Serving God: From Changing Diapers to Retirement

How can a mother view changing diapers and wiping noses as a means of serving God? How should the farmer who plants and harvests corn think about his vocation as a means of serving God? What about the recently retired couple, what sort of work can they do to serve God? After thinking about the deadly sin of laziness and the call for diligence from Sunday’s sermon, these were questions that were dancing through my mind.

Works and Salvation

During the middle ages, the church erred in both its teaching on the doctrine of man (his sinfulness) and the doctrine of salvation. In large part, the church had what is called a synergistic view of salvation – man cooperates with God by his own works for salvation. Due to this, man’s work was viewed as a necessary component for salvation.

As Protestant Christians, we are indebted to men like Martin Luther who sparked the Reformation and recovered the biblical doctrine of justification by faith. The Baptist catechism defines justification as : an act of God’s free grace, where he pardons all our sins, accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone. The Protestant doctrine of justification hinges upon faith apart from works.

Vocation and the Medieval Church

Once the doctrine of justification was corrected, the church underwent massive reformation as she returned to God’s Word and corrected other areas of Christian living that she had gone astray in. One such area of reform was the doctrine of vocation.

When we think about the word vocation, we often think of it in terms of our career, trade, or our profession. But the word vocation comes from a Latin word that carries with it the idea of “a calling.” Prior to the Reformation, the word was only used to speak of church related callings (priests, monks, and nuns). The medieval church believed that true spiritual work only happened in places like the church or a monastery. Due to this, certain callings in life were viewed as more “holy” than others. Because of a works-based model of salvation, the priest was thought of as being more likely to secure his spot in heaven because of his holy work than the farmer.

The Doctrine Recaptured

The reformers recaptured the doctrine of work and emphasized that we are to live all of life to glorify God. Furthermore, God calls each and every one of us to serve Him in every area of our life whether we are a pastor or a stay-at-home mom. One calling is not more sacred than the other. Every single one of us has a personal calling in which we are to use to serve God.

God calls all of us to various tasks and relationships. There are callings to the family with marriage and parenthood. There are callings to the workplace by exercising our God given talents in the way that we make a living. There are also callings in the church with pastors, pianists, teachers, deacons, etc.

Why It Matters

Since we are justified by faith apart from works, the Christian is free to offer good works in all of life, not as a means of earning salvation, but from the overflow of our hearts for the love that has been demonstrated towards us. God has called us to reflect His love towards us to others through the various vocations of life, no matter what stage of life we are in.

It is important to realize that our vocation is not so much about what we do, but what God does through us. Gene Edward Veith articulates this beautifully when he says:

“God gives us this day our daily bread through the vocation of farmers, millers, bakers, factory workers, truck drivers, grocery store employees, and the hands that prepared our meal. God creates and cares for new life by means of vocations of mother and father, husband and wife. He protects us by means of police officers, judges, the military…and others who bear the sword (Rom. 13). God brings healing not primarily through miracles but through the vocation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical vocations. God teaches through teachers, conveys His word through preachers, gives the blessing of technology through engineers, and creates beauty through artists. God works through all the people who do things for us, day by day. And he also works through us, in whatever tasks, offices, and relationships He has called us to do.”

How Should We Think About Our Vocation?

So, how should we as Christians think about the various callings in life? In a treatise titled Freedom of the Christian, Martin Luther says:

“Man, however needs none of these things (Good Works) for his righteousness and salvation. Therefore, he should be guided in all his works by this thought and contemplate this one thing alone, that he may serve and benefit others in all that he does, considering nothing except the need and advantage of his neighbor.”

Every good work that we do in faith is an opportunity to reflect God’s love to our neighbor. The mother who changes diapers, washes clothes, cooks, and cleans, has the opportunity to reflect God’s love to her closest neighbors – her husband and children. The father has the opportunity to reflect God’s fatherly love to his wife and kids as he teaches his family God’s Word, protects them, provides for them, and shepherds them. The farmer has the opportunity to reflect God’s love by growing crops and providing sustenance to nourish others. The retired couple has the opportunity to demonstrate God’s love to their neighbor by welcoming others into their home and modeling what a godly marriage looks like as well as demonstrating what it looks like to finish their race well. Even those who are unable to physically serve have the ability to love others through interceding on their behalf in prayer.

Each of us should view the people that we encounter daily as a divine appointment and we should take advantage of the opportunities around us for reflecting God’s love to our neighbors. Our own personal callings are a means in which God has provided for us to faithfully serve Him by reflecting His love to others.