The Call

                                                The Biblical Order of Salvation


          1.ELECTION      2.THE CALL     3.REGENERATION     4.CONVERSION

          5.JUSTIFICATION     6.ADOPTION     7.SANCTIFICATION

          8.PERSEVERANCE     9.DEATH     10.GLORIFICATION


          We continue with the next step in the biblical order of salvation - The Call.

          There are two kinds of calls that come from God:

          1. General call or outward call, is the call proclaiming the message of the Gospel to all
     mankind.  It may bring a certain intellectual knowledge of the truth and cause a person to
     curb his tendencies to sin, but will not lead him to unite with Christ in salvation.
          He may make an outward profession of faith, join a church body, and may even be
     baptized, but will lack a saving faith that comes only from God.

          Through this general call, God reveals Himself in His own creation, and all people
     are without excuse, and should honor and glorify God.  They refuse to acknowledge God as their
     Creator, and thank Him for all they have, and instead worship idols of their own making.

          "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
     wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known
     about God is plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -
     his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what
     has been made, so that men are without excuse" (Romans 1:18-20).

          "But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will
     be wrath and anger" (Romans 2:8).

         God will judge and condemn anyone who does not turn from his evil ways and trust in
     Jesus Christ for salvation.


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          2. Effectual call or inward call, is the call of the Holy Spirit, which 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 irresistibly respond in saving faith.

          "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who
     have been called according to His purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to
     be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.
     And those He predestined, he also called;  those He called, He also justified;  those He
     justified, He also glorified" (Romans 8:28-30).


          When God "foreknows" someone, it means He chooses to enter into a deep, personal
     relationship with that person.  God predestines;  God calls;  God justifies;  and God glorifies.
     God is active and accomplishes all these things.

          John Samson, pastor and author, wrote, "'Foreknew' does not mean a passive gathering of
     infallible knowledge (by God) of the future actions of free creatures, but it reveals that from start to
     finish, salvation is a divine accomplishment.  It is God and God alone who saves, to the
     praise of His glory alone."


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          The London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) has this to say about predestination:

     "Those of mankind who are predestinated to life, God chose before the foundation of the
     world was laid, in accordance with His eternal and immutable purpose and the secret
     counsel and good pleasure of His will.  God chose them in Christ for everlasting glory,
     solely out of His gree grace and love, without anything in the creature as a condition or
     cause moving Him to choose."

     "The doctrine of this mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence
     and care, in order that men who are heeding the will of God revelaed in His word, and
     who are yielding obedience to it may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be
     assured of their eternal election."

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          An example of the effectual call of God is found in the second chapter of Acts.

     Peter was proclaiming the gospel to a crowd of Jews and Gentiles in Jerusalem. 
     "Men of Israel, listen to this:  Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you
     by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you
     yourselves know."

     "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;  and you
     put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.  But God raised Him from the agony of
     death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him."   

     "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact."

     "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:  God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified,
     both Lord and Christ.  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to
     Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'"

     "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for
     the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise 
     is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God
     will call.'" 

     "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to
     their number that day" (Acts 2:22-24, 32, 36-39, &41).

         
                 God's effectual call was sent through the proclamation of the gospel, and all who
     repented and trusted in Jesus Christ were saved.

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          John 6:44 is further proof that God is sovereign in calling us to a saving faith in Him.
     (Jesus said), "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I
     will raise him up at the last day."

          God enables only those He draws to Himself to come to Jesus, and all those He draws,
     Jesus will raise up at the last day.  All others are unable to come to Jesus because they do
     not belong to God (they belong to the Devil) and are unable to hear Him (Jesus said," He
     who belongs to God hears what God says.  The reason you do not hear is that you do not
     belong to God" John 8:47).


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          Concerning the "effectual call" of God to His people, the London Baptist Confession
     of Faith states this:
          "Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed, and
     accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death
     in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ;  enlightening their
     minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God;  taking away their heart of
     stone, and giving them a heart of flesh;  renewing their wills, and by His almighty power
     determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ;
     yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace."

          "This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at all
     forseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature, being wholly passive
     therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened and renewed by the
     Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered
     and conveyed in it, and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead."


          Sources:  The Bible, John Samson, Mark Kielar, and London Baptist Confession
                          of Faith (1689).

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          Next time - Regeneration (The New Birth).