The Protestant Work Ethic, pt. 4
The doctrine of vocation--the idea that we love and serve God and our neighbor through every aspect of our lives--is vital for understanding how we are to live faithfully as Christians. Properly understood and practiced, this doctrine rids us of the sacred/secular split that is so common in western Christianity. It also gives us a powerful ethic with which to judge our work and actions. In Martin Luther’s, “Small Catechism,” he gives advice on confessing one’s sins (notice how it centers on the idea of vocation): “Here reflect on your walk of life in light of the Ten Commandments: whether you are a father, mother, son, daughter, master, mistress, servant; whether you have been disobedient, unfaithful, lazy, whether you have harmed anyone by word or deed; whether you have stolen, neglected, wasted, or injured anything.” A powerful way to look at sin is to see it as a transgression against one’s vocation, which is ultimately a transgression against God.
We’ve discussed how the Protestant idea of vocation is far more than our jobs, but we can see how this ethic can be applied to our work. In order to love and serve both God and neighbor, a Christian doctor’s primary concern will not be money, but the health and life of the patient. A Christian lawyer will be concerned with truth and justice (remember those concepts?) rather than merely winning a case. A Christian police officer will work to protect the citizens, not intimidate or beat them. A Christian businessman will be more concerned with serving his customers and taking care of his employees than the bottom line. A Christian employee will not be lazy or careless, but diligent and hard working, even when the boss is not looking.
It’s also apparent that certain actions can be right or wrong depending on one’s vocation. It is illegal to cut someone with a knife, unless you’re a surgeon. A judge has the ability to sentence someone to death; a vigilante does not. It is wrong to kill one’s enemies unless you’re a soldier, and even then a soldier can only kill those his country is at war with, not his personal enemies.
The apostle Paul understood this concept well. In Romans 12:19 he writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” But how and when will God bring vengeance and wrath on evildoers? Paul is not just referring to a future day of judgment (it certainly must be included), but a few verses later (Romans 13:1-7) shows that God has appointed governments to carry out His wrath. Romans 13:4 says, “for he [the government] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword [the power of life and death] in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” When we are wronged, we are not to avenge ourselves. We are to look to the government [army, police, courts, prisons], whose vocation is to punish evil.
We’ve discussed how the Protestant idea of vocation is far more than our jobs, but we can see how this ethic can be applied to our work. In order to love and serve both God and neighbor, a Christian doctor’s primary concern will not be money, but the health and life of the patient. A Christian lawyer will be concerned with truth and justice (remember those concepts?) rather than merely winning a case. A Christian police officer will work to protect the citizens, not intimidate or beat them. A Christian businessman will be more concerned with serving his customers and taking care of his employees than the bottom line. A Christian employee will not be lazy or careless, but diligent and hard working, even when the boss is not looking.
It’s also apparent that certain actions can be right or wrong depending on one’s vocation. It is illegal to cut someone with a knife, unless you’re a surgeon. A judge has the ability to sentence someone to death; a vigilante does not. It is wrong to kill one’s enemies unless you’re a soldier, and even then a soldier can only kill those his country is at war with, not his personal enemies.
The apostle Paul understood this concept well. In Romans 12:19 he writes, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” But how and when will God bring vengeance and wrath on evildoers? Paul is not just referring to a future day of judgment (it certainly must be included), but a few verses later (Romans 13:1-7) shows that God has appointed governments to carry out His wrath. Romans 13:4 says, “for he [the government] is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword [the power of life and death] in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” When we are wronged, we are not to avenge ourselves. We are to look to the government [army, police, courts, prisons], whose vocation is to punish evil.
If the Protestant idea of vocation is reclaimed and practiced, Christians will truly be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) in a decaying and dark world.
a pdf version of this entry is available here
posted on Friday, July 06, 2007 |
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