Christ’s Lordship Over Every Sphere of Life

A Common Way We Talk About the Christian Life

Many Christians grow up hearing the Christian life described like this:

1. God first.
2. Family second.
3. Church third.
4. Work fourth.

This language is well-meaning. It sincerely wants to honor God. But over time, it often shapes how we live in ways we never intended. Instead of bringing clarity and peace, this framework can quietly produce guilt, anxiety, and confusion about faithfulness.

Scripture offers us a better way to understand the Christian life. The Bible does not call us to put God first on a list of priorities. It calls us to live with Christ as Lord over every area of life at the same time.

A Better Framework Than Linear Priorities

Most of us were taught to organize life using a linear framework:
God
Family
Church
Work

This approach subtly turns life into a ladder we are always climbing. And while it sounds spiritual, it often mis-shapes our discipleship.

Linear priority thinking:

• Creates competition between our callings
• Suggests some activities are “more spiritual” than others
• Leads to a compartmentalized faith

As a result, faith becomes something we move in and out of, rather than something that governs all of life.

Scripture presents a very different vision.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)

Paul doesn’t rank activities. He places all of life under Christ’s lordship.

“And whatever you do… do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
(Colossians 3:17)

Not a Ladder, But a Center

Linear thinking makes life feel like a competition.
We feel it when:

• Work demands more time, and guilt creeps in about church
• Family needs conflict with ministry, and we feel “less faithful”
• Ordinary work feels spiritually second-rate

The ladder assumes that to be faithful, we must leave one rung behind to climb another.
But Scripture gives us a different picture—not a ladder, but a center.

Picture a wheel instead of steps.

At the center is Christ.

Around Him are the different callings of life:

• Family
• Work
• Church
• Society

Christ is not the top of one activity. He is the Lord served in every activity.

That means:

• Parenting is not a distraction from devotion—it is devotion
• Work is not spiritually neutral—it is obedience
• Church is not competing with life—it forms us for life

Freedom From False Guilt

This vision brings real freedom.

First, it releases us from false guilt. When responsibilities overlap, you are not failing God—you are living faithfully within real callings.

Second, it restores dignity to ordinary vocations. Your work, your parenting, and your daily presence in the world deeply matter to God.

Instead of asking,

“Am I doing the most spiritual thing right now?”

We learn to ask,

“How do I honor Christ in what He has placed before me right now?”

When Christ is at the center—not the top—faith is no longer compartmentalized.
It becomes a whole life lived before one Lord.

Living Faithfully Under One Lord in Many Callings

The Bible speaks to the responsibilities of life side by side, not as a ranked list.
Scripture addresses:

• Family – parents and children (Ephesians 6:1–4)
• Work – workers and employers (Ephesians 6:5–9)
• Church – life together in the body (Hebrews 10:24–25)
• Civil life – our place in society (Romans 13:1–7)

Each of these spheres:

• Has real authority
• Is accountable to God
• Is limited by Christ’s Lordship

God has established distinct callings with distinct responsibilities. None of them is ultimate—only God is. Faithfulness, then, is not about ranking these callings against one another, but about honoring Christ within each one.

Wisdom, Seasons, and Discernment

This is how life actually works.
 

• A parent does not glorify God by ignoring a crying child to do something “more spiritual.”
• A worker does not honor Christ by neglecting their job while wishing they were doing ministry.
• A church member does not love God by abandoning family or work to appear more devoted.

Jesus Himself modeled this integrated life:

• He worked with His hands
• He honored family responsibilities
• He submitted to civil authority
• He faithfully carried out His mission

And then there are seasons.
There are seasons when:

• Family needs demand more attention
• Work requires extra time
• Grief or crisis reshapes our responsibilities

Scripture reminds us:

“For everything there is a season…”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Those seasons are not failures of faith. They are moments that call for wisdom and discernment.

One Lord, Many Callings

Here is the freedom the gospel brings:
You are not called to do everything at once.
You are called to be faithful where God has placed you.
That means:

• Parenting with patience is holy work
• Working with integrity glorifies God
• Serving faithfully in the church honors Christ
• Living obediently in the world is an act of worship

None of these compete with devotion to God. They are devotion to God. So the call is not to reorder your priorities, but to re-center your life. To stop asking, “Am I doing enough for God?” And instead ask, "Am I trusting Christ and honoring Him where He has called me right now?”

And here is the good news: The same Christ who rules over every sphere is also the Savior who walks with you in each one. He is not a distant taskmaster grading your performance.
He is a gracious Lord forming you into faithfulness—one calling, one season, one step at a time.

So go in freedom.
Serve Christ in your home.
Serve Christ in your work.
Serve Christ in the church.
Serve Christ in the world.

One Lord.
Many callings.
One faithful life lived to the glory of God.