A Christian business should seek to reflect God’s character through integrity, excellence, and love in every decision and relationship. The Bible teaches that diligent, honest work leads to lasting success, while actions rooted in dishonesty or laziness do not honor God. Believers are called to do all things for God’s glory, with love and fairness toward others, including employees and customers. Christian businesses should be committed to high standards, generous treatment of people, and practices that align with biblical values. Ultimately, to run a business God’s way, we must know His Word and live it out in every aspect of leadership and service.
The Bible gives much guidance that is readily applicable for Christian business owners and managers. We see three Christian characteristics which form the core of what it means to be a Christian business: integrity, a commitment to excellence, and a commitment to people.
Essentially, integrity is doing what is right. We gain our understanding of right and wrong from the Bible. We should be regularly studying the Bible and gleaning from it God’s commands and expectations. Biblical principles should be the basis of all our decisions and the filter through which we do all things.
A commitment to excellence will show in the way we treat people who work at our businesses and the way customers are treated. It will especially show in our service and products. When we are devoted to good service and good products, our business reflects our Christian faith well.
Maybe most important, the way we treat employees, peers, competitors, and customers will reveal our Savior. Compensation should be generous, our recognition of good performance should be generous, and growth opportunities should be generous. God is generous, so we must be as well if we want to reflect Him. Businesses that provide opportunities to meet the needs of its employees gain loyalty, hard work, and productivity. Christian businesses should treat their customers fairly. Clearly a business is intended to make a profit, but its aim should be to serve customers in a way that reflects the love of Christ.
Remember that if we want to build a business based on biblical principles, we must know the Bible and its Author then commit to following what He instructs there (James 1:22).