One of the great things about the Bible is that God chose to use real life examples to teach us. We can better understand how to be Christians when we can relate a Bible truth to something we know already. The New Testament uses the following occupations to teach us what it means to live by faith (Gal. 2:20).
A Christian is like a builder. Jesus used the parable of the wise and foolish man to illustrate the point that only those who obey the commandments of God will be saved. The foolish man did not have the proper foundation for his house and so the rains destroyed it (Matt. 7:26-27). The wise man built his house on a rock so when stormy weather came the structure lasted (Matt. 7:24-25). Though salvation is received at baptism (Acts 2:38), we must be prepared to live a life of service and faithfulness to God. Jesus warned about builders who did not count the cost and therefore were mocked when there structure remained unfinished (Luke 14:28- 30).
A Christian is like an athlete. The athlete must train to ready himself for the physical demands he places on his body. Spiritually, much is demanded of the New Testament Christian. Paul said that he had to train himself to be able to run the race (1 Cor. 9:23-27). The Hebrews writer uses the same imagery saying we must run the race with patience (Heb. 12:1). Christians are spiritual long-distance runners who recognize that endurance and steadfastness are going to be necessary to win the prize.
A Christian is like a soldier. The armor we must wear is not physical armor, but spiritual (Ephesians 6:11-18). This is because we are in a spiritual war (2 Cor. 10:3-5). We are commanded to be good soldiers who will not entangle ourselves in the cares of this life (2 Tim. 2:3-4). These cares will distract us from Christian living. Therefore, even after we are saved by the blood of Christ we have duties to perform.
A Christian is like a farmer. In Jesus’ parable of the sower He related the spreading of God’s word to the spreading of seed for crops (Matt. 4:14). Our work is to spread the gospel to the entire world (Matt. 28:18-20). Sometimes the seed does not grow as the farmer intended. Despite many negative results the sower distributes the seed liberally over many types of soil in hopes that some will find the good ground that brings forth fruit (Matt. 4:20). Even when many reject the teachings of the Bible, our duty remains the same. However, before we are ready to spread the good news we must first be partakers of the fruits of labor. Paul says, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.” (2 Tim. 2:6). He taught Timothy that he must be obedient to the gospel before he is ready to teach it. We must do the same. So whatever occupation we hold in this life, let us first of all be Christians.
-Ross Haffner