5 Types of Calling in the Bible

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When Christians ask about calling or vocation, it usually means, “Is God calling me to a particular job, profession or type of work?” The reason this question is so significant is because the work we do is important to God. If work is important, it makes sense to ask what work God wants us to do. In the Bible, God does call people to particular work, and gives all people various kinds of guidance for their work. Although Scripture seldom uses the word “call” to describe God’s guidance to jobs, occupations or tasks, these occurrences in the Bible do correspond to vocational “calling.” In the Bible, the concept of calling goes deeper than any one aspect of life, such as work. God calls people to become united with Him in every aspect of life. But this can only happen if we respond to Christ’s call to follow Him. Here are five types of calling in the Bible.

The General Call

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Romans 11:29 says, “The gifts and call of God are irrevocable.” God does not reverse, or repeal, or cancel His call. The whole point of an omnipotent call that creates what it commands is to guarantee God’s invincible purpose in the lives of His people. If God has called you, you are justified, and if you are justified, you will be glorified. Jesus put it like this in John 10:27-29: “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” If you are outside this experience today, realize how dependent you are on the call of God in your life.

The Call to Participate in Christ’s Redemptive Work

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When we are called to follow Jesus, we are also called to a restored relationship with God and with other people and with the world around us. It encompasses all of a person’s being and doing. It reminds us that the call to a particular kind of work is secondary to the call to belong to Christ and to participate in His redemption in the world. Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of man. Our work as Christians must be an integral part of our participation in Christ Himself. His redemptive work is not limited to evangelism, but encompasses everything necessary to make the world what God always intended it to be.

The Universal Call to Work

God created people to work and He commands people to work to the degree they are able. The relationship between faith and the call to work is as old as work itself. The scriptures record Moses commanding fair treatment of workers, Jesus illustrating good and faithful work and Paul requiring people to work in order to be part of community. The Bible tells us, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9). Another set of verses that speak to this call are Revelation 21:24-26 which says, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day – and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.”