The Catalyst for Call
God’s calling to salvation occurs by the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. The conjoining of these two makes God’s calling effectual. 1 Cor 1:23-24; 1 Peter 1:23,25. The preaching of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ is the first step in the call of God to salvation. It is also necessary that we hear the word of God proclaimed (Romans 10:14). The Holy Spirit must be active in the proclamation of the Gospel in order for salvation to be realized. (1 Pet 1:12, 1 Thess 1:5.) The calling of God to salvation can only be effective if it goes forth with the power of the Holy Spirit. We must therefore rely on the Holy Spirit when we proclaim the Gospel and not ourselves (Acts 1:8, 1 Cor 2:1-4) The nature of saving faith is knowledge, assent, and trust. Knowledge: Knowledge is the understanding (apprehension) of the Gospel message. So the Gospel must be heard and then understood. (Matt 13). Knowledge is the first step to saving faith. Knowledge by itself cannot cause salvation but there must be a basic understanding of the Gospel message in order for salvation to occur. (1 Cor 2:10-15) Assent: Assent is the acknowledgment of the understood proclamation of the Gospel. It is to say Yes to the Gospel message. This is the point of decision that all who hear and understand the Gospel message must come to. It is the recognition of the truth of the Gospel as well as a personal need for salvation. (Acts 2:37). Trust:Trust is the confidence in God’s promise in the Gospel. It is to totally rely on Christ, to turn our life over to Him and not rely on self. This too negates any chance of salvation by works which is the concept of one saving oneself. We have to trust that God has saved us and made us righteous based on the Gospel message and not by our own works (Rom 10:13, Eph 2:8-9)
The Call of Men
The universal call of all men to the gospel. This external call comes to all men regardless. All can respond to this call, but many do not (Matt 7:13-14, 7:24-27, 13:1-23). Although it is offered to all, this will result in some responding to the call and being saved and others rejecting this call and remaining in their sins. So what is it that makes the difference between these two groups? Why do some respond and others reject the gospel? The call of the gospel that is given to all is only effectual to some. (John 6:66-69) Some turned away after hearing the gospel with it’s “hard sayings” (John 6:40), while others believed in him. The word was effectual in the case of the saved, but not he unsaved. To the external call there is an effectual call. What makes a person saved is that the whole of the gospel has come to them effectually. In Rom 8:28-30 all things work together for good only to those who love God and are “called” according to his purpose. They have been called in a way that the others have not been. In 1 Cor 1:2 specifically those “called” to be saints along with those who call on the name of Jesus. v. 24 to those who are “called” the gospel is God’s power and wisdom. Not to all Jews and Greeks but the called from among them. In 1 Peter 2:9-10 to proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. In all of these passages it is evident that the call has been effective. Even the Gk term for the church ekklesia a combined word meaning the forth Ek, call kaleo . The called forth or the called out ones. So there are some who effectively respond to the gospel preaching and call and others who do not. This is evident even in the world today. Not all who hear the call of the gospel come to faith. What is the difference between these two calls? The effective call is an internal or spiritual call. The external call is to all, but only those who respond have heard the internal effective call. Consider John 6:45 they shall be taught of God, not taught by men only, but by God’s Spirit. Those who learn from the Father by the Spirit will respond in faith v 63-65 It is the work of the Spirit internally to give life. This spiritual internal call makes the external call effective, (Eph 1:17, Phil 2:13) In 1 Thess 1:5 the gospel came in words of Paul and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Condition of Man
No one can become a follower of Christ without this internal call. Rom 8:5-8 two groups sited: the ones in flesh and the ones in the Spirit. The one in the flesh doesn’t care about the tings of God. He finds them dull and ridiculous. He has no interest in them and has no desire to follow after them. To the spiritually minded the things of God are life and peace. The fleshly minded (nonbeliever) is hostile to the things of God (v. 7-8) and they cannot please God. He is not interested in God or the things of God. But, the spiritually minded man adores and worships God. He rejoices in the things of God. So this internal spiritual call is necessary for us to become a worshiper of Jesus. Also in 1 Cor 2:14 the unbeliever does receive the things of the Spirit because they are spiritually discerning. They are foolishness to him. He is not able to understand it. In 2 Cor 4:4 the minds of the unbeliever is blinded by Satan so they can’t see the truth. And in Eph 2:1 the unbeliever is dead in his sins, carrying out fleshly desires, and by nature children of wrath. (Jones). Some would argue that the term “dead; here refers to separation and that those who are “dead” still have ability to hear and respond spiritually to gospel. They suggest the person can perceive spiritual truth from God. They affirm that the spiritual dead are in need spiritual life from God, but that they have the capacity to know and choose spiritual things. (Norman Geisler)
The Conversion of the Man
The internal call is the exercise of the Spirit within the soul. A quickening, an awakening (Eph 2:5, Col 2:13) It is an immediate direct operation of the Holy Spirit with in us. It is immediate, spiritual and supernatural. It makes within us a new mode of spiritual activity possible. Without this operation we are incapable of any true spiritual activity. This is how the call becomes effectual. Where we were not able to respond, now we can respond in faith. This not a merely moral, emotional or intellectual assent. It is the Spirit acting on the soul from within producing a new spiritual principle, passion and desires. This work upon us by the Spirit makes the eternal call effective. In Acts 16:14 Lydia did choose to believe, and she herself did it only because she wholeheartedly wanted to. She did not do it "unwillingly" nor did God hear and believe for her. It was her own response and it was a most willing response. Consider what God did before Lydia could be saved. (1) He provided a salvation of "by grace through faith" through the life and work of Jesus Christ (2) He brought the message of His provision to Lydia. He sent a preacher to tell her about this great plan of salvation. God went to great ends to provide such a preacher as Paul (Acts 16:6-10) (3) God opened Lydia's heart (giving her spiritual life) enabling her to respond to the gospel call. Her natural mind was blind, her natural heart was averse to God, and her will was in bondage to sin and spiritual death. Only the power of God could free her from her graveyard of spiritual depravity. The giving of this life and power was through the Holy Spirit was the work of God. God alone gets the credit for Lydia's heart being opened. Notice also how clearly the Holy Spirit teaches us the relationship between the cause and the effect in the conversion of Lydia. God was the One Who opened Lydia's heart, that is the cause, and He did so in order that she might be able to attend to (believe) the truths that Paul preached, that is the effect. (Luke 24:25, Acts 2:37, 9:1-9) The external call became the internal call. In 1 Cor 1:10-15 God has revealed the truth to us by his Spirit. He didn’t reveal these things to the rulers, but to the believers. No one can know the thoughts of God except by the Spirit of God (v. 11). There is a spiritual understanding that comes to the “called” by the Spirit. These are words not taught by human wisdom, but by the Spirit. (v. 13) Notice that Paul says that his proclamation was not in persuasive words, but with a powerful demonstration of the Spirit. (v4) The Spirit now for the first time enables us to desire Christ above all else. (Jones)
Some will call this “Monergistic Grace (operative grace)”, stating that the Holy Spirt has to change the person inwardly in an effective manner so the person desires to come to Christ. Others would suggest “prevenient grace (cooperative grace)” in which God and the sinner work together to illuminate, call and enable every person to choose to respond God’s effectual call. (Roger Olson) Sproul states that prevenient grace is grace that comes before something. It is normally defined as a work that God does for everybody. He gives all people enough grace to respond to Jesus. That is, it is enough grace to make it possible for people to choose Christ. Those who cooperate with and assent to this grace are elect. Those who refuse to cooperate with this grace are lost. The strength of this view is that it recognizes that fallen man’s spiritual condition is severe enough that it requires God’s grace to save him. The weakness of the position may be seen in two ways. If this prevenient grace is merely external to man, then it fails in the same manner that the medicine and the life preserver analogies fail. What good is prevenient grace if offered outwardly to spiritually dead creatures?
On the other hand, if prevenient grace refers to something that God does within the heart of fallen man, then we must ask why it is not always effectual. Why is it that some fallen creatures choose to cooperate with prevenient grace and others choose not to? Doesn’t everyone get the same amount? Why is it that you have chosen Christ and they have not? Why did you say yes to prevenient grace while they said no? Was it because you were more righteous than they were? If so, then indeed you have something in which to boast. Was that greater righteousness something you achieved on your own or was it the gift of God? If it was something you achieved, then at the bottom line your salvation depends on your own righteousness. If the righteousness was a gift, then why didn’t God give the same gift to everybody?
Perhaps it wasn’t because you were more righteous. Perhaps it was because you are more intelligent. Why are you more intelligent? Because you study more? Or are you more intelligent because God gave you a gift of intelligence he withheld from others? Perhaps you chose Christ because you recognized your desperate need for him. But why did you recognize your desperate need for Christ while your neighbor didn’t? Was it because you were more righteous than your neighbor, or more intelligent? (Sproul).
God and man must both do something before a man can be saved. The Bible clearly sets forth both the divine and human as essential in God's plan of salvation. First, A man must repent and believe in order to be saved (Acts 2:38, 3:19). No one was ever forgiven and made a child of God who did not willingly turn from sin to Christ. Nowhere does the Bible even hint that men can be saved without repentance and faith, but to the contrary, the Word always states these things are essential before a person can be saved. The one and only Bible answer to the question "What must I do to be saved?" is "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:30-31)
Second, everyone who repents and believes the gospel will be saved. Every soul, without any exception, who answers the gospel command to come to Christ will be received and forgiven by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, Repentance and faith are the free (i.e. voluntary) acts of men. Men, with their own mind, heart, and will must renounce sin and receive Christ. God doesn't repent and believe for us~we repent and believe. Turning from sin and reaching out in faith to Christ are the acts of man, and every man who so responds to the gospel call does so because he honestly desires to do so. He wants to be forgiven and he can only be forgiven by repenting and believing. No one, including God, can turn from sin for us, we must do it. No one can trust Christ "in our place," we must personally, knowingly, and willingly trust Him in order to be saved.
Fourth, Bible that states man is totally unable to repent and believe. All of man's three faculties of mind, heart, and will, which must be receptive to gospel truth, have neither the ability to receive such truth nor even the desire to have such ability. In fact the exact opposite is true. Man's total being is not only unable to either come, or want to come, to Christ, but every part of his nature is actively opposed to Christ and truth (Rom 5:8-10, Eph 2:1-3, 1 Cor 1:10-15). Rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is not a passive "non-action," but a deliberate volitional choice. It is deliberately choosing to say "no" to Christ and "yes" to self and sin. No one is "neutral" in respect to God and His authority. Unbelief is just as much a deliberate act of mind, heart, and will as is faith. (John 4:50) Unbelief is an act of the will. In fact unbelief is active faith, but unfortunately it is faith in myself. A lost man cannot see-until he first be born again. (John 3:3), understand-until he first be given a new nature. (I Cor. 2:14), and come-until he first be effectually called by the Holy Spirit. (John 6:44-45) (John Resinger)