References to calling occur frequently in scripture. This is the apostle Paul: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called….” (Ephesians 4:1). Even today, whether in sermons or conferences or conversation among Christians, the focus may fall on this subject. What do we mean when we say that we have a calling? Here are some of my thoughts.
We have a record of Jesus personally calling individuals to follow him—for example, in Matthew 4:18-22. Luke, in his gospel, sheds some additional light: “In these days he [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when the day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…” (Luke 6:12-13). The call that Jesus issued was inspired by the Father. The recipients of the call responded favorably. Among them Jesus designated twelve as “apostles,” but all were his disciples, called simply to follow him. In these days Jesus has called us, too. And we have decided to act on that call. The details of following him will unfold in different ways for each of us. What we hold in common is the connection between us and the one who has called us.
The calling is always out from something and into something else. God called the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land. “And he [God] brought us out from there [Egypt] that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers” (Deuteronomy 6:23). Jesus calls us out from bondage to sin and to the world system. What he has called us into exceeded even Paul’s ability to describe. You can read about it in the first 3 chapters of his letter to the Ephesians. Our calling begins with liberation from sin and “the course of this world.” It extends to our adoption into a new race of humanity, our being seated with the Father “in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” our access to “the unsearchable [boundless, inexhaustible, unfathomable] riches of Christ,” and much more. All of this centers on our new relationship with God because of our position in Christ.
God’s calling of humans goes back all the way to our first parents. First, He created them in His own image; Jesus Christ is the image of God, and humans were created in Christ. God’s direction to them was, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). He intended them to bear His image throughout the earth, and to exercise authority in His stead over all other forms of life. Why did they fail to remain faithful to their calling?
The provision for Adam was in the Tree of Life. As far as we know, they never ate from that tree. When they sinned they found themselves outside of Christ, and they lost access to the Tree of Life. Now, we who believe find that provision in Christ. “And because of him [God] you are in Christ Jesus…” (I Corinthians 1:30). God has placed us back into Christ. It is impossible to receive His life by any other means. I cannot, no matter how much I try, live worthy of the calling to which I have been called! (And neither can you.) After I perceive that I am in Christ, however, and begin to live by His life, the impossible becomes achievable. The source of the life that lives up to God’s expectations is in Christ, not in me. Consider what Paul wrote to the Galatians: “For you were called to freedom [emphasis mine], brothers [brothers and sisters, or fellow Christians], only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Galatians 5:13-14). Can I, by effort and determination, love my neighbor as myself or find the love it takes serve my sisters and brothers? This calling involves a work that only God can accomplish.
God’s workmanship begins with Him grafting us into the True Vine that is His Son (John 15:1-5). Then we can draw on Jesus as the source of our life. Later, God will come to see what that Life has produced in us and through us. He hopes to find us bearing fruit, which is an overflow of life, for the benefit of others. Branches that bear no fruit are liable to be severed. Why? Because the life of Christ was never meant to be kept to oneself. Consider this passage from the prophet Isaiah: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price…. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David…. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.” (Isaiah 55:1-5). It begins with multiple calls to come; it ends with those who were called in turn calling others—who run to them, because the glory of God shines through them.
This brings up a question: God’s calling for us has to do with both who we are and what we do. Would it be true to say that He places more importance on the former than the latter? Who we are—I mean, the people we have become in Christ Jesus—are the product of God’s transforming work. This is fundamental. There has to be a visible outworking of His inner work, yes, but conformity to the image of Christ comes first. As Paul wrote, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). God does a hidden work in us, to bring our will into agreement with His; then He can accomplish his good pleasure through us.
We should not look at a calling as an end in itself. My calling is to follow Him where He leads. If I try to channel that into any selfish gain—status, influence, wealth, or whatever—I will come under judgement. Christ Jesus the Son placed greater importance on accomplishing the Father’s purpose than on retaining His wholly legitimate position in the Holy Trinity (Philippians 2:5-7). How much more should I have the attitude of Paul, the willingness to count as loss everything that appears valuable to me (Philippians 3:7-8)? My calling is not for me but for Him.
Clearly there is an initial calling for each of us, with many subsequent calls for the faithful. Late in his ministry Paul referred to “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). It was an ongoing relationship. As he went on with the Lord, he increasingly saw opportunities to gain more of Christ. Paul’s willingness to press on enabled God to accomplish a greater transformation in his life. And it enabled God through him to reveal to all successive generations His eternal purpose for all creation.
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