What It Means to Wrap Reprimand in Mercy

A few weeks ago, I spoke to my employer rudely and disrespectfully in a moment of stress. In this moment of weakness, I sinned against him. The Spirit mercifully convicted me of my failure, so I immediately messaged him, confessing my sin and asking forgiveness. He immediately responded, “On your team. We can figure this out and get back on the same page. Let me know if I can help.”

He called me later to check on me and offer help. When I reiterated my apology, he reassured me of his forgiveness and the security of our relationship. Then, he patiently asked questions and listened. He offered observations about my workload and how it might impact me. He graciously assigned space to rest and consider how to make adjustments. In the following weeks, he checked in to see how I was doing and what I was learning. 

I was blessed by my employer’s evident devotion to me and our relationship in our shared work, such that he would humble himself, extend grace, and help me improve. His compassionate response imitates God’s response to our failure in his work.

The Genesis Promise: God’s Response to Failure

Genesis 1–2 shows us that God created humans to do his work on earth. He provided a paradisiacal workplace with everything his workers needed to fulfill their assignment. Genesis 3 showed us that his workers failed — and continue to fail — in ways that compromised the work. 

How does the Lord respond when his workers fail? In Genesis 3, the Lord makes a gracious promise. He promises to humble himself, join his workers in the mess, and deliver them from it:

I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. 

This promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God incarnate. Through his death and resurrection sin is paid for, death is overcome, and Satan is defeated. This salvation we receive through faith in him.

What does the promise teach us about the workplace? 

That question matters because how we behave as employers, managers, and co-workers should communicate God’s character. Thus, our behavior in the workplace must be informed and shaped by the person and work of Jesus. We are not Christians apart from faith in Christ. And there is no Christian workplace except one characterized by faith in and obedience to Jesus. The promise in Genesis 3 establishes a foundation and guide for how Christian employers and managers should approach employee failures. Here’s what we can learn.

1. The Lord is devoted to the flourishing of his failed workers, even when they don’t deserve it. 

Genesis 1–2 describes the beautiful workspace God designed. Then, almost immediately, his workers deliberately disobey his instructions and seek to usurp him. They bring a curse to the place; they’ve trashed the office and sabotaged the work.

Incredibly, the Lord’s compassion appears immediately. Before spelling out consequences, he promises redemption. Despite the termination they deserve, he devotes himself to restoring them to their Genesis 1 assignment — “they will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:5).

His people don’t deserve that restoration. In fact, it’s a gift, not compensation. “You are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift ​— ​ not from works so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8–9 says. 

Christian employers should imitate our Lord’s gracious disposition by seeking the flourishing of failed employees. Our first instinct should not be to scold or terminate. Instead, we should be inclined toward offering grace and opportunity for restoration. Our reprimand should be wrapped in mercy, making it clear it is for their good. Even when termination is necessary (more on that later), the flourishing of workers should be our intent. Termination may be a mercy to the one fired, releasing them from a role they don’t flourish in and helping them find one in which they can. Likewise, in the case of stubbornly toxic employees, a firing is needed so other workers can flourish.

2. The Lord will suffer significant pain and loss to restore his failed workers. 

In Genesis 3, the Son strikes the serpent’s head while the serpent strikes his heel. The head and heel do not differentiate between greater and lesser wounds. The locations correspond to how a man and a serpent strike one another. A man kills a serpent by bringing his heel down on its head. A serpent kills a man by driving his fangs into his heel, delivering a lethal dose of venom. Thus, we have two mortal wounds; both the serpent and the man will die in this conflict. 

Jesus is God — the Creator, Founder, Owner, President, and Manager — and that’s what makes his mindset so incredible. “Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited,” Phillipians 2:6 says. He refused to even consider exploiting his divine status to serve himself. 

“Instead,” the next verse continues, “he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity, and when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.” This voluntary self-humiliation is extensive. He did his workers’ job on their behalf — without failing — and then also suffered their rightful termination. 

Christian leaders are called to “adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,” Philippians 2:5 says. 

Workers’ failures cost employers time and money — and sometimes their reputation. And restoration often means additional loss of the same nature. As painful as such loss is, it is part of what being a Christian business, employer, and manager means. We can refuse to exploit our power to serve ourselves and choose to be with our employees — even to the extent of sacrifice — to make their work right.

3. The Lord offers his compassionate restoration to any failed worker who will receive his grace by faith. 

Does every failed employee get this grace? Does compassion mean we let bad employees take advantage of us forever? Again, the Genesis 3 promise helps us with these questions.

The promise is preceded by a statement we must not overlook: “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring” (Gen 3:15). Humanity is divided into two camps — the serpent’s offspring and the woman’s offspring, or God’s children and the devil’s children as 1 John 3:10–12 frames it. 

The devil’s children are like Cain, “who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.” In Genesis 4, Cain refused faith, rejected God’s grace, chose murder, and spent his life hiding from the Lord’s presence. His end was termination. But God’s children are those who “believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us” (1 John 3:23). In Genesis 4, Eve believes the Lord is keeping his promise to send a son. To be the “offspring of the woman” is to share her faith. 

Who is restored in Christ’s kingdom? Those who respond to God’s gracious offer with faith, who receive it humbly, turning away from disobedience and following Jesus.

Who is terminated and cast out of the kingdom? Those who respond to God’s merciful overture with pride, who reject this restoration, continuing in disobedience and refusing to follow Jesus. 

These observations also offer a pattern for us to follow. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble,” James 4:6 says, and so must Christian employers. We patiently offer grace. We rejoice to restore and assist those who receive that kindness humbly, learning to turn away from their failures and work in good ways we call them to. Nevertheless, we must be willing to follow the Lord in terminating those who reject restoration and proudly resist correction.

4. The Lord is willing to appear weak to restore his failed workers. 

When the promised Son appeared, he was a suffering servant whom no one desired or valued. The world would mock and repudiate a crucified Messiah, calling him weak and foolish (see 1 Cor 1:21–23). 

Yet Christ sets the standard for Christian leaders: “Whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all,” he says in Mark 10:44. 

Christians who follow his approach to servant leadership in the workplace will be ridiculed and rejected. This may require forfeiting awards, sacrificing recognition. But like Jesus, we will be vindicated by God. So, we follow Jesus’ example, believing that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:25). Because Christ humbled himself to death to save sinners, “God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name” (Phil 2:9). He ascended to the highest place because he descended to the lowest place.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Genesis 3 demonstrates God’s response to our failure, offering a model for Christian leadership in the workplace. Remembering his love for us, we learn to love our employees by also devoting ourselves to their flourishing, even when they fail; by being willing to suffer loss for the sake of restoration; by offering compassionate restoration while maintaining accountability; and by choosing the path of humble service, even when it seems foolish to the world.

In this way, we show the people of earth the glory of our Lord in heaven.