Work – The quintessential commission given to mankind: A missiological approach | Tydskrif vir Christelike Wetenskap | Journal for Christian Scholarship
Work – The quintessential commission given to mankind: A missiological approach
Werk is ŉ gawe van God, begin by God en dien as ŉ refleksie van Sy Drie-Enige goddelike karakter. Werk, in die beeld van God, is deur Hom oorgedra en ingeweef in alle lewende skepsels en dien as ŉ uitvloeisel van Sy Natuur. Werk is ontologies tot menswees, die gegewe en geseënde instrument waardeur die mensdom hulle skeppingsdoel verwesenlik. As gevolg van die ineenstorting van Eden is alle dissiplines van die samelewing egter gestrem; gevolglik het die karakter van werk verander, en wel in so ŉ mate dat werk moeisaam en ŉ vervloeking vir die mensdom geword het. Tog is die opdrag om te werk nooit deur God teruggetrek nie – nie tóé, vandag, of in die eskatologiese Koninkryk nie. Inteendeel, Christus het aan die Kruis die essensie van menswees herstel, insluitende die mens se skeppingsroeping om te werk. Werk is dus nie sekulêr of heilig nie. Werk is óf versoen, óf verlore. Hierdie versoening bring mee dat werk weereens op verhoudings geskoei is, verhoudings wat transformeer en as getuie van Sy karakter dien. Werk is nog steeds die enigste sleutel waardeur die skeppings-opdrag uitgevoer, en waarmee die verlore institusionele dissiplines van die samelewing (mens se habitat) ontsluit en getransformeer kan word. Werk integreer en konnekteer die mens met die res van die Skepping – vanuit en vanwaar die mens ook geskape is en waaruit daar ŉ geskape interafhanklikheid bestaan.
Work is divine, beginning with, and stemming from, the Trinity. Work is replicated within all living Creation as a continuum of God’s nature and is ontological to being human. It is the gifted instrument through which humanity executes its creational mandate. The collapse of Paradise saw all disciplines of life becoming strained; subsequently the character of work changed and became a curse. However, the commission to work was never revoked, not then, not now, or in the eschatological Kingdom. Christ restored the essence of being human, including mankind’s creational calling to work. Work is therefore not secular or sacred, but rather redeemed or lost. Work is once again relational, transformational and witness. Work is once more the key commissioned and serving instrument to unlock and transform the lost disciplines and institutions of the marketplace, which is humanity’s habitat. Work connects and integrates humanity with Creation, from which mankind originated.
Verster, P. (2014). Work – The quintessential commission given to mankind: A missiological approach. Tydskrif Vir Christelike Wetenskap | Journal for Christian Scholarship, 50(1-2), 125-147. Retrieved from http://pubs.ufs.ac.za/index.php/tcw/article/view/341