1. The Idea of Salvation by Grace
2. Chosen by Grace
   
3. Reconciled by Grace
   
4. United With Christ by Grace
   
5. Regenerated by Grace
   
6. Called by Grace
   
7. Believing Through Grace
   
8. Justified by Grace
   
9. Converted by Grace
   
10. Working Out Our Salvation by Grace
    
11. Good Works Through Grace
    
12. Suffering Through Grace
    
13. Victory Through Grace
    
14. Assurance of Grace
    
15. Glorified Through Grace
    
    
    

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called.
- Romans 8:30

In the previous chapter we discussed regeneration, or the new birth.
We explained that regeneration is that marvelous work of God through the Spirit of Christ whereby the sinner is translated from death into life. The new birth is a spiritual resurrection. It is the implanting of a principle of new life. That new life is different from the old life of sin not only in that it is holy but also in that it is heavenly. The new birth is a birth from above. Through it we become spiritual citizens of the New Jerusalem and, in principle, strangers in the earth.

But suppose now that no other operations of grace followed that of regeneration: would such a regenerated sinner of himself develop into a conscious and living believer in Christ? In the new birth the sinner receives new spiritual powers or faculties, the power of faith, and the power to repent, the power to embrace Christ and all His benefits. But if nothing else is done to that reborn sinner, will those powers of themselves spring into activity, so that the sinner now actually believes and repents, enters into the state of reconciliation, and receives the forgiveness of sins? Perhaps you reply: of course not, such a regenerated man must be brought into contact with the gospel! Well, suppose then, that you give him a Bible to read, or that some preacher instructs him and makes him acquainted with the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, will he merely through that contact with the Scriptures come to conscious saving faith, so that he actually repents and believes? Not at all. The wonderful work of regeneration as we discussed it in the previous chapter must be followed by another stage in the great work of salvation, a work, too, which is accomplished by tne same Spirit Who regenerated the sinner. The seed of the new life that was implanted into his heart must be quickened into activity if it is to bear fruit, by the calling. The sinner must be called by grace.

Very often we read in the Bible of this calling of the sinner. The apostle Paul writes that "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11 :29) To the Corinthians he writes: "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called." (I Corinthians 1:26) And in Hebrews 3: 1 the "holy brethren" are called "partakers of the heavenly calling." The apostle Peter admonishes us: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure." (II Peter 1: 10) The Lord Jesus tells us that He is "not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:13) The saints are named "the called of Christ Jesus," and they are "called to be saints," and "the called according to his purpose." (Romans 1 :6, 7; 8:28) In I Corinthians 1: 23, 24 the apostle states that the preaching of Ch rist crucified is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." God's people are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that they "should shew forth the praises of him who hath called (them) out of darkness into his marvelous light." (I Peter 2:9) And they are called unto glory and virtue. (II Peter 1: 3) And not only do the Scriptures thus directly speak of the calling, but they also furnish us with concrete illustrations of what this calling should be. They call the sinner to repent and believe, the thirsty to drink, the hungry to eat, the weary to rest, the wicked to turn from his evil way.

"Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price." (Isaiah 55:1) "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 45:22) "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, a house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33: 11) "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11 :28) "Repent ye therefore, and be converted." (Acts 3: 19) "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16: 31)

You see from all this how important is the calling as a part of the work of salvation by grace. It is through this calling that the sinner comes to true repentance, so that he is filled with sorrow after God, that he comes to the water of life to drink, and to the bread of life to eat, that he is translated from darkness into light, from the state of enmity into that of reconciliation with God, and that he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ and is saved. Without and apart from this calling, the gospel of the crucified Christ is a stumblingblock to him, foolishness, and a savor of death unto death; but through the saving efficacy of this calling all this is changed, so that Christ becomes the power and the wisdom of God, and the gospel is a savor of life unto life unto the smner.

The calling, then, is that work of God's mighty grace in Christ, through the Spirit, and by the preaching of the gospel, whereby the sinner is changed from darkness into light, so that he repents and consciously embraces Christ and all His benefits.

There are a few elements in this wonder of salvation to which we must call attention.

First of all, it may be emphasized that this calling always takes place through the preaching of the Word. For, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Romans 10:14, 15) About this important point I want to make a few remarks. A preacher is a man who is authorized by Christ to speak in His name, and through whom it pleases Christ to speak His own Word to men. Hence, he must be sent. The sinner must hear Christ speak to him. He must not hear the voice of a preacher, the voice of a mere man, but the voice of Jesus say to him: "Come unto me, and rest." The text which I just quoted is more correctly translated in the American Revised Version: "How shall they believe in him whom (not: of whom) they have not heard?" The dead must hear the voice of the Son of God. (John 5:25) The sheep must hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. (John 10:3, 27) The word of a mere man has no power, even though he should quote the Scriptures. Of what avail would it be if I would say to you that you must repent? Would you not say to me that I had better mind my own business? Or what would be the effect of my word, if I would assure you that Christ died for you? Would that be a sound basis of faith for you? Or does it help any if I bid you come to Christ? But if Christ Himself speaks to you and causes His mighty Word to reach your inmost heart, you will repent, come to Him, believe, follow. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)

Now it pleases Christ to cause His own voice to be heard through the preaching of the Word. And therefore, not everyone whom it pleases to assume the authority to preach is for that reason a preacher. A preacher must be sent. "How shall they preach except they be sent?" He must be called and commissioned by the Lord Christ Himself to preach. But how can anyone be sure that he is sent by Christ, that he may appear as Christ's ambassador, and that therefore Christ will speak His own mighty and living Word through his preaching? The answer of the Bible is very clear on this point: Christ sent and commissioned His apostles, and through them, His church to preach the gospel to all nations and every creature. This is very specific. The preaching of the gospel is not left to the whim and the choice of any individual who may take a fancy to 'preaching, but it is enjoined upon and entrusted to the church. To the church He gave His Spirit, that He might lead her into all the truth; and to that church He also entrusted His Word, that she might keep it, preserve it, and proclaim it even unto the ends of the earth. And the church accomplishes this holy calling through the ministry which the Lord Himself instituted. He, therefore, whom Christ calls through His church is a preacher, and no one else.

Such a preacher is, as far as his message is concerned, strictly bound to the Word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. He may not add, nor subtract, a tittle or iota from that Word; nor may he change it to suit the fancy of his audience. The full counsel of God he must proclaim, nothing less, and no more. Well may this truth be emphasized in our day. For, on the one hand, many a modern pulpit is changed into a rostrum for human philosophy; and many who are supposed to be ministers of the Word proclaim only the word of man, which is vain. Lectures on every conceivable subject are delivered from the place where the gospel is supposed to be preached. Men even designate special Sundays for that purpose, such as victory-Sundays, war bondSundays, Red Cross-Sundays, Community Chest-Sundays, Fathers' and Mothers' Day-Sundays, and what not. On the other hand, there are not a few in our day, not only men, but even women and children, who preach without being called, either on their own initiative and responsibility, or as sent out by some society or institute which operates apart from the church. These so-called preachers prefer to travel through the whole country, advertise themselves in the local papers, preferably announce the strangest topics in order to draw a crowd, and aim at stirring up a wave of emotionalism which they like to call a spiritual revival. They one and all hawk Christ as if He were the cheapest article on the religious market. This is a great evil: for thus the Word of God is corrupted.

Let the church beware! To her has been entrusted the calling to preserve and preach the pure Word of God through which Christ sends forth His own calling, and gathers His church.

But, in the second place, even though the calling takes place through the preaching of the gospel, it is not that preaching, nor the preacher, but Christ Who calls through the preaching and by His own Spirit. In fact, unless Christ Himself calls, there is no preaching. Christ, Who died and rose again, Who is exalted at the right hand of God, and Who received the promise of the Holy Ghost, is not only the contents of the gospel; He is also our Chief Prophet, Who calls His own unto salvation by His mighty Word. It is He Who gathers His church out of the whole world, not we. Even though it pleases Him to call men out of darkness into His light through the preaching by men, it is still He Who calls. He opens the eyes of the blind so that they see; He gives the hearing ear to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd; He enlightens the mind so that we may understand the things of the kingdom of God j He inclines the will and the heart to give heed to the Word of truth. The calling is a work of God through Christ. By grace are ye saved also means that by grace ye are called.

This, too, may well be emphasized in our day. On the one hand, he who preaches the gospel must constantly bear this in mind, in order that he may be humble. He must not leave the impression by the way he preaches as if he were the whole show, as if he were really the one who calls and saves souls, while the Holy Spirit is a sort of assistant evangelist who is called in at the right moment to finish the preacher's work. He is only an instrument. But on the other hand, the audience, too, must understand that the important point of the sermon is not that it pleases them, that it is a "nice sermon," by which they were probably entertained for forty-five minutes. But the great question is whether through the preaching they heard the calling of Christ the Lord, the voice of Jesus saying, "Come unto me, and rest." The calling is through the preaching, but it is of God through Christ. By grace are ye called!

Thirdly, and in close connection with what was just said, it must be strongly emphasized that this calling unto salvation is indeed a divine calling, and that, therefore, it comes to us with authority and power. It is not a weak human plea, nor a mere invitation which one may either accept or reject, nor a generous offer which one may receive or decline: it is the Word of God that comes to the sinner when Christ calls through the preaching. And "the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4: 12) And again: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) The preacher must be conscious of the fact that he is a minister of the mighty Word of God; and he may not leave the impression that Christ is a poor and weak beggar, Who would fain persuade men to open their hearts to Him and let Him in, but Who is powerless to enter if they refuse. In much of our modern preaching there is no longer the note of authority and power; and men, instead of being convicted of sin, and, humbled in dust and ashes, receive the impression that they really would do Christ quite a favor if they would leave their wicked way and repent. God's calling is authoritative. When He says to you, "Repent!" woe, if you do not! But God's calling is also powerful. When through the preaching of the Word, He enters into your inmost soul and calls you, it is no longer in your power not to repent and not to return from your wicked way. For the Word of God is quick and powerful; it accomplishes all God's good pleasure.

Finally, this divine calling is always effectual. This does not mean that the preacher may expect that all who come under the external preaching of the Word are also called unto salvation. Always there is a twofold effect; the preaching is a savor of death unto death, as well as a savor of life unto life. But the elect are surely called. They receive the hearing ear, the seeing eye, the willing heart. They hear the Word of God, and they tremble. They are sorry for their sins, and repent. They cry out, "God be merciful to me, a sinner," and receive forgiveness. They hear the voice of Jesus say to them personally, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest!" And they come to Him and do find rest. They hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and know that they are of His sheep. And they follow Him, and He gives them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of His hand. For the gifts of God and the calling are without repentance. For "whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Romans 8:30)

We are called by irresistible grace unto virtue and eternal glory!