Luther: Vocation as God’s Calling

A frequent subject in Dr. Martin Luther’s works (sermons, commentaries, tracts) is the Biblical teaching concerning Christian vocation. It is God’s calling of the Christian to serve his or her neighbor in love, not only through one’s occupation, but in the natural orders of spouse, parent, and child. Usually, a Christian is called by God into a multitude of offices all at the same time.
Luther especially became aware of this teaching as he worked through his guilt over breaking his vows taken as a monk. He came to realize those vows were sinful since by taking them he fled legitimate God-given vocations to serve self. He would regretfully recall how he joined his fellow monks as beggars in their vows of poverty, taking from neighbors so that they could confine themselves behind walls, giving attention to personal spiritual quests through prayers and devotions. Their vows of celibacy were taken even against natural desires to be married in order to serve self. All of this had the cloak of piety, giving the appearance of service to God, but God serves His creation through human vocations, not manmade attempts to flee vocations.
While it is taught throughout the Scriptures, one of the clearest and most concise passages that speaks of Christian vocation is 1 Corinthians 7:20: “Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called.” Luther fled his vocations as son, law student, and productive citizen so that he might serve self in the self-chosen works of monkery.
This “pious” fleeing of vocation is not so unfamiliar among 21st century Christians. In order to flee difficult marriages or challenging parenting issues, Christian spouses and parents will pour themselves into church activities, taking themselves away from the home perhaps several times throughout the week. Charitable community activities can be misused for the same purpose, meanwhile wrongly easing the conscience as home and family disintegrate.
Luther chose to serve self as a monk when he was seeking to make himself right with God through his own efforts. As faith in Christ’s work alone for such a right relationship with God grew in his heart, he saw clearly that he was set free from a life pursuing self-righteousness. Being unburdened by the Gospel of salvation in Christ, he was set free to serve his neighbor in his many God-given vocations of husband, father, preacher, professor, and even civil arbiter at times.
Through a proper understanding of vocation in this life, we too need to value the vocations our neighbors have that serve us and how we in turn through ours serve them. We confess in the explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “[God] has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them; that He richly and daily provides me with food and clothing, home and family, property and goods, and all that I need to support this body and life; that He protects me from all danger, guards and keeps me from all evil.” God gives us these gifts and preserves them through such vocations as doctors, nurses, farmers, millers, bakers, grocers, tailors, realtors, parents, police, firefighters, and the like.
Through our vocations, made holy offices by the blood of Christ, we have the high privilege of being God’s hands, mouth, and heart of flesh in our world today showing His love and compassion to all. We engage our neighbors with Jesus in all our interactions occasioned through our God- given vocations. (For further reading see: Luther on Vocation by Gustaf Wingren and God at Work by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.)
Glenn Obenberger is co-pastor of Parkland Ev. Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Washington.