The doctrine of the function of the soul in labour

1. Self-consciousness is the place where you concentrate, where you merge yourself into the policy of your company, the policy of the business organisation where you draw your pay cheque. Self-conscious means your ability to concentrate on the job and to fulfil the job profile laid out and specified for your job.

2. Mentality. A good mental attitude on the job is the key. Some people have a little difficulty learning the job but with a good mental attitude they master the job. You cannot enter a job of any kind and have a bad mental attitude. A bad mental attitude contributes to doing a bad job. A good mental attitude reflects spiritual growth, Bible doctrine in the soul.

3. The function of volition, your free will. When you connect it with your mentality it means that your decisions are based upon maximum objectivity in every facet of your job: objectivity in relation to fellow workers, with regard to management. Freedom from mental attitude sins then hooks up with volition and you have a recognition of authority. All decisions on the job must be loyal to company policy.

4. The emotion then becomes involved. Appreciation for the Lord motivates the believer to function in his job under the principle of grace orientation. He expresses his love toward Christ as recorded in Colossians 3:17. His emotion never gets out of line with the job or out of line with who and what Christ is.

5. His conscience also enters the picture. The conscience is the residence for the integrity principle on the job — loyalty to management and honour and integrity no matter how menial the task. 6. The old sin nature seeks to frustrate all of these principles in working for someone else, in working for a living. Therefore the importance of rebound, the importance of the daily function of GAP to maintain proper perspective on the job.

7. Principles:

a) Under the original interpretation of this passage in its application to the labour market of the first century Roman empire, which was primarily slavery, neither revolution nor manumission was recommended as a solution for anything.

b) No social action is ever commanded by the Word of God. It is doctrine in the soul that changes things historically from the inside but the Word of God is opposed to social action.

c) The Word of God condemns but never commends labour unions and guilds. A person must make it on his own, the Word of God emphasises the individual, not some organisation making it for you.

d) It becomes obvious, then, that the solution to labour problems does not lie in strikes. Not working doesn’t solve anything, it merely changes the course of the industrial complex. Many, many machines were invented because people went out on strike and therefore jobs were destroyed. Things are solved by doing a better job and things are solved by doctrine but strikes are not the answer to anything ever.

e) Doctrine resident in the soul makes permanent changes in life. Our blessing and our prosperity is related to Bible doctrine resident in our souls. Social action creates more problems; Bible doctrine is the solver.

f) Regeneration, not legislation, is always the answer. Regeneration and spiritual solutions. Legislation is designed to stop crime, to protect freedom; to give you the right to live among other people, the right to privacy, the right to property, and the right to take your volition and to go as far as you can go inside the law. The law was never designed to try to solve problems in the industrial complex. Colossians 3:22.

Principle

1. Every believer should do his job as if Jesus Christ was your boss, for in effect He is.

2. No matter how menial the job it should be done with maximum efficiency as unto the Lord. 3. Management may not always be around to supervise but the Lord sees you every minute — Hebrews 4:13.