THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE EFFECTUAL CALL (I Corinthians 1:2, 9, 21-26) INTRODUCTION One of the major works of the Holy Spirit in a person s life is the effectual call to salvation. Last week I started a series of messages on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in applying what Jesus accomplished for us by his life, death, and resurrection. We looked at regeneration, or being born again. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us new spiritual life. He gives us a new heart. The Holy Spirit is also the One who EFFECTUALLY calls us to Christ. For some reason most Christians don t think too deeply about God s call to them. Maybe the reason is because the word is so common in our language that it hides the beauty and power of it when it comes to understanding God s call in our lives. The word call has many uses today. For example: You can: call back - as in returning a call call for - as in summon someone call in - a debt or to check your messages call off - your dog or from work call up - someone on the phone call down - a speaker call around - just for fun call on - a friend or pay a visit call into question - to raise doubt Although there are many uses of the word call today, the Bible uses it in very specific ways. God INITIATES the application of what Christ accomplished for us in His death and resurrect through Holy Spirit s call to our hearts. A common description of Christians in the Bible is that they are the called of God. In Paul s writings alone he uses the word called over 40 times to refer to God s action of making us his children. Paul starts several of his letters mentioning God s special calling. Romans 1:5-7 NIV Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake. (6) And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (7) To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 1
call: Note also in our I Corinthians reading we have these references to God s 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people 1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:24 NIV but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1Co 1:26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. There are TWO major ways the Bible speaks of God s call as it relates to our salvation. One is what is called the universal call of God. The other is the effectual call of God. Some prefer to call these two calls as God s external call and God s internal call. Let s investigate the Scriptures this morning to see what s involved in God s call, both the universal call and the effectual call to us to see if we have been called by the Holy Spirit. THE UNIVERSAL CALL What is the UNIVERSAL call or the external call? It is God s invitation to all mankind through the Gospel to come to Christ for salvation. It is God s gracious invitation to turn to Him and be saved. This is God s gracious invitation to all. It is universal. It is given to all regardless of race, social standing, ethnic background, or station in life. It is given by God s servants through the preaching of the gospel. The basis of this call is clearly seen in Scriptures. It is based on the commission of Jesus given to the church. He told the disciples to go preach the gospel to every creature and all who believe will be saved. It is based on God s command to all people to repent. In Paul s sermon to the Greeks in Athens he said in 17:30: (Acts 17:30 NKJV) "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, God is the creator and He is the King. He rules over all people and all nations. His eyes are on all and He commands all men everywhere to repent. June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 2
It is based on God s desire that all be saved. In I Tim 2 Paul mentions God s desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Tim 2:3-4 NKJV) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, {4} who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. It is modeled on Christ s invitation for all to come to Him. Matthew 11:28 NIV "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. It is based on John 3:16 John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It is the general or universal call of God that Cumberland Presbyterians have made to be our distinguishing theological statement. We call it the whosoever will gospel. The early Cumberland Presbyterians emphasized the universal call of God for everyone to come to Christ for salvation. The preaching of the whosoever will Gospel is important. It is through the general call that God s special call is heard. The universal call is essential for anyone to be saved. Without hearing about Jesus and believing in Him no one can be saved. Paul makes this point in Romans 10 Romans 10:12-15 NIV For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, (13) for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (14) How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (15) And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" The universal call is essential for salvation, but it is only one part of God s call to salvation. THE EFFECTUAL CALL The other part of God s call to salvation is the Effectual Call. What is the Effectual Call? It is the call that the Holy Spirit speaks into our heart that produces or CREATES what God calls us to be. One of the best theological definition is given in question 31 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism : June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 3
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. We will unpack this statement in more detail in a later message, but for today we want to contrast God s Effectual calling with God s Universal calling. God s Effectual call is the work of God s Spirit in causing us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel. We know that not all who are called in the Universal Gospel call, come to Christ. Not all who are commanded to repent, repents. Not all who hear the Gospel, believe. There is another internal call that comes alongside the universal call that is effective in applying the salvation promised in the Gospel. The effectual calling of God is that call which ends in conversion. The effectual calling of God effects the end for which it is given and that end is for a person to repent and to believe the Gospel with saving faith. This is the call that entitles a person to described as the called of God that the New Testament uses. MOST occurrences of the terms call, calling, and called in the New Testament are referring to this internal, effectual call of God. The only clear use of called that refers to the universal call is Matthew 22:14. Many are called, but few are chosen. The effectual call is the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that creates the response needed to be saved. Without the effectual calling of God no one would come to Christ through only the universal call. THE EFFECTUAL CALL IS A SUMMONS, NOT JUST AN INVITATION What does the Holy Spirit use to issue the Effectual Call? It is the Gospel, (2 Th 2:13-14 NKJV) But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, {14} to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. God calls through the Gospel, the message about Christ s atonement for sins. But it is the Gospel that comes to us in the power of the Spirit. It takes the Holy Spirit s work in our hearts for us to see the glory of Christ in the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 4
The Effectual Call is a powerful summons, not just an invitation. The Universal Call is in the nature of an invitation to all to come to Christ. Like the parable of the Wedding Feast, the King told his servants to go out in the highways and byways and invite all to come to the wedding feast. But the Effectual Call is more like A SUMMONS from a court. God s effectual call is a summons to come forth to repent and believe. A difference between a court summons and God s call is that a court summons doesn t have the internal power to make the summoned to follow through, whereas God s effectual call carries with it the internal power for the person to follow through. When God speaks, what He speaks becomes actuality, reality. Think of creation. When God said, Let there be light. There was light. When God said Let there be firmament, there was firmament. When God said, Let the waters be gathered and let the land appear, the waters were gathered and the land appeared. When God speaks in our heart, Come to Christ. Guess what. We come to Christ. SOME BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATIONS FOR GOD S EFFECTUAL CALL There are some Biblical ILLUSTRATIONs that will help us understand God s effectual calling. One is when Jesus called Lazarus from come forth from the tomb. LAZARUS had been dead for about four days. He had no power to come forth from the tomb, but when Jesus called out, Lazarus, come forth. You know what, Lazarus came forth! In like manner when God calls you forth with His effectual calling, you come forth in repentance and faith. Another Biblical example is when Jesus saw ZACCHAEUs in the tree and said, Zacchaeus, you come down. Zacchaeus came down. And Jesus said, Salvation has come to your house today. The best way of looking at God s effective call in my life is when Jesus said, My sheep hear me voice and they follow me. God s effective call is when we hear the VOICE OF JESUS in our hearts saying Follow me. This is how we know that God has summoned us with an effective call, when we repent, believe, come to Jesus, seek to live holy lives, etc. Have you heard the voice of God calling you? Then you will be following Jesus. CONCLUSION What a great and blessed privilege to be effectually called by the Holy Spirit to come to Jesus and be enabled to embrace Christ. June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 5
Being the called of God should HUMBLE us. Just think the Creator of all worlds wants you to be part of His called people. He wants you to belong to Jesus Christ. He wants you to be one of His saints. Being the called of God should cause us to OVERFLOW WITH JOY. Just think all the riches in glory are yours because you are part of God s called people. You are an heir of God and joint-heir of Jesus Christ. Being the called of God should cause you TO FOLLOW JESUS with great love and devotion. Just think the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus Christ, has called you to be His sheep. He wants to be your shepherd, to care for you, to protect you, to love you. God s effective call comes through the Holy Spirit applying the Gospel given in the universal call. God s Effectual Call comes when the Holy Spirit takes the truth of the Gospel, opens your eyes, melts your hearts, and moves your will to repent, believe and embrace Jesus Christ as our Savior. Are you hearing God calling you today? If so, come to Jesus and experience that call as the Holy Spirit s effectual call to you! Amen? Amen? June 10, 2018 Corntassel CP Church Page 6