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Faith and Work

What Does It Mean to Be "Called"?

December 22, 2013 by Theology of Work Project, Contributor William Messenger

Continued from Page 7

Colossians 3:23—"Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters."

Before concluding our discussion on this point, we should note that one stream of thought views 1 Timothy 5:17-18 as contradicting the view we have just laid out. According to this perspective, being a church elder (roughly equivalent to a pastor or priest in modern church usage) is in fact a higher calling.

*1 Timothy 5:17-18—"*Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,' and, 'The laborer deserves to be paid.'"

Under this view, being a pastor is a "double honor" compared to other professions. But most Bible commentaries reject this interpretation. A more accurate reading is that elders who do their work well are worthy of a double honor (or honorarium) compared to elders who do their work merely adequately. Alternately, the contrast may be between elders who volunteer in their spare time and elders who work full time for the church. The Old Testament quotations about pay further reinforce the sense that this passage is about rewarding high-performing or full-time elders, not about comparing church work to other work. It means that elders who work full-time for the church, and who do it well, deserve to be paid well by the church. The passage's true comparison is among pastors, not between pastors and lay people.

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The only jobs that do not have equal status in God's eyes are those that require work forbidden by the Bible or are incompatible with its values. For example, jobs requiring murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, or greed (Exodus 20:13-17), usury (Leviticus 25:26), damage to health (Matthew 10:8), or harm to the environment (Genesis 2:15) are illegitimate in God's sight. This is not to say that people who do these jobs have lesser status in God's eyes. People whose circumstances lead them to illegitimate work are not necessarily bad people. Deuteronomy 22:21condemns prostituting yourself, for example, yet Christ's response to prostitutes was not condemnation, but deliverance (Luke 7:47-50; Matthew 21:31-32). Jobs of this sort might be the lesser of two evils in certain situations, but they could never be God's desired work for someone.

4) Changing Jobs

If God leads or guides people to their work, could it ever be legitimate to change jobs? Wouldn't that be rejecting God's guidance to the work you already have? Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant theologian, famously argued against changing jobs. This was based largely on his understanding of this passage:

1 Corinthians 7:20—"Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called."

Luther equated "condition" with occupation, and concluded that it was not legitimate for Christians to change occupations. However, Luther's contemporary John Calvin did not accept this interpretation—and most modern theologians do not either. For one thing, it doesn't seem to take sufficient account of the very next verse, which suggests that changing occupations is legitimate, at least in some circumstances:

1 Corinthians 7:21 – "Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. If you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity."

Miroslav Volf has written that since the factors by which God guides people to work may change over the course of a working life, God may indeed guide people to change their work. Your capabilities should grow with your experience in serving God. He may lead you to bigger tasks that require you to change jobs. "Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master" (Matthew 25:21).

Conversely, if you become a Christian later in life, might God require you to change jobs? It might seem that finding new life in Christ means getting a new job or career. However, generally, this is not the case. Since there is no hierarchy of professions, it is generally a mistake to think God wants you to find a "higher calling" upon becoming a Christian. Unless your job is of the illegitimate type discussed earlier, or unless the job or colleagues threaten to keep you stuck in unChristian habits, there may be no need to change jobs. However, whether you change jobs or not, you probably need to do your work differently than before, paying attention now to biblical commands, values, and virtues, as happened with Zacchaeus the tax collector:

Article Continued On Next Page

Page: 8 of 10

12/22/2013 5:00:00 AM

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