Theology @ Work – Calling

It used to be that “called by God” would mean one of two things to evangelical Christians. One is the general calling to salvation (mostly focused on going to heaven after this life is over). The other is a special “call to the ministry”. I bought into both these senses of calling. But as I read the Bible, I am starting to see calling as being much richer, and applicable to all of us now.

There is much more work to do on this (though some helpful studies have been written recently – I’m reading “The Other Six Days” by R. Paul Stevens, for example, which has a fairly deep treatment of calling). But I think at the moment I’m seeing calling for all Christians in three basic senses in Scripture.

1. Call to Be: we are called by God into relationship with Him, fulfilling His intentions for us as illustrated when He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. This is very close to the evangelical understanding of call to salvation, but it has immediate, not just eternal effect. I see it as essentially a call to be fully human, which involves every aspect of our being, made in God’s image, made to be constantly in His presence, and equipped for “good works” (see Ephesians 2:10) which is quite evocative of Genesis 1:31-2:2 in which God looked at all the “work” He had done and saw that it was “good”.
2. Call to Act: our basic calling in Genesis 1:28-29 (known sometimes as the “cultural mandate”) to work in cooperation with God in creating, sustaining, restoring, and ultimately fulfilling the potential of His Creation. This is sometimes called the call to co-creation (though since we’re under God’s authority rather than equal, perhaps sub-creation is a better word, as Stevens suggests).
3. Call to Love: we are also called to exhibit the kind of love that God has for us, and the kind of community that the Godhead has within Itself (Father, Son and Spirit in the most intimate inter-dependent union). This is a call to community – to be a responsible part of it, to acknowledge our dependence on others, to seek the good of others, to show justice and mercy, and most of all to love!

This understanding of calling has profound implications for work. Firstly, we are all called to work in some way or other, because we’re made in God’s image (see previous Theology @ Work posts). Secondly, the call to work isn’t isolated from the rest of our lives, but is a part of the call to Act, to Be, and to Love. All of these things will significantly impact how we look at and respond to the challenges and opportunities of work. Hopefully I’ll explore some over the coming weeks.