as an
opportunity to minister God’s truth to him. You may not always be able
to help someone for any number of reasons. But, the issue here is
mindset. God puts opportunities before us that we routinely miss for a
lack of awareness or even for a lack of realization that we are here
ultimately to do just that: minister God’s truth to those whom God
places before us.

Third, make a commitment to really listen, interpret what is being
said to you through the lens of Scripture, and develop God’s
perspective clearly in your mind. As you put what people say into
biblical categories, you will have a platform from which to proceed and
a direction in which to go as you begin to move them toward God. The
Christian doctor will help persons deal with pain and illness in a way
that glorifies God. The Christian attorney or banker will help persons
deal with individuals’ legal or financial matters in the same way.

Fourth, make a commitment to direct your counsel toward the
individual’s heart. This commitment will confront persons in the right
place as all of life relates to issues of the heart before God.
Further, individuals will be enabled to do more than cope with problems
or put sound financial principles into practice. They will be moved
toward victory as they deal with their problems, finances, or home
improvement before the God who loves them and is working sanctification
into their lives.

As we embrace these principles and make them part of our everyday
thinking, we will not only truly help others and glorify God, but we
will be more effective in the work we do. Labor is a gift from God. If
we treat it as such, as theological endeavor, and as the means through
which God gives us opportunity to serve others physically and
spiritually, we will be more fulfilled as we see God actually working
through us in ways that we perhaps could not heretofore imagine.

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