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Theological Essay
Brook Fuller
Theology 202
Prof. Roger Nauss
March 10, 2017
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Calling
The calling of God corresponds with the passion and burden that He’s laid on our
hearts. His purpose is fulfilled regardless of the circumstances we are in, His will in our
lives is meaningful and he will do what He’s promised in our lived. We see in the Psalms
it says that we are “searched and known” and that “[He] knit… [us] together in…[our]
mothers womb[s]”1. Everyone has a calling from God on their lives, however
determining this calling is the part where a majority of people get hung up. However, the
Lord is the only one who can give us true calling and purpose and it often lies where the
deepest desires of an individuals heart and the great need for the world intersect.
Philosphical Foundations and Pressuppositions (through a Pscyhological lens)
Our personality heavily influences our calling. The way we were designed, our
little quirks and passions all align to glorify Christ. Many argue that is impossible to
integrate psychology with Theology, however they are able line up and bring only more
glory to Christ. An article by Aeksandar S. Santrac explains in depth how psychology
relates exponentially to our personalities given by Christ. If one were to refer back to
scripture, it says that we are to “Be sober-minded; [and]…watchful. Your adversary the
devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”2 And that this so-
called “lion” often attacks the minds of the believers to prevent them from fulfilling their
calling. Since this lion is also addressed as the “father of lies”3, every lie and worldly
thought that is placed into the mind of the believer is, and should be, seen as attack.
Satrac states in His article:
1 Ps 139:13
2 1 Pet. 5:8
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John 8:44
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“Christian faith offers not just a complementary spiritual manual of mind-cure (in
response to James), but the unique and indispensable holistic healing of the mind and its
full transformation to the original purpose of the creation (in response to Buss)… The
human mind (reason or intellect) is therefore properly functional only if it is subject to
the Lordship of Christ.”4
In this instance we see that the mind truly only functions correctly when in
submission to Christ. Therefore if the thoughts of a believer do not line up with biblical
and theological truths, one will not be able to discern his or her own calling. Furthermore,
as the mind of a believer is renewed, he or she begins to think like Christ; therefore their
desires and mental life begin to look more like God’s thoughts for them. It says in
Matthew “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”5 Meaning that what
ever a believer puts his or hope in will be exactly where his or her passions will lie. This
can be related to calling in the sense that if one were to store their treasures up for this
world instead of for the Kingdom, then they would walk simply towards the purposes of
this world, but if one were to store up heavenly treasures and keep their mind reflective
upon heavenly things, then the calling of God would be made known in the life of the
believer.
Every thought must be taken captive and reshaped to be a thought of heaven. If
the mind of a Christian is dwelling upon the earthly desires, then they will be failed and
their calling will never glorify the Lord. However, if their psychological processes line up
with theological truth then The Lords is exalted high upon His throne.
4
Santrac, Aleksandar S. "Towards the Possible intergration of Psychology and Christain Faith: Faculties of
human personality and the Lordship of Christ." May 13, 2016. Accessed March 9, 2017.
http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/ids/v50n1/06.pdf.
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Matt. 6:21 EV
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Biblical Evaluation
In an article created by TOW (Theology of Work) Project, it addresses many aspects of
God’s calling in our lives. This article touches on a total of six, however there are three
that will be addressed in this paper.
First is “The Call to Belong to Christ and Participate in His Redemptive Work in the
World”. This is a universal calling, one that every believer around the world is purposed
on this earth for and has two main parts. The first one is acknowledging the adoption we
have as sons and daughters into the family of Christ As believers, each of us is purposed
to carry the truth of the gospel to those who don’t know Him. This could simply mean the
friends and family surrounding you in your everyday life, or this could mean nations over
seas who have never heard the word of God. This calling is written in the Bible an says:
“ 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in his sight. In love
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he
[b]
predestined us for adoption to sonship
[c]
through Jesus
Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious
grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of
God’s grace
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that he lavished on us. With all
wisdom and understanding,
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he
[d]
made
known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in
Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all
things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”
The entirety of this passage is extremely important because it shows God’s
followers are also His children, and that the lives of each believer have been perfectly
seen, and through this each believer has redemption. If a Christ-follower does not walk
out in the redemption that is first given by Christ, then throughout the entire life of a
believer, they will wander and fall into the snares and trappings of this world. It is vital
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that the believer know his or her place first as a son or daughter in the Kingdom of
heaven, who has been “lavished” with love, and from this place calling will occur.
Secondly, after this is known “the mystery of His will” will be made known. However,
because this is now known, the responsibility then falls onto that believer. They must now
share the gospel and love of Christ with those around them. In 1Timothy it says: “[God]
desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”6 And in
Matthew it states that believers are called to “go and make disciples of all nations”7. The
responsibility and calling someone who knows the Gospel is to share this good news with
those who don’t know of it.
Finally, in the Bible Paul says in 1 Corinthians that believers are to “become all
things to all men, so that by all possible means [he or she] might save some of them.”8
This verse is an example of learning to reach the ones within the surrounding community
along with the ones across the world. Some believers are called to the work place, while
others could be called to work cross culturally within the church. However, wherever
God places you, it is good.
Historical Development
Ancient Church
Between 100AD-590AD, the church was developed in all parts of Europe excluding the
Mediterranean. The doctrine of calling during this time was simply to expand the church
in the surrounding areas, and minister as much as possible to these people. Constantine
was ruling during the earlier years of this time.
The Medieval Church
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1Tim. 2:4 ESV
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Matt. 28:19 ESV
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1 Cor. 9:22 ESV
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This time began the rise of Christendom began, Martin Luther wrote his 95 thesis, and
the reformation began. Because of this, the pope’s unbiblical concepts of indulgences and
penance were reformed. This time lead to the calling of seeking more Biblical truth, and
not allowing faith to be dictated by worldly leaders, but instead let God himself guide and
direct.
The Reformation and Counter Reformation
The idea of indulgences continued to be attacked. The calling and goal of this time was to
renew the corrupted church and redirect the religious leaders of this time away from
political power. The religious leaders of this time were leading many astray.
The Modern Church
The Modern church today is thriving in more ways than one, yet still is extremely
imperfect. There is now a heavy calling to cross cultural service and sharing of the
gospel, however churches in many countries including parts of Asia are striving more
than ever.
Theological Formulation
The theological method is a method with which we learn to understand theology. In
Akins text book, he addresses four main questions: “What does the Bible say? What has
the church said? How do we put it all together? Why does it matter?”9 Critically thinking
about each of these in comparison to scripture will help us to understand the truth of what
we are truly reading. We must look at the Bible to understand the story and what this is
truly all about, then we must look to at how this has been acted out in history. Has it been
acted out poorly or successfully, what may work and what may not? Then how does this
9
Akin, Daniel L., Bruce Riley Ashford, and Kenneth Keathley. A theology for the church. Nashville, TN:
B & H Publishing Group, 2014.
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come together? Looking at the Bible and history as a whole. Next is why does this matter,
we must understand why it matters and how to apply this to our lives.
If we look at this through the doctrine of calling, we see that we must truly theologically
understand the scriptures in whole to entirely comprehend our calling. The purpose the
Lord has in each of our lives can be displayed through scripture and revelation from the
Holy Spirit. These two combined with critical thinking, can allow a believer to
understand The Lord’s will for them in the earth, and for the kingdom of Heaven.
Practical Application
Calling impacts nearly every decision in our lives. Since an early age, we are
asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. This question correlates with our
personal callings. When a believer knows what He or she is made to carry out within
God’s plan for his or her life, they are able to better make decisions about future job
choices, and living location. This effects how many kids a believer will have, the country
in which they will live, the job they will work, and the church they will be a part of. It
affects even the food that a believer eats and drinks. They learn to commit all to the Lord
above all else and to trust in His timing and plan for hid or her life. Furthermore, this
doctrine effects my personal life, because ever since I was young my life has revolved
around Christ and His glory. My calling and passions are only by His will for me. This
has lead me to my knees and taken me to live out bits and pieces of his dreams for my
life. I want to do everything to serve Christ, and use everything to bring him glory. It has
also taught me trust in waiting for Him to speak and share His timing and words with me.
Finally, this shapes culture because it reshapes community. It affects the way we love one
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another, in America we are so focused on doing that we forget to “be”. When we forget to
“be” we often forget who we are in Christ and throw away the principal of rest.
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Bibligraphy
"Age of Christendom: 590-1517." file:///Users/brookinezfuller/Downloads/Church
%20History%20Tommy%20Nelson%20Outline%204%20(1).pdf.
Akin, Daniel L., Bruce Riley Ashford, and Kenneth Keathley. A theology for the church.
Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2014.
"Calling & Vocation: Overview." What Does the Bible Say About Calling & Vocation? -
Theology of Work. Accessed March 10, 2017.
https://www.theologyofwork.org/key-topics/vocation-overview-article#toc.
Decker, Robert D. "The History of Missions A.D. 100-500." Accessed March 10, 2017.
https://standardbearer.rfpa.org/articles/history-missions-ad-100-500.
Santrac, Aleksandar S. "Towards the Possible intergration of Psychology and Christain
Faith: Faculties of human personality and the Lordship of Christ." May 13, 2016.
Accessed March 9, 2017. http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/ids/v50n1/06.pdf.
"The Reformation and Counter Reformation." The Reformation and Counter
Reformation. Accessed March 10, 2017. http://history-
world.org/reformation_and_counter_reformat.htm.
