Our calling is holy because it comes from a holy God.
[God] saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
The Bible reveals that we have a “holy calling.” Does that mean we’re all supposed to become priests, nuns, pastors, or missionaries? No, not necessarily. Our calling is holy because it comes from a holy God. It is unlike any other summons we receive in life because of its source (God) and because of what it offers (relationship with God through Jesus Christ). In a unique way, God has called us to himself and to serving others in his name.
Imagine that you’re a parent of a young woman who has gone off to college. You don’t see her in person for several months, but you keep in touch via the usual digital platforms. Your daughter mentions that she has had a powerful experience of God while at college, which is both a great relief and a great joy. When she comes home for the Thanksgiving holiday, she announces at the dinner table, “I have a holy calling.”
How would you respond to this? What would you think she meant? If you’re a Roman Catholic, you might wonder if your daughter has plans to become a nun. If you’re a Protestant, you might suppose she wants to be a missionary or a pastor. No matter your religious tradition, you might even worry for a moment that your daughter had joined some kind of cult. I expect that if I had heard something like this from my own daughter when she was in college, I would have been curious, puzzled, and perhaps elated and a bit worried. I surely would have wanted to hear more about her “holy calling.”
The phrase “holy calling” appears in the Bible just one time, in 2 Timothy 1:9. There, the Apostle Paul refers to God as the one “who saved us and called us with a holy calling [klēsei hagiai].” The context makes it clear that this holy calling is part of God’s work of salvation through Jesus Christ. Paul is not referring to his particular calling to be an apostle, as in 1 Corinthians 1:1, for example. Rather, he is talking about that calling which all who respond favorably to the gospel receive when they are summoned into a relationship with God through Christ. When a person says “Yes” to the gospel, choosing to trust God’s grace in Christ, that person has a “holy calling.”
What makes this calling holy? Biblical scholars aren’t sure about this. Some believe that a holy calling is God’s summons to holy living. The translators of the NIV, for example, actually render the phrase we’re studying, “saved us and called us to a holy life” instead of going with the more literal “saved us and called us with a holy calling.” Other commentators observe that the calling is holy because it comes from a holy God. Surely the source of our calling helps to explain its holiness. But I wonder if Paul uses the unusual phrase “holy calling” to emphasize the uniqueness of the calling we receive from the Lord. Remember that the Greek word for calling, klēsis, was a common word meaning “invitation” or “summons.” Greek-speaking Christians in the first century had lots of “callings” in this sense. But only one was uniquely special because only one came from God and led to a life lived in a relationship with God.
Once again, it’s important for us to note that all Christians have a holy calling, including you. It isn’t something reserved for priests, nuns, pastors, and missionaries. God has summoned you through the gospel into a relationship with him and into a life of kingdom service. So, if your collegiate daughter or anyone else ever says to you, “I have a holy calling,” you might happily respond, “That’s fantastic. So do I.”
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