Day 189

Of Effectual Calling.

Chapter 10, Paragraph 4.

“Others not elected, although they may be called by the Ministry of the word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit,yet not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will, nor can truly come to Christ; and therefore cannot be saved:…”

Scripture Lookup

Matthew 22:14, 13:20,21

Heb 6:4,5

John 6:44,45,65

1 John 2:24,25

Reflection

We all know people who can “talk the talk” of salvation and be all appearances “walk the walk” as well. Perhaps they grew up in a godly home, were active in church, and always came to mind when you thought of the perfect Christian. Only one day you are shocked to find that they have walked away from the faith and now talk against the Christianity they once professed. What happened?

We must remember that only the elect are drawn by the Father. Outward professions and seemingly good works may be regenerative fruit of the Spirit, or it may be a pretty convincing show of hypocrisy. Saying a prayer, walking down an aisle, or convincing yourself that you believe are not the means by which you receive grace and salvation by Christ; it is through the effectual calling of God alone.

This is why it is important for the gospel to be preached not only out there in the world, but also from the pulpit week after week among the saints. It is easy to slip into the thinking that anyone with proper moral behavior must be elect. But we cannot see the hearts of those around us. In the gospel, we are reminded that we need Christ, not our moralism, to save us. Without His saving work in our lives, we will never be saved.

Questions to Consider

• Are you prone to forget that salvation is a work of God alone, and not of proper behavior or the right words to say?