“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
Isaiah 43:7
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”.
Revelation 4:11
God created us for His glory and pleasure. Therefore, we have a duty to live for His glory and pleasure on this earth. Our duty comes from His design. What does it mean? It means that we love Him (Matthew 22:37),trust Him (Romans 4:20),are thankful to Him (Psalm 50:23),and we obey Him (Matthew 5:16). These are some of the broad headings, with many sub-headings of our duty towards God. That’s why I say getting saved is a duty. Going to church is a duty. Praying is a duty. However, sometimes we seem to be confused on the difference in duty and responsibility.
Why is it that a man will work very hard on the job, but is lazy, irresponsible, and sloppy at home? Often, he excuses his laziness by saying; “I’ve worked hard all week, so I deserve a break today.” How is it that a woman can work hard to do a good job at work, go the extra mile to make sure she looks attractive, and is on her best behavior; then at home, she becomes a lazy and irritable slob? How can this be? I suppose there may be many reasons people give to excuse their behavior, but I would like to focus on one specific reason. They have confused the meaning of the words duty and responsibility.
First, let’s consider responsibility: Responsibility is often misused. It is not interchangeable with the word duty. Responsibility originates from the Latin word “respondere”, meaning to vouch; or respond to something. We get the word “response”from it, which means “to react to stimuli.” We also get the word “respond”from the same word, which means “to answer.”
So, responsibility is what you do in response to or in answer to stimuli. The stimuli may be a positive or a negative. Your response to getting $10.00 an hour might be to do a good job. Your response to a threat of being fired might also be doing a good job. Responsibility can come in two parts: it can be given to you, but you also have to take responsibility by accepting the role or task assigned to you. We usually look at a responsibility as a job we do for some form of gain. Responsibility is something that can end when we sign off the time clock, or when the specific job is completed.
Next, let’s consider duty: The word duty comes from the Latin word “debere”, meaning obligation; a call to do something based on a debt you owe. The Bible gives us this example: “We love Him, because He first loved us.”
Duty is what you do in response to a debt that is owed. We might owe a debt to our country for the gift of citizenship. That is the basis of duty in the military or as taxpayers. We may owe a debt to society based on our own values. How could you pay someone enough money to risk his life by running into a burning building to rescue people who are trapped? Answer–you can’t! Yet, firemen do it all the time because of duty. A life threatening act like that would not be done by mere responsibility. We owe a debt to our parents for taking care of us when we could not take care of ourselves. So, caring for them is not a responsibility, it is a duty.
So then, duty refers to moral commitment. It denotes an active feeling for doing something. Once a person engages himself with some duty, or if he has been entrusted with a duty, then that person fully commits himself to it. In the case of duty, the person will be involved in activity without any self-interest. That’s what makes a soldier volunteer for a suicide mission or a police officer place himself in harm’s way. Duty is getting your eyes off what you want to do, off what is best for you, off what is the easiest route to take, and putting your eyes on what is best for those you owe. That would include: Your God, your spouse, your children, your ministry, your country, and your job. Honest people look for ways to repay the debts they owe.
I have often thought that if people would receive this understanding—and most people won’t—then it would be good to pay people in advance for their work. That way, they could look at it as a duty rather than a responsibility. That way, employees would naturally do a better job because of a debt they owe. They would work more efficiently because they owe those who have already paid their salary. Of course, we all know such a system would not work in the real world.
You see, most people get it all mixed up. Although any legitimate responsibility can be turned into a duty, we still often miss the point and we use responsibilities as an excuse to neglect our real duties. For example, adults and teenagers may get a job and work hard outside the home, but won’t complete their chores at home. That’s mixed up. Your duty is at home, usuallywork is a responsibility. You work on the job to get paid; you work at home because you owe a debt.
If you pay your own way to college, then you have a responsibility. However, if your parents are paying your way through college then doing a good job at school is a duty. That’s not hard to understand.
So many folks have fallen into the trap. We assume duties and responsibilities are the same thing so we direct our attention to the wrong stuff. We divert our energy toward what gives us gain, rather than toward what we should give to those we owe. We are like the irresponsible man who gets in more debt to buy a new car, rather than paying down the debts he already owes. How do we break the cycle? You can start by looking at your most important obligations(God, family, ministry, country, etc.)as duties rather than responsibilities. Duty is different from responsibility, particularly in its effect on the way you approach things. Responsibility comes from the outside. It’s transactional. Your boss says “I’m going to give you a paycheck and maybe even a promotion if you do a good job, so you have an obligation to me.” It’s almost like being an indentured servant. It often makes a long eight hours.
Shift gears and imagine instead a standard of duty. Duty comes from the inside. It’s not transactional—it’s moral. Duty derives from a clear understanding of the principles by which you intend to live your life. It’s not bound by the time clock. And God is the only judge that really matters when it comes to measuring yourself against a standard of duty.
Living up to the call of duty protects you from diverting interest and energy away from what really makes a difference. And a clear sense of duty gives you the backbone to stand up to anyone who may challenge what you know is best.
Summary:
Responsibility says, I’ll work so you’ll owe me. Duty says, I’ll work because I owe you (God, spouse, country, employer, etc.).
Responsibility says, I will work for gain. Duty says, I will work for the privilege to serve.
Responsibility says, I sometimes work out of fear. Duty says, I will always work willingly.
Responsibility says, I work hard because of who you are (has some power over you, writes your check, etc.) Duty says I will work hard because of who I am.
Responsibility says; usually work is nothing but work. Duty says, for me work is a privilege.
Responsibility says, I work for self-interest. Duty says, I work whether it serves my interest or not.
Responsibility says, my work stops at 5PM. Duty says, I am fully committed to do what needs to be done, regardless of the clock.
Responsibility says, I may do the job, but I will need supervision, reminders, encouragement, and ever increasing motivation to see it through.
Duty says, I have a moral commitment to something or someone, to get the job done. Although I am willing to follow instruction, I can usually supervise myself to successfully complete the assigned task. I have applied the principles of self-government, so I will seldom require encouragement or micro-management.
So duty, and not responsibility, is your greatest source of motivation and power.
Don’t stop until you get there. Because once you get it right, it never leaves you. Once you’ve got a statement of duty that resonates, it will serve you continually as a moral compass that lets you discern responsibilities you’ll accept, because they align with your unswerving sense of duty.
Over the years in the ministry I have worked with employees and I have worked with ministers. Employees have a job. Ministers have assumed a duty.
Dr. Worthington has been in the ministry over forty years and serves as President of Pathway Ministries.