Vocation with Purpose: Why Your Job Matters to God
Think your job doesn’t matter to God? The Apostle Paul would disagree. Discover why your daily work is more sacred than you think, and how it fits into God’s eternal plan of restoration.
-
17 Only let each person lead the life[c] that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. 18 Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. 19 For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. 20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant[d] when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) 22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. 23 You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. 24 So, brothers,[e] in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.
Sacred Work: Understanding Your Calling in Christ
The believers in Corinth faced a challenge many Christians still wrestle with today: How does following Jesus change the way we approach our work and careers? Coming from diverse backgrounds, including religious, social, and cultural, they wondered what aspects of their lives needed to transform after conversion and what could remain the same.
In 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, the Apostle Paul addressed their confusion about vocation and calling with a message that was both revolutionary and practical. His answer revealed that the gospel transforms not just our eternal destiny, but the very way we understand and approach our daily work.
The Idol of Career Success
Before examining the Apostle Paul’s teaching, we must acknowledge how work functions in our modern culture. From childhood, we’re conditioned to define ourselves by career aspirations. The question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” shapes our earliest dreams, and as adults, “Where do you work?” becomes one of the first questions we ask when meeting someone new.
This elevation of career to the center of identity creates what Scripture would call idolatry. An idol isn’t just a wooden statue, but it’s anything that becomes ultimate in our lives. When we take one of God’s good gifts and elevate it to the supreme position, it gains destructive power over us.
Tim Keller captured this dynamic perfectly: when work becomes our identity, “success will go to your head and failure will destroy your heart.” Success breeds arrogance, leading us to believe that expertise in one area makes us experts in all areas. We begin equating financial achievement with wisdom and worth.
Conversely, failure becomes devastating because our very self-worth depends on professional performance. We need success to maintain sanity, and when it doesn’t come, we’re lost.
Yes, Your Work Must Change
The Apostle Paul’s first response to the Corinthians was clear: yes, following Jesus must transform how you approach work. In verse 17, he wrote, “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.” The change that the Apostle Paul demanded was that believers begin living in view of their calling and assignment from God.
Notice the sacred language the Apostle Paul used. He spoke of “calling” and “assignment,” terms we typically reserve for spiritual matters, in the context of everyday vocations. This wasn’t accidental. Paul understood that there is no divide between the secular and sacred for the Christian. We don’t wear a “church hat” on Sunday and a “work hat” on Monday. Our vocations are sacred acts of God’s restoration in this world.
This truth finds its foundation in the creation story itself. In Genesis 1, we observe God at work for six days, creating and then ordering His creation. Days one through three involved creating the heavens, sky, waters, and earth. Days four through six involved ordering those realms by adding stars, planets, birds, fish, animals, and humans. On day seven, He rested. Remarkably, our work week still mirrors God’s original pattern.
After completing His work, God turned to humanity with a profound commission:
“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
God called humans to both create and order, to build civilization, establish culture, and steward His creation for His glory and human flourishing.
This means our vocations, even when difficult and broken, align with God’s original design. Work existed before sin entered the world. It’s a good gift from God, and we have a calling to work in the image of our working Creator.
Amy Sherman, in her book Kingdom Calling, identifies five types of work that mirror God’s character:
Redemptive work that reconciles relationships.
Creative work that designs and builds.
Providential work that sustains economic and social order.
Just work that maintains fairness and equity.
Compassionate work that comforts and heals.
When we examine our jobs through this lens, we discover we’re not merely earning paychecks, but we’re participating in sacred acts of restoration.
No, You Don’t Need to Leave
While the Apostle Paul affirmed that work must change, he surprised the Corinthians with his next instruction: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called” (verse 20).
The Greek word for “remain” is a present imperative, meaning “keep remaining” continuously. The Apostle Paul wasn’t encouraging career stagnation but rather challenging the assumption that following Jesus requires abandoning current vocations.
The Corinthians were tempted to find work that was either high-paying, world-changing, or impressive. Sound familiar? The Apostle Paul redirected their focus from status-seeking to faithful service within their current contexts. He applied this principle to the most significant religious and social divisions in Corinth: circumcision and slavery.
Regarding circumcision, the primary religious distinction between Jews and Gentiles, the Apostle Paul declared it no longer mattered. What counted was “keeping the commandments of God” (verse 19). The change believers needed had already occurred through their faith in Christ and commitment to obedience.
The slavery issue requires careful historical context. Roman slavery differed vastly from the race-based, lifelong brutality of American slavery. Roman slaves were paid, could purchase freedom, were entrusted with significant responsibilities, and often became family members. The American slave trade, by contrast, explicitly contradicted Scripture’s teaching about human dignity and God’s pattern of leading people from bondage to freedom.
The Apostle Paul’s point wasn’t to endorse oppressive systems but to show that status changes aren’t prerequisites for faithful service to God. Whether free or slave in the Roman context, believers could serve God faithfully in their current circumstances.
Everything Changes Because You Were Bought with a Price
The crucial transformation comes in verse 23: “You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men.” This truth revolutionizes how Christians approach work.
Followers of Jesus live with the constant reality that Christ purchased them with His costly body and blood. On the cross, Jesus saw our sinfulness and separation from God and paid the price with His life. He died the death we deserved and rose in new life to give us the same. In response to this sacrifice, we confess Jesus’ lordship over everything, including our vocations.
As Colossians 3:23-24 teaches, Christians no longer work merely for human approval but “for the Lord.” This transforms everything:
Excellence in All Tasks: Even the smallest responsibilities deserve our best effort. Every task, however mundane, is worthy of great love and careful attention.
Ethical Integrity: Christians don’t simply ask, “What’s legal?” but “What’s morally right?” We pursue faithful ethics even when work pressures tempt us toward selfishness.
Eternal Perspective: Work may feel pointless at times, but as 1 Corinthians 15:58 promises, “in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” We’re part of a grander story, working toward God’s ultimate purposes even when we can’t see immediate results.
Gospel Opportunities: Our workplaces become mission fields where we demonstrate Christ’s love through excellence and ethics, creating opportunities for evangelism and justice ministry.
When the Righteous Prosper, the City Flourishes
The ultimate goal of transformed work extends beyond personal blessing to community flourishing. Proverbs 11:10 declares, “When the righteous prosper, the city flourishes.” This verse reveals a crucial distinction: the wicked view vocation, work, and calling as means for personal advancement, while the righteous see them as gifts to be stewarded for others’ benefit.
When followers of Christ approach their vocations with this kingdom mindset, meaning they see their skills, platforms, positions, and networks as tools for God’s glory rather than personal gain, entire communities benefit. The righteous don’t hoard their gifts; they steward them. They work differently within their contexts, volunteer in vocationally specific ways, and ask transformative questions: “What doesn’t exist that could exist? What could be started anew? How could I contribute?”
This principle has shaped cities throughout history. Memphis exemplifies this truth through figures like:
Tom Lee, who couldn’t swim, dove into the Mississippi River to save thirty people from a sinking riverboat.
The martyrs of Memphis who stayed during epidemics to care for the sick and poor.
Civil rights leaders who declared human dignity.
The founders of St. Jude proclaimed that there are no hopeless causes.
These individuals understood their vocations as God-given opportunities to steward their gifts for His glory, and the city uniquely flourished as a result.
Your Sacred Assignment
Whether you work in the home or outside it, whether you’re a student preparing for your career or enjoying retirement, you have been called and assigned to a deeply meaningful ministry. Your vocation is a sacred act of God’s restoration of this world to a place of human flourishing, redefined and empowered by the costly price of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The architects, artists, business professionals, teachers, engineers, healthcare workers, parents, and tradespeople reading this, you are not merely going through the motions of a job. You are playing a vital part in God’s sacred restoration of this world. Your work, done with excellence and ethics because it’s ultimately for the Lord, becomes a testimony to the transforming power of the gospel.
This understanding doesn’t guarantee easy work or perfect circumstances. It does promise that our labor in the Lord is never in vain. Just as Jesus told His disciples that He had completed the work assigned to Him (John 17:4), we can work knowing that our faithful service participates in God’s eternal purposes.
The Call to Remain and Flourish
The Apostle Paul’s message to the Corinthians, and us, is both simple and profound: remain where you are called, but be transformed in how you work.
Don’t seek status or escape through career changes, but instead discover the sacred nature of your current vocation. Work with excellence because you serve the Lord. Pursue ethical integrity because you were bought with a price. Steward your gifts for others’ benefit because you’re part of God’s plan to restore the world.
When believers embrace this vision of work as worship and vocation as ministry, the promise of Scripture becomes reality: the righteous prosper, and the city flourishes. In a world that often feels broken and dark, followers of Jesus don’t run away—they run toward the brokenness, stewarding their vocations in ways that make much of Him.
Your work matters to God. Your calling is sacred. Your daily labor participates in the grand story of redemption. May you approach tomorrow’s tasks with this truth firmly in mind, working not merely for human approval but for the glory of the One who bought you with the price of His own blood.
TL;DR
In 1 Corinthians 7:17–24, the Apostle Paul challenges the Corinthian assumption that following Jesus means changing careers.
Instead, he redefines work as a sacred assignment. Every job, from the classroom to the construction site, becomes a stage for worship when done for the Lord.
This blog explores the idol of career success, the transformation of work through the gospel, and how believers can steward their vocations for community flourishing.
Your job isn’t just a paycheck, but a calling, infused with eternal purpose because you were bought with a price.
