Marx vs. Paul

Brilliant people aren’t always right. They aren’t always wrong either. Two brilliant men lived long ago yet were polar opposites when it came to their understanding of humanity. The first was Karl Marx, the father of communism. Marx had developed many economic, social and religious concepts but there’s one I’d like to mention. He said mankind was homo faber; which is Latin for man the creator or workman. In contrast, the Apostle Paul said man is autos poiema; which is Greek for man the workmanship of God. Think of that distinction. One side says man is the creator. The other says man is the workmanship of God.

Isn't that intriguing? What an observation! This is what Paul wrote.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

Poiema
I’m not a Greek scholar so forgive me if I butcher this attempt to explain Paul’s concept. People are God's workmanship, His poiema - a term that can also be translated artistic rendering. We are artistic creations rendered in God's image, not our own. According to Paul, people could not be farther from being man the creator as Marx taught. Our works cannot even save ourselves, much less be the prime creative force Marx claimed. Our works are accomplished by the grace of the Creator God; who has even prepared the things for us to accomplish.

The implications are obvious and very significant. If Marx's concept is followed, frustration will follow. The burden of being Creator is heavy and people saddled with it will surely find themselves overwhelmed. This may explain the concentration of power in those command economies based on Marxism. People are unable to carry the heavy yoke of godhood and defer to the most powerful who play god by attempting to tightly limit all aspects of life. Perhaps this also helps account for amazingly low productivity in Marxist cultures that lies in contrast to the high output in those places operating with a biblical world-view.

This contrast is explained by the simple truth that Paul's model brings creativity. Grace is necessary precisely because we are not gods. Made in God's image, we are His workmanship. Living out who we are, we naturally do good works. We are creative not because we're trying to be the Creator, but because we're acting in response to being His workmanship.