Work as a Perfection of the Human Person: A Philosophico- Theological Contextualization of 2 Thes. 3,10

Abstract

In the first creation account, Gen 1,28 God mandated man to conquer the earth and subdue. Immediately after the fall in Gen 3, God spells out work as the only way through which man would get his daily bread. It follows therefore, that work remains a conditio sine qua non for man’s survival whether he is at peace with God or no. Hannah Arendt the French philosopher understands work as having a self perfective dimension. Plato in his Republic groups the organization of his political society according to the work every group does. This paper footnotes Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians to project work as part and parcel of man. It views work as that which perfects man. The researcher believes that without work, the human person can neither be perfected nor can he survive. Thus, the paper documents that work is not just a virtue for survival, it also perfects the human person in as much as it perfects nature. The researcher takes work from the backdrop of its holistic dimension as a term. Distinctions are not made as to the different types or classes of works. The common denominator is that every work perfects the human person. The researcher encourages every person to go back to his drawing board and bend down to work. He believes that God created us without us but cannot help us without us. Using exegetical lens, the paper interprets 2Thes 3,10 from the background of practical experience. It makes a call to all to struggle not just to survive or succeed but to become significant through greater perfections realizable only through hard work.