An increasingly strong undercurrent among the homeschooling, family-centered subculture in America is an interest in home business. This is a logical development as men see the fruit of home education and wonder if they might improve their family life in any other ways. They come to long for ways in which they can be with their families more and thus participate in and shape the life of the home even more than they do. This is a formidably difficult undertaking for most men, given the organization of our society around the industrial model — which requires a workforce at the factory, office, or large retail outlet — and the almost total loss of a family-based economy in recent generations. Yet the dream will not disappear.

The challenge for most men is to get beyond the dreaming stage to that of action. But action must be grounded on thinking, and, for the Christian man, thinking about home business must be based on precepts, principles, and patterns derived from the Bible. So we must continue to lay a foundation of right thinking which will help sustain any efforts expended in the direction of coming home to work.

In our last issue we addressed the value of a home business for building an apprenticeship relationship with one’s sons (and daughters) which, when permeated by love, can lead to success in passing on a Christian vision and sense of life purpose. We based this discussion on the example of Jesus and His Father as revealed particularly in John 5:19,20. In this issue, we want to lay a further theological foundation for the pursuit of a home business.

Created to take dominion

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth. —Genesis 1;26

Man was created as a king, not as a slave. He was created in the image of God, the Ruler of all. He was made to be sovereign over this earth, to take all its natural and human resources and rework them to the glory of God, to re-create what God had made and offer the fruit of his creative labors to the praise of God. Man is made for a direct relationship with God, a relationship marked not only by loving fellowship but also by accountability for his work. Man is a steward, answerable to his Creator for his handling of this world’s resources. This human king was placed here to be a servant of God, but not the servant of any other.

It is evident that liberty is the necessary and normal condition of mankind. A sovereign is free. He has the ability and opportunity to choose how he will act and to follow through on those choices. Though he remains always God’s servant and is accountable to Him, under God he is free to choose how to carry out his dominion assignment (the KJV uses the term "dominion" in place of "rule" in Gen. 1:26). Cain and Abel chose different ways to rule the earth — Cain as a gardener and Abel as a herdsman — and both vocations were God-honoring (Cain had an attitude problem, or else he disobeyed by bringing the wrong sacrifice to worship, but his vocation was commendable.) Since the beginning, each man has been created free to choose the means by which he will take dominion over the earth.

Sin leads to serving other men

Sin, of course, brought another dimension to the task of ruling the earth: sin leads to slavery. Though created free and still maintaining the liberty of personal choice (free agency), every man is now also a slave — a slave to Satan (whose word Adam believed and obeyed in the Garden) and to his own sinful nature. Sin also introduced conditions which caused men to be enslaved to one another. As early as Genesis 14 we are introduced to the grim reality of warfare with its accompaniment: the capture and enslavement of people. As long as Lot and his family were captured, they were not able to pursue their dominion tasks with the measure of freedom God had intended at the beginning. They lost control of their possessions, their tools, their time.

The same happened to the children of Israel in the land of Egypt. Though they began their tenure under the friendly oversight of their brother Joseph, in time they were reduced to the status of slaves who made the bricks for the building projects of the pagan Pharaohs. They were not free any longer to take dominion over the earth and offer their lives directly to their God as before. Now they served Pharaoh. Of course, they still worked, as all men must, but their work was not their own; it belonged to another. Their "dominion" task was to further the dominion of a God-hater.

God was not content to leave His people in slavery, however. His aim was to free them from bondage in Egypt and bring them into the promised land where they could once again serve God directly with the fruit of their hands. As a matter of fact, God destroyed the pagan inhabitants of Canaan and gave Israel the towns, houses, cisterns, vineyard, and orchards of the enemy (Deut. 6:10,11). Now each man and each family could truly rule a portion of the earth to the glory of God.

Unfortunately, of course, the cycle repeated itself many times. God’s people would fall into sin and idolatry, with the result that God allowed them to be enslaved by the surrounding nations. Righteousness, wealth, and the blessing of liberty was replaced with wickedness, poverty, and the curse of slavery. Then it all started over again.

The loss of freedom was not only a national phenomenon — everyone becoming slaves together — it was sometimes just a personal experience, even during times of relative freedom. Some men lost their economic liberty and became the servants of other men. This might be due to sin or character defects (Prov. 10:4), or it may simply be the result of bad weather or other circumstances beyond the control of man (Neh. 5:5). The result might be going into debt by mortgaging a house or lands. Alternatively, the loss of liberty might mean becoming a servant of another: if a man cannot succeed economically on his own, he has little choice but to work for someone else. Even if he has lost everything else, he still retains possession of his own labor, so he "sells" that labor to another man and receives in turn the payment of food, shelter, money, or whatever else he may value.

That being a servant of another was not God’s best is evident from the careful regulation and limitation of that condition in Scripture. Any form of debt in Israel was limited to six years, including the indebtedness of indentured servitude (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12ff). Someone might choose voluntarily to extend his status as another man’s servant, but it could not be demanded of him.

Throughout the Old Testament it is clear that God’s ideal is for each man to be free, to control his own labor and its produce, to take dominion over a small portion of the earth to the glory of God. "So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree…" (1 Kings 4:25). Living under another man’s vine and fig tree was not God’s plan. Each man was the head of a sovereign household which offered its own work to the Lord, its firstfruits to the priests, its excess produce for trade with neighbors. Whether the situation resulted from war, poverty, or natural disaster, serving another man blunted a man’s opportunity to reflect the image of God.

God created man to be dependent upon Him and to offer the fruit of his dominion work as worship to Him. To exist in a state of economic dependency upon another man is the sad result of sin in the world. God made men to be free.

The ideal of Christian freedom

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. —Galatians 5:1

The context of this passage is the freedom from the bondage of the Law that Christ has given to Christians. Those who are in Christ are not bound to the Law as a means of salvation (the Law was never meant for this). Nor are they bound to the curse of the Law, nor even to sin in their own hearts. When Christ sets a man free, he is free indeed (Jn. 8:36).

We might then question to what extent, if any, this spiritual freedom is intended by God to bear fruit in external liberty. Specifically, does being a Christian move us closer to the original ideal of being free under God to take dominion over the earth?

In the victory of Christ all Christians have gained a comprehensive victory. Christ defeated Satan, broke the bondage of sin and the Law, and conquered death. Indeed, "in subjecting all things to him, [God] left nothing that is not subject to him" (Heb. 2:8). Christ has taken the lead in restoring the original dominion task to mankind (Hebrews 2:6ff quotes Psalm 8 which hearkens back to the language of Genesis 1:26ff). Apart from the cross it is not possible truly to fulfill the original plan, but in Christ a man can once again offer all the work of his hands to the glory of God. As Christians fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20) they restore the conditions necessary to obey the "dominion mandate" of Genesis.

If possible, don’t be another man’s servant

It should not come as a surprise, then, that the New Testament expresses a preference for men to work for themselves (under God!) rather than under the authority of other men. Paul puts it this way: "Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that….You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men" (1 Cor. 7:21,23). A Christian man should never voluntarily become a slave, and if he is one he should seek liberty if at all possible. Christ restores the opportunity to live in the liberty which was man’s original state.

But what do these verses have to do with the issue of employment versus working for oneself (under God)? Simply this: an employee is a servant. He is in many ways like a child who is not in charge of himself yet. A slave or servant is a man whose labor is directed by the will of another man. The New Testament does not use the terms "employer" and "employee"; it uses "master" and "slave" (e.g., Eph. 6:5ff) — but it is the same thing. Now there may be degrees of slavery, but the bottom line is: Who directs the labor and its fruit? If another man is sovereign over my work, if he directs how I use my time, what projects I tackle, what tasks I perform, if he determines my return for my labor (my pay) — then I am in the position of a servant/employee.

The implication of 1 Corinthians 7 would seem to be, then, that I ought to seek economic freedom if I can get it, I ought to seek work in which I answer directly to the Lord for my labors, I ought to aim to leave the status of employee if at all possible. In short, I ought to aim for a "home business" or some other form of work in which I am sovereign over the work and its fruit. This status is more consistent with the freedom which Christ has purchased for me, a freedom which is to expressed not only in the spiritual but also in the temporal affairs of my life. A man who under the authority of Christ is sovereign over his economic life is experiencing a fuller measure of the freedom for which Christ set Christians free.

Notice we said to "aim" for this liberty. Our passage recognizes that this may not be possible or that it may take time. The verses also state clearly that it is not a disgrace to be a servant/employee if there is no other choice. "For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave" (v.22). A man’s relationship with Christ is the only absolute; his employment status is secondary by far. So we would not want to even appear to suggest that men are in sin if they are employees of others, nor would we want to add a burden of guilt or sorrow to a man who finds himself an employee and has no other options. Such a man must simply be sure to work hard and well as unto the Lord (Eph. 6:5-8). He may be serving in the household economy of another man (or his corporation), but he is still ultimately serving the Lord. Being a good servant is a noble occupation for a Christian — but better still to be free.

Employment and work

It is very difficult for most Christian men living near the turn of the twenty-first century to envision anything except "employment." After all, we are several generations removed from the days when the family was the chief economic unit of the nation. Industrialism has so altered our perspective that we find it hard to think of "work" as being anything but a "job" one performs for another man or company. But this concept of work is rather new from a historical perspective. And the development of this concept has been accompanied by the deteriorating influence of the family unit in our society. We need to try to think new thoughts.

We have heard some Christian teachers advising against the goal of "self-employment" (actually a strange term when you think about it) since this ambition may bring with it a temptation to an independent spirit. Such teaching aims to stress the importance of submission as a character quality and the need to submit to all human authorities. This is, of course, a proper emphasis. Submission is at the heart of Christian character. However, it is only part of the Bible’s teaching. Yes, men must submit humbly and carefully as long as they are under the authority of other men in their work, but to seek as a preference to remain in that submissive state is not a virtue. A godly man ought rather to become free of his employer if at all possible. This would be more consistent with the status of redeemed manhood in Christ.

Employment (or business) is not a God-ordained sphere of authority on the level of family, church, and state (civil government). The employer/master is actually the head of a family, and the men who work for him are in reality attached to his household economy. When you work for a man, you are helping him to prosper and take dominion according to his plans and priorities, and you are helping make his family wealthy. It is better for you to take charge of your own labors within your own household economy, if that is possible. (We will not address here the anomaly of the corporation which severs the connection between families and work and reduces the level of personal accountability for the results of work.) To seek to leave the status of employee is not like trying to forsake the authority of your father, to abandon the church, or to rebel against civil rulers. It is good thing to be economically free.

It is good because it increases your choices, it enlarges the sphere over which God has made you sovereign and through which He seeks your worship. In the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14ff) Jesus told of the Master giving differing portions of money to each servant. The more a servant was given the greater his opportunity to bring increase for the Master, and the Master was pleased when his servants increased his goods through their labors.

This picture of stewardship applies to all areas of life in which God has blessed a man with gifts and opportunities, and that certainly includes the area of work. It is better for a man to be entrusted with more so that he can return more to the Lord. And the man who is in charge of his own work obviously has more direct opportunities to please the Master. The employee pleases the Master by pleasing his master. The man who is in charge of his own work under God pleases the Master directly. And this is what man was made for from the beginning. A free man, not a slave. A steward of God’s resources. A man who looks the Master in the face and gives an account of his stewardship.

The Apostle Paul is a good example of a man who wanted to retain personal economic sovereignty if at all possible. As a teacher of the gospel he had a right to the support of the churches (1 Cor. 9:11,14), but he did not use that right, preferring instead to support himself with tent making. He did not want a condition of financial dependency on his part to provide a hindrance to the gospel message (v.12). His economic freedom assured his maximum freedom to proclaim the gospel without any bonds of obligation between him and his hearers. Being indebted to his hearers because of their financial support could have lessened his effectiveness for Christ. Further, his financial independence assured that his ministry was voluntary and without any compulsion other than that of serving God (vv. 16,17). Clearly Paul’s case is not intended primarily to portray the advantage of a "home business" as such, but it is an illustration of the relative advantage of economic freedom for a man who aims to serve the Lord.

So both Paul’s words and his example suggest that indeed the liberty Christ gives the Christian man extends beyond the realm of the unseen to the very practical matters of his economic life. The Christian is restored to freedom under God to take dominion over the earth. And he can best do this if he is not a servant of another man.

Conclusion

As we have already written above, it is very hard for most men today to picture work as anything other than working for someone else. This is the natural by-product of our industrialized society, but being an employee is not the best arrangement by which to serve God. We stress again, though indeed it is noble to be a good servant if there is no alternative, that is not the ideal.

But someone might say, "A modern employee is hardly the equivalent of a biblical slave." We would certainly grant that there are differences, but nor should we exaggerate them. However much security a man may appear to have on the job, the fact is that he can be fired or laid off, or the work he is doing may simply not be needed any more. However much liberty a man may have in the process of carrying out his work for another man, he remains subject to that man, his plans, and his priorities. Further, an employee is in a form of partnership with his employer. If the employer is immoral and brings God’s judgment on his own head, the employee is likely to suffer as an extension of the wicked man’s "household." In many ways the employee is subject to the employer in much the same way as a servant to his master.

So what have we accomplished by this article? We fear that for some it will simply invite reaction: "That view is so extreme. God can’t want everyone to be self-employed. It couldn’t work anyway…."

Let us be clear. Our aim is not to suggest that everyone can or should work a home-based business. Nor, as we have made clear above, is it a shameful thing to be an employee. What we are trying to accomplish is to correct the extremism inherent in our modern view of work as employment/servanthood. Industrialism has so emptied the home of its economic functions, it has so altered our understanding of work, it has so smothered the biblical view of work as an exercise of freedom and godly dominion, that Christian men will need a lot help to catch a vision for the possibility of home-based work. Our purpose here is to try to provide one little portion of the groundwork that will be needed if men are to begin to resist the recent flow of history and seek to rebuild the family economy.

Those who are favorably disposed to the idea of a home business may react to this article with discouragement: "I want to have a home business more than ever, but how on earth will I ever get there? I’ll never make it home." If you are one of these men please remember this: you are working for the Lord no matter who your earthly master might be. So give each day’s labor to Him. But beyond that, begin to think and pray for a way to be free. Your future freedom begins with the vision you are developing today. See yourself as a free man in Christ. Commit yourself to develop your home economy as much as possible whether or not you are able to leave your employment. Give your children a vision for taking dominion of this world under God and help them start doing that with their possessions, their labors, their finances.

Freedom begins in the heart. The external manifestations come later. Nurture the vision. You are God’s man. You are here to take dominion over this earth for Him. In Christ you are a free man. This is part of what home business is all about. It’s a good idea for a number of reasons. But it all begins with dominion and freedom. You’re a king, under the King.

Your household is the first and most important sphere in which to live out your sovereignty under God. Your household is a little world in which you rule to God’s glory. And God made the home to be the center of economic activity in this world (far though that may be from the contemporary, family-destroying model). We need to move back in the direction of God’s design. Home-based business is an idea whose time has come, again.