For business activities to fulfil its purposes, it should not transgress these boundaries:
• Treat or affect people in a manner inconsistent with human dignity;
• Fail to pay employees just compensation;
• Require that employees work under unreasonably dangerous conditions;
• Be inconsistent with the long-term sustainability of the created order;
• Fail to comply with all duly adopted and applicable laws;
• Mislead people;
• Preclude people from keeping the Sabbath or disrupt God’s intended rhythm of rest and work;
• Fail to reflect God’s intended balance of beauty and function.
Responsibilities of the Christian in Marketplace
1. Recognise that the calling of God to function as a servant in the role of a Christian businessman is a high calling that requires great personal commitment, and when a person is called to function in business, God will grant as much of His blessing and grace to his endeavours as He would to any other calling.
2. Recognise that God owns all that we have; that any talent, ability and power to make wealth come from Him; that whatever success we enjoy is a result of God’s blessing and favour; and that Christians in business must avoid the pride and snare that the Scriptures often warn accompany wealth and worldly success
3. Recognise that not every product a business could make is equally valid in the eyes of God. So a Christian in business should ask not only what will maximise the bottom line, but also what product or service could be made, given the core competencies under his control and the assets he is managing that would best serve his community.
4. Recognise that business dealings need to be motivated by godly wisdom through seeking counsel, searching the Scriptures for revelation, and seeking God’s guidance; that the nature of the Christian business enterprise is to strive for God’s highest scriptural ethics in all its dealings with employees, customers, suppliers, the civil government, and any other entities with which it interacts
5. Recognise that the Christian business person has the civic responsibilities of praying for those in authority and participating in the political process through voting, supporting righteous civic leadership, and seeking elected office as the Lord leads. The Christian business person should not separate spiritual or business life from governmental affairs.
6. Recognise that to be effective, a business person should focus on serving the needs of his customers, employees, co-workers or associates, and suppliers, and that this includes addressing the spiritual, social, psychology and security needs, in addition to physical needs. No business activity from a Christian standpoint can be considered successful without the above elements, in addition to financial profitability.
Conclusion
Sceptics wonder how commercial activity can serve as a legitimate means of doing God’s work in the world when it is conducted within a system that to them appears to be antithetical to Christian values, and churches still wonder how best to support the business people in their midst, many of who feel demeaned for not doing “real” ministry. How should Christians, particularly the laity who work in business-oriented vocations, thoughtfully and faithfully approach their work?
Historically, Christians have opted for different orientations towards the “world” and their role within it. Is there a particular approach that should be adopted for Christians involved with business? Should commercial activity be