Effectual Calling
Spring 2024
The nineteenth century English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon once remarked in a sermon, “I remember sitting one day in the house of God… when a thought struck my mind—how did I come to be converted? I prayed, thought I. Then I thought how did I come to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How did I come to read the Scriptures? Why, I did read them, and what led me to that? And then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of all, and that He was the Author of faith; and then the whole doctrine opened up to me, from which I have not departed.” Spurgeon expressed his understanding of a vital truth that sits at the center of the doctrine of salvation, that God saves sinners by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8–9).
The Church of Christ is commissioned by the Lord to go into all the world and to preach the gospel to every creature. This setting forth of the gospel is defined as the “external” or “outward” call of the gospel. The Savior said in Matthew 20:16, “Many are called but few are chosen.” This outward call points men to their need of Christ and to their duty of believing in Christ; however, there is also an “inward” or “effectual” call of the gospel. Puritan Thomas Watson defined this as, “God with the offer of grace works grace. By this call the heart is renewed and the will is effectually drawn to embrace Christ. The outward brings men to a profession of Christ, the inward to a possession of Christ.”
The doctrine of effectual calling is inseparable from the doctrine of election as God calls His people so powerfully that they are saved. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question, What is effectual calling? “Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.” American minister AA Hodge defined effectual calling as “The exercise of divine power upon the soul, immediate, spiritual, and supernatural, communicating a new spiritual life and thus making a new mode of spiritual activity possible.” Therefore, effectual calling is a doctrine that impacts our understanding of salvation, affects our sanctification, and governs our evangelism.
Those who have been redeemed by Christ and called unto salvation are a blessed people who experience the Spirit’s work throughout their lives (Romans 8:28–30). The effectual call shows forth the power of the Holy Spirit in an undeserved grace that is unhindered in the work of completely changing the life of a sinner, making them a new creature in Christ Jesus
(2 Corinthians 5:17).
The Christian called by the Spirit unto Christ
There are two particular means by which God calls sinners unto Him:
i) Through the Word of God
ii) By the Spirit of God
God uses the means of the preaching of His Word through His servants to call sinners unto salvation. Watson said, “Know, that in every sermon preached, God calls to you; and to refuse the message we bring, is to refuse God himself.”
The preaching of the Word is effectually applied to sinners by the Holy Spirit. Watson describes this work in a very simple way: “Ministers knock at the door of men’s hearts, the Spirit comes with a key and opens the door” (Acts 16:14).
There is no saving faith without faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ and no sinner can exercise faith and repentance by himself—it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8–9). Therefore, the Christian should glorify God for the effectual call of the gospel as he rests in Christ alone for salvation (Galatians 6:14).
The Christian is Called from Sin unto Holiness
The believer is called, through the gospel, to live for the Savior. The call of God upon the life of a Christian does not end with his salvation, but it is a call from sin unto holiness (1 Peter 1:16; Romans 12:1–2). In seeking a sanctified and separated life, the believer obeys the teaching of Scripture to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). As one of the called, the Christian is to forsake the lusts, sins, influence, and company of this sinful world. Puritan Richard Sibbes said, “He wants no company that hath Christ for his companion.”
The reality of the effectual call is marked by a godly life that is also seen in a compassionate heart towards others who are in their sins: pray for them, witness to them, desire to show forth the blessedness of salvation through your own words and actions. Watson referred to this holy calling as a high calling: “Because we are called to high exercises of religion; to be crucified to the world, to live by faith, to do angels’ work, to love God, to be living organs of his praise, to hold communion with the Father and the Son” (Philippians 3:14; 1 John 1:1; Ephesians 4:1).
The Christian is Called to Serve in Unity
The believer is not isolated but is adopted into the family of God through his glorious calling in Christ Jesus. The apostle Paul spoke of the marvelous bond between those individuals who comprised the church in Acts 20:28 in these words: “Which He hath purchased with His own blood.” Each Christian shares this calling with other believers within the church—they are called to be Christ’s Church. Therefore, the Christian should not isolate himself but be an active member seeking to serve the Lord through this great unity and bond that he is privileged to enjoy with the church.
In addition, the effectual call of the believer uplifts the soul during the hardships that are experienced throughout life. We have been called to salvation and to serve our glorious King through trials and persecutions, but yet, one day, we shall see our Savior face to face! It is an immutable call and the Christian can rejoice that God will never change His mind in effectually calling a sinner to be a saint. Samuel Rutherford said, “All the saints have their own measure of winter before eternal summer. O! for the long day, and the high sun, and the fair garden, and the King's great city up above these visible heavens.”
The doctrine of effectual calling reminds and encourages the Church of Christ of her duty to “preach the word, in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). The church is to proclaim the external call of the gospel and call sinners to the Lord Jesus Christ through His Word.
There are those who refuse to deliver the external call, but it is the responsibility of the Church to be faithful in preaching the necessity of faith and repentance. Rather than force or manipulate sinners to profess Christ, the Church must pray that God will move effectually in their hearts, for salvation is of the Lord.
Rev. Andrew Fitton | Minister, Cloverdale, BC