Posted on 09/07/2023 10:30:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Author and pastor John Piper believes Christians will work in Heaven — but the work will be so “profoundly satisfying and sweet and enjoyable” that nobody in the world to come will say, “I need a weekend.”
“I think we will work in the final age to come,” Piper, founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, wrote.
“Whether we will do what we were gifted for here, or whether we will have wholly new giftings, a thousand times greater, or what kind of work John Piper will be doing, I leave in the hands of God, who planned the universe for the happiness of His people in Himself. We will not be disappointed.”
Piper weighed in on whether or not Christians will work in Heaven on his Desiring God website following a question from a reader, who asked if the Bible gives “any hints” about what work will look like in the next life.
“Will work be part of our experience of that eternal joy in God’s presence? I think the answer is yes. But I say that not because the Bible has decisive statements to that effect, but because there are significant pointers in that direction,” he said.
The Bible identifies God as a worker, Piper said, referencing Genesis 2:2 and John 5:17, and created humans to work. As believers are to be more like Him in eternity, they, too, will work.
Parables also point toward future responsibility, the pastor said, and hint at continued responsibilities in the afterlife. He cited Luke 19:17, which speaks of servants being given authority over cities.
Christians are “born again” for good works, Piper continued, adding: “When Paul identified a purpose for the new creature in Christ — us — he said the purpose was work, ‘good works.’”
Finally, Piper said prophecies of the new creation include work. Isaiah 65:17-25, he said, gives a depiction of the new Heavens and the new Earth where humans are seen building, planting, and enjoying the fruits of their labor.
However, Piper expressed caution about being too definitive about the specifics of eternity. Drawing from various scriptures, he reminded listeners of the unimaginable and incomprehensible wonders that await believers.
"Perhaps (this is speculation) there will be sweet weariness of mind and body, the new body getting weary in the age to come such that it needs something different from its usual occupation — namely, rest and play. I don’t know, because work itself will be so profoundly satisfying and sweet and enjoyable that nobody will say, 'I need a weekend. I’ve got to have some play time,' because everything will be as happy and satisfying as play," he wrote.
Though he acknowledged that some of his Evangelical peers may "disagree" with him, Piper said he believes Christians will work in eternity but left the exact nature of such work, and whether earthly giftings would play a role, in the hands of a providential God.
Piper previously shared that God created work to be a blessing, not a curse. Work in Heaven will be as it was before the fall: “thrilling, satisfying, creative.”
Piper cited Genesis 3:17-19, which describes a punishment for sin to be that the work of tending to the field would become what he described as “futile, burdensome, frustrating.”
“From the beginning, we were made for work — shaping, creating, subduing the world according to the wisdom and goodness and beauty of God,” concluded Piper. “This was not — it is not — a curse; it is a blessing. And I think it will last happily forever.”
The late renowned evangelist Billy Graham previously weighed in on the same topic, contending that the Bible says “God will have work for us in Heaven — and we ought to be glad for this!”
“After all, if all we did in Heaven was sit around with nothing to do, we’d get very bored,” he said. “But Heaven won’t be boring — and one reason is because God will have work for us to do.”
But here is the amazing thing: In Heaven, we’ll never grow weary or tired, like we do here. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, from that moment on work became a burden for the whole human race (see Genesis 3:17-19). But in Heaven, that curse will be lifted, and work will no longer be a burden. Instead, it will be a joy! The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what it will be, but we’ll be serving God — which is the highest honor imaginable.”
Toiling in the garden was easy compared to dealing with Eve. 😁
You seriously said that ?:
Gen2:15 The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.
Who cares?
We’ll be perfect, there won’t be bosses, and Jesus will be there.
Waste of time question.
Someone once wrote of a vision she had, of women nurturing the souls (babies) that were aborted.
The Greek word “cultivate”means exactly this “to dig up the soil to get rid of weeds”, “keep” is a “keep” derivative, a keep is a prison A prison.. “to keep “is wrong word? i.Greek word phylassein means “to guard”. Not to keep...
Whom is Adam guarding the Garden of Eden from? The same Greek word is used in Gen 2 ,24 by the angel “to guard”...to keep somebody out? So the angel is performing the identical guard duty as Adam did ..
it’s the same identical Greek word. Anyway I do not think we go to heaven to become dirt farmers ..no way I already had a life full of that ...it’s quite enuf thank you. It appears that there was somebody else outside the Garden Adam was to prevent from entering ?..otherwise it s doesn’t make any sense at all.
Besides the angel had a sword... Adam didnt.. Jesus said the good thief will be in Paradise.last time I heard ain’t nobody working in Paradise it’s a vacation spot. Gimme a break who you gonna listen to Genesis or Jesus ..I LL take Jesus words any day.Jesus came to fulfill the Scriptures...
I agree that we’ll work, and not sit on clouds strumming lyres.
Man was made for work —he was given work to do before the Fall....so it would suggest we’ll have fascinating and worthwhile work to do.
“Man was made for work”
Right you are. We were made in God’s image; and He’s always working.
Will Christians work in Heaven? Rev. John Piper weighs in: 'We will not be disappointed"
"Will there be end users in heaven?", the IT tech asked apprehensively.
If there is work in Heaven, I want a big bonus every April.
I believe we’ll be busy, but we won’t consider it work.
Just as long as I don’t have to do math I’ll be fine.
I'm through with standing in line
To clubs we'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth
And I'm never gonna win
This life hasn't turned out
Quite the way I want it to be
(Tell me what you want)
I want a brand new house
On an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough
For ten plus me
(So what you need?)
I'll need a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet
(Been there, done that)
I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between Cher and
James Dean is fine for me
(So how you gonna do it?)
I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name
[Chorus:]
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
And live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's
Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny
With her bleach blond hair
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes
Sign a couple autographs
So I can eat my meals for free
(I'll have the quesadilla, uh huh)
I'm gonna dress my ass
With the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to
Blow my money for me
Have you tried rebooting?
Then we read in I Thes 4 from Paul, to “live a quiet life, work with your hands, …, and be dependent on no man …”; coupled with his admonition that, “if a man doesn’t work he shouldn’t eat,” ; then look at all that is said in proverbs regarding work, and how man prospers thru work - it’s pretty obvious to me that the Lord ordained work as a means to find favor and blessings from Himself.
JMHO
“The Greek word ‘cultivate’ means exactly this ‘to dig up the soil to get rid of weeds’, ‘keep’ is a ‘keep’ derivative, a keep is a prison A prison.. ‘to keep ‘is wrong word? i.Greek word phylassein means ‘to guard’. Not to keep...
Whom is Adam guarding the Garden of Eden from? The same Greek word is used in Gen 2 ,24 by the angel ‘to guard’...to keep somebody out? So the angel is performing the identical guard duty as Adam did ..
it’s the same identical Greek word.”
It’s foolish to insult people who know the Bible very well, claiming they don’t read it, and then follow up your first folly with more. That goes doubly around here where people will actually verify your claims.
The passage under discussion was originally written in Hebrew, not Greek.
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/2-15.htm
But even if we use the Septuagint you will see there are TWO activities: ergazesthai is the one that means work. The Hebrew is abad, and it also means... work:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5647.htm
With all due respect if you think that when we get to heaven we are going to cultivate the soil? Or are we going to actually do physical work? With all due respect you are relying upon the Second Story of Genesis as in Chapt 2, 5 ff.
Since you are completely ignoring
the first story of creation, I will fairley attribute your omission to one of innocence. In the First Story of Creation, there is no work in Paradise. God therein gives man and woman ,”every seed bearing plant all over the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food...and I give you all the green plants for food “ No, nobody is gonna do work in heaven. I been a dirt farmer too long. I might as well go to hell if anyone thinks I am gonna be a dirt farmers in heaven sweating all day. It’s like hell on earth. My Hebrew is not that good because there are no vowels..I am no good with playing musical vowels. Any way, I will stick with Genesis Chapter one. It’s more theologically sound justice-wise
And eschatologically reassuring.
Besides if you do work in heaven nobody’s gonna pay you a salary coz there ain’t no money in heaven...
Gen.3,23 God kicked man out of the Garden of Eden and punished him by making him “,,till the ground, “ as if man didn’t till the ground before (?)before he got kicked out??. Please figure this conundrum out for me coz I am not very smart at solving apparent Biblical doubletalk.
Plus St. Paul says, “I have run the race...I have finished the course,” ....Naaah St. Paul ain’t gonna do no more racing in heaven. Gimme a break already.... plus we go to heaven to get our reward , not to work. Who thought up this nonsense?
Nowhere in Revelations does it say we work when we get to heaven. Who dreamed up.this nonsense?
You miss the point. Whether we will work in Heaven or not is less important than how a person handles scripture in the first place. You insulted people whom you obviously know little about to critique them based on your own incorrect understanding of the passage under discussion.
A little humility would be a more fitting response.
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