God's Three Calls

GOD'S THREE CALLS I. This study sets forth the necessary right divisions of the word of truth (2TI 2:15) pertaining to the work of God in calling men to salvation. II. These three calls under consideration are: A. The call from spiritual death in sins to new life in Christ Jesus. This call is the new birth and: 1. is by the VOICE of the Son of God Himself according to His will. The creature is passive in answering it. 1PE 5:10; JOH 5:21; EPH 2:1. 2. is discriminate in its scope. It is for the elect only. 1PE 1:2 c/w JOH 10:11, 26. 3. is NOT based upon human works or resolve. ROM 9:11; 2TI 1:9. 4. is irresistible. JOH 5:25. 5. is entirely effectual in its desired purpose. JOH 5:25. 6. is not rescindable. JOH 10:27-29; ROM 11:28-29; 2TI 2:13. 7. acts upon the inward man/spirit/soul only. HEB 8:10; ROM 7:22; 1JO 3:2. 8. fits a person for glory. ROM 8:30. 9. establishes relationship with God. 1JO 3:1-2. 10. is the down-payment of eternal life in heaven. ROM 8:11, 23. 11. is not activated by preaching and believing the gospel. HEB 8:11. 12. enables a person to believe and obey the gospel. EZE 11:19-20; 1CO 1:18, 23-24. 13. is the same means whereby the creation came into being and a dead body is resurrected to life. 2CO 4:6 c/w EPH 1:19-20; JOH 12:17. B. The call of the gospel. This call is to repentance, faith and obedience and: 1. is by the written and/or preached WORDS of Scripture. GAL 1:6; 2TH 2:13-14. 2. is indiscriminate in its scope. ACT 17:30. 3. is resistible. PRO 1:23-24; ACT 7:51; ROM 10:16. 4. is effectual only in those who willingly in faith receive it. 1TH 2:13. 5. is rescindable. ACT 13:46; HEB 3:7-11; ISA 55:6. 6. appeals to the inward man to bring the outward man/body into practical subjection to Christ. 2CO 7:1; PHIL 2:12-13. 7. reveals the means of obtaining immortality: the will of God in C hrist. 2TI 1:9-10. 8. establishes fellowship with God through creature obedience. 1JO 1:3-4. 9. helps to identify the elect who have received the first call. 1TH 1:4-6; 2PE 1:8-10; JOH 5:24. 10. is greatly governed by the will of man. The creature is active in answering this call and benefitting by it or rejecting it and being turned over to judgment as a result. PRO 1:23-33; 2TH 2:10-12. C. The call to resurrection and a glorified body. This call: 1. is by the VOICE of the Son of God according to His will. The creature is passive in answering it. JOH 5:28-29; JOB 14:14-15. 2. is universal. JOH 5:28-29. 3. is irresistible. JOH 5:28-29 c/w 11:43-44; 1TH 4:16. 4. is entirely effectual in its desired purpose. JOH 5:28-29. 5. is favorable for the elect only. JOH 5:28-29; MAT 24:31; 25:31-32. 6. is durable for the elect. JOH 10:28; 1CO 15:52-53; ROM 8:38-39. 7. is the redemption and glorification of the body/outward man of one who has heard the first call to life. ROM 8:11, 23, 30; PHIL 3:21. God's Three Calls Page 1 of 3 8. de-corrupts and immortalizes the bodies of all the elect, both physically dead and living. 1TH 4:17 c/w 1CO 15:51; 1JO 3:2. 9. is incentive to practical obedience to the gospel call. 1JO 3:3. III. Consider ROM 8:28-30. A. The “all things” which work together for good for the benefit of “the called” are God's foreknowledge, predestinating purpose, calling (to life), justification and glorification. vs.31-32. B. Note that every one who is called without fail receives the other good things and ends up glorified. C. This “call” therefore cannot be the gospel call. 1. The call to life/regeneration must PRECEDE the gospel call. 1CO 1:18, 23-24; JOH 5:24. 2. Many who hear the gospel call will not be glorified. MAT 7:21-23; 22:11-14. D. This call must therefore be the effectual call to life by the voice of the Son of God. JOH 5:25. 1. This call is based upon God's elective purpose and not upon human works. ROM 9:11; 2TI 1:9; JOH 5:21. 2. It infallibly results in the justification of its recipients, which cannot be said of the gospel call. HEB 9:15. 3. It infallibly results in the glorification of its recipients, which cannot be said of the gospel call. JOH 10:27-29; 1TH 5:23-24. IV. In summary, then: A. The call to regeneration/life. 1. It is a sovereign, particular call (not a general call). 2. It is by the VOICE of Christ. 3. It is based upon God's will in election, not the creature's work or will. 4. It is internal, renewing the inward man. 5. It is effectual to all who whom it is given. 6. It is irresistible. 7. It establishes SONSHIP/RELATIONSHIP to God. 8. It imparts spiritual life. 9. It enables the elect to hearken to the gospel call. 10. It is the earnest and guarantee of resurrection to eternal glory. B. The gospel call. 1. It is via the preached/written WORDS of Scripture. 2. It is a general or universal call to all men. 3. It is only heard by some men. 4. It is only receivable/hearable by such as have already received the first call by the voice of Christ. 5. It appeals to the new inward man but is folly to the unchanged old man. 6. It is only effectual in those who have received the first call and believe it. 7. It is resistible by both the regenerate man and the unregenerate man. 8. It establishes FELLOWSHIP with God through Christ. 9. It reveals spiritual life given by the first call in those who hearken to it. 10. It indicates a lack of spiritual life in its rejectors. 11. It gives hope and assurance of participation in the third call to those who obey it. C. The resurrection call. God's Three Calls Page 2 of 3 1. It is by the VOICE of the Son of God. 2. It acts upon the outward man. 3. It is universal. 4. It is entirely effectual. 5. It is irresistible. 6. It arouses passive dead bodies. 7. It de-corrupts and immortalizes all the elect (dead or living) only. 8. It restores the non-elect's body long enough to bow before Jesus Christ and stand at His great white throne of judgment to hear His sentence unto the lake of fire. PHIL 2:9-11 c/w MAT 25:31, 41-46; REV 20:11-15. 9. It is the last call of any kind that the non-elect shall hear from Christ.