Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem & Elliot Grudem

Author:Wayne Grudem & Elliot Grudem [Grudem, Wayne & Grudem, Elliot]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Religion, Christian Life, Popular works, Christianity, Faith, Bible, Systematic, Theology; Doctrinal, Christian Theology, Theology
ISBN: 9780310255994
Google: uMQRW8NWbW0C
Amazon: 0310255996
Barnesnoble: 0310255996
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2005-04-15T11:26:24+00:00

13. What Does It Mean to Become a Christian?

Paul sets forth an order in which the blessings of salvation come to Christians when he writes in Romans 8:30: "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." We dealt with predestination in the previous chapter; now, in the next four chapters, we will discuss the other aspects of this verse.

Effective Calling

The calling Paul refers to in Romans 8:30 is not the type of "calling" that people sometimes refer to when giving the reason they chose one job over another or chose to become a member of a certain church. Instead, this calling is related to those who were "predestined" and who became "justified." That is, it is a calling that came specifically to all who are believers in Jesus.

This kind of calling is a summons from the king of the universe; it is a summons that can't be denied, and it brings about the desired response in people's hearts. This calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith. Because it comes from God and always results in saving faith, it is sometimes referred to as effective calling.

When God calls people in this powerful way, he calls them "out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9); he calls them "into the fellowship of his Son" (1 Cor. 1:9; cf. Acts 2:39) and "into his own

kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12; cf. 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3). People who have been called by God "belong to Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1:6). They are called to "be saints" (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2) and have come into a realm of peace (1 Cor. 7:15; Col. 3:15), freedom (Gal. 5:13), hope (Eph. 1:18; 4:4), holiness (1 Thess. 4:7), patient endurance of suffering (1 Peter 2:20 - 21; 3:9), and eternal life (1 Tim. 6:12).

General Calling and the Gospel Call

But there is a broader sense of "calling" that refers to any preaching of the gospel to anyone, whether they respond or not. In distinction from effective calling, which always brings response, we can talk about the "gospel call" in general, which goes forth to all people, and which is sometimes referred to as external calling or general calling.

The gospel call goes forth through the human preaching of the gospel. Paul makes this clear in 2 Thessalonians 2:14, when he writes to believers that their calling from God came through "our gospel"—that is, the gospel that Paul and others preached to them. That is why it is important that we boldly proclaim the gospel message, trusting that God will, through his effective call, do what he did with Lydia in Acts 16:14: "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul."

Not all gospel calls are effective. The job of believers is to explain the gospel message; it is God's job to make that message or call effective.

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