Is the work really done? – Lyrics from Christian Music

Is the work really done?  That question came to mind when I was listening to a Christian song.  One of the lines is "The work is done".  But is it?  Or should the question be - what work is done?  Maybe there's some portion of "the work" that's done.  Then we need to know what part is done?  Knowing what part remains to be done is also useful.

Do we understand Christian song lyrics?

The question is - do we even think about those things?  When we sing this song, do we just hear "The work is done" - and then assume the work of Christianity is done?  It's an important question.  I recently published something about the Great Commission, in which Jesus gives His followers our orders on how to go forward in life.

The response I got from one person was "The work is done, man".  I was shocked.  But then this morning I heard the song with those words - The work is done.  Is that where the person who wrote the reply got his thinking?  Honestly, I don't know.  But someone listening to that song, picking out that line, could get the wrong impression.  Unless they take the time and put in the effort to find out what the author of the song meant.

Is the work really done?

We'll get into the actual song shortly.  But first, let's examine why the line might be a problem.

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that lyric about the work is done was this:

The Great Commission

Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The question should be obvious.  Jesus tells us All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  Is the work done?  Clearly, there's some work to be done.  At least for some amount of time.

But then Jesus closes with:  surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  We haven't reached the end of the age yet, since Jesus hasn't returned yet.  Doesn't that mean our charge to fulfill the Great Commission isn't done yet?  In fact, it won't be done until the second coming of Jesus.

Maybe - maybe - we can try to convince ourselves that the work was done when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected.  But then we have to take into account something Paul wrote.  Actually, we have to account for a whole bunch of things Paul wrote, but let's use just this one.

The Rights of an Apostle

Paul begins the passage by talking about the rights that apostles have and that he hasn't really used most of them.  For the purposes of this discussion, it's the paragraph below that's relevant.

1Co 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Is the work done?  Paul's still "running"

OK - so what's the prize that Paul writes about?  We need to remember something about the Greeks and athletics.  The Olympics, yes the ones we watch today, started 76 years before the birth of Christ.  Athletics were a big thing then.

It's a whole lot more of spectacle today than it was then.  I actually got to run a "race" with some other guys on a tour through Greece one time, at the original site of the Olympics.  The "arena" was a green grass field, surrounded by small sloped "hills" where men (no women allowed) could sit and watch the races.