To begin, Nelson outlines the theme of work across the redemption storyline: Creation, the Fall, redemption, and new creation. He stresses throughout this narrative the continuity between the future world and our present work. 

Nelson then unpacks the theological and practical significance of the Bible’s view of work. He says our vocation is one of the primary contexts in which we live out the great commandments, and also God’s primary means for spiritual growth and transformation.

He closes his work with advice on discerning vocational calling, warnings about moral dangers in the workplace, and a description of the relationship between vocation, the local church, and the gospel mission. Nelson writes this book not for pastors, but for lay-level readers hoping to discover new value in their work outside church walls.