1. Having already examined the basic structure of the ordo salutis, we now return to the point at which the Holy Spirit applies the redemption accomplished by Christ in accordance with the Father’s electing purposes. As we move forward, you should use the document titled “07.1 Building a Detailed Ordo Salutis.” We will continue adding further details to this basic structure as we consider each of the blessings of our salvation in Christ.

2. Likewise, we desire to remain connected with our Confession of Faith. Please read Chapter 10 of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (LBC): “Of Effectual Calling.” There is an immediate relationship between God’s effectual calling and regeneration. Our Confession does not have a chapter titled “Regeneration” because the doctrine of regeneration—the new birth—is implicit in the word “effectual.” When the Spirit regenerates a dead sinner by the power of the gospel, we see that God has effectually called that sinner.

First: The external or gospel call 

1. The gospel call refers to the proclamation of the gospel that is offered generally to all men without distinction. In contrast, the effectual call is that same gospel call made effectual in the case of the elect, so that they are enabled by sovereign grace to respond to the gospel. Matthew 22:14: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Here we see a reference to the external call in the first part of the verse, and to the internal and effectual call in the second part.

i. The effectual call, or internal call, occurs in conjunction with the external or public announcement of the gospel. The proclamation of the gospel is often referred to as “the free offer of the gospel.”
ii. God calls sinners through the preaching of His Word. “It is God Himself, in the proclamation of His Word by the church, who outwardly summons all kinds of people to the repentance that leads to life and faith in Christ.” This is the “general, universal, and external call. Through it, both the Spirit and the church say to sinners everywhere: Come! (Revelation 22:17)” (Reymond, p. 713).

a. Isaiah 45:22: “Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”
b. Isaiah 55:1: “Come, all you who are thirsty, to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy without money and without price wine and milk!”
c. Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say: Come! And let the one who hears say: Come! And let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who desires take the water of life freely.”
d. See also Matthew 11:27-28 and Acts 17:30-31.

2. It is through the foolishness of preaching (1 Corinthians 1:21), through the general gospel call, that God effectually calls His elect. God has determined that evangelism and preaching are the means He uses to bring salvation to His people.

i. See Acts 18:9-10. The Lord encouraged Paul to preach in the notoriously wicked city of Corinth by assuring him that He would keep him safe and use his preaching effectively: “for I have much people in this city.” Christ’s people were in Corinth, and the preaching of the gospel would be effectual in bringing them to life and to union with Jesus through faith. God’s elect are recognized when they respond to the Word of God with faith generated by the Spirit.
ii. The expectation of seeing God make the general gospel call effectual in the lives of His elect continually motivated Paul. 2 Timothy 2:10: “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.”
iii. God’s sovereign purposes are sure. He has determined that preaching be the means by which He effectually calls His elect. Romans 10:14-15: “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?”

3. Grudem (pp. 694-695) identifies three components of the general and external gospel call:

i. An explanation of the facts concerning salvation. Men must be informed that they are sinners (Romans 3:23); that the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23); and that Christ died to pay the penalty for sin (Romans 5:8). It would also include the announcement of Christ’s resurrection as essential in the proclamation of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). We must communicate the facts of the gospel.
ii. An invitation to respond personally to Christ with repentance and faith. People must understand that the risen and exalted Christ calls them to turn from idols, from themselves, and from sin, and to come to Him by faith (Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 17:30-31). We exhort men to put their trust solely in Jesus. The gospel summons sinners to become disciples of Jesus and to entrust their life and eternal well-being to Him as Lord, trusting that He can save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25).
iii. A promise of forgiveness and eternal life. The promises abound in the gospel! Sinners must be encouraged to respond because the God who promises cannot lie. Forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Spirit, a clear conscience, a community learning to love one another, the eternal hope of glory: an abundant life is offered to all who hear the gospel. We must not hesitate to proclaim God’s promises to all men.

4. We can be assured that, in preaching, God has His people among those who hear us. He will effectually call them and unite them to Christ by faith. Our task is to give all men the external call of the gospel. God will then make that call effectual according to His sovereign purpose and power. God’s sovereignty in salvation encourages us to evangelize, knowing that He will make His gospel effectual in the hearts of His elect, and He will do so while we work diligently in proclaiming His grace among sinners. 2 Thessalonians 2:14: “For this He called them through our gospel, that they may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Second: God’s Effectual Call 

1. We have seen in Romans 8:28-30 that God’s predestining sovereignty precedes His call. The life-giving Spirit works to make the gospel effectual in the hearts of God’s elect, so that they are made alive and exercise repentance from sin and faith in Christ [both are gifts granted in the new birth]. We can associate “call” with God the Father, pointing to His predestining purpose, and “effectual” with the Spirit, who applies the life of the risen Christ to the elect, activating them, regenerating them, and causing a sinner who was formerly dead to be made alive in Christ. God’s effectual call carries within it all the other blessings granted in salvation.

i. 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
ii. Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

2. It is God who calls. We see God as the main actor in the calling. Salvation is the work of God, which means it is monergistic: one worker. Man neither deserves nor contributes anything to the calling. The calling is issued according to the predestining foreknowledge of God. The three persons of the Trinity participate in issuing the calling, but it is attributed especially to the work of the Father.

i. The Son issues an external call: Matthew 11:28; Luke 5:32; John 7:37.
ii. The Spirit is said to bear witness: John 15:26; Acts 5:31–32.
iii. But the effectual call, as the first breaking in of sovereign grace in the Christian’s life experience, is attributed to the Father: Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Galatians 1:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 5:23–24; 2 Timothy 1:8–9; 1 Peter 5:10.

a. Ephesians 1:17–18: “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, enlightening the eyes of your heart, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
b. 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14: “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. It was for this that He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

3. It is correct to speak of the application of salvation as the work of the Spirit, but we must also acknowledge the actions of our heavenly Father. In fact, when we trace our salvation to its deepest roots, we are led to the loving embrace of our Father, who loves us in Christ with the living love of His Spirit. We can see each of the persons of the Trinity participating in the effectual call, but the Bible emphasizes the Father as the one who calls us effectually in the gospel. Our God is very tender, kind, and loving. Why are we saved? Because the Father loves us.

Third: The Christ-centered character of the effectual call 

1. The effectual call is patterned according to God’s eternal purpose, which is Christ-centered: focused on Christ. We saw in Romans 8:29 that God’s purpose for our salvation is that we be conformed to the image of His Son. “God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time” (2 Timothy 1:9). God’s call does not find the elect sinner as a casual event, but according to God’s purpose.

2. The effectual call is patterned according to our union with Christ. We are called according to God’s eternal purpose in union with Christ. The call is Christ-centered in its origin and in its goal. We are never seen apart from Christ in the purposes of our Father. “God… called us… according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal times.”

fielmente 3. Before the call was issued, even before we were born, our Father identified us in union with His own Son—before the eternal times! When we hear the voice of the Shepherd, we awaken to the reality of God’s gracious purpose for us, a purpose He had when He created the world. When Jesus died on the cross, we were the objects of His love as those whom the Father had given Him. God’s purpose and love, centered on Christ and with Christ’s glory as the ultimate goal, cause the effectual call to immediately produce our union with Christ, a union we experience when we exercise faith in Jesus.

Fourth: The efficacy of the effectual call 

1. The term “summons” more accurately expresses this divine act. “Summons” conveys the idea of a king exercising authority with power to make his subjects respond effectively to his call. The effectual call is powerful, but also intentional, according to a purpose with a specific goal in view. God’s summons cannot be frustrated. It comes with sovereign power and cannot fail to accomplish God’s purposes. “So shall my word be that goes out of my mouth: it shall not return to me empty, but it shall do what I desire, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11; see also 1 Corinthians 1:8–9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24).

2. Reymond describes the efficacy of the effectual call: “The effectual call is the work of the Spirit of God, by which, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our mind in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel” (Shorter Catechism, Question 31). Through the regenerating work of His Spirit, God the Father irresistibly summons—normally in conjunction with the proclamation of the gospel by the church—the elect sinner to the fellowship and kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ. His call is made effectual by the quickening work of God the Father and God the Son in the hearts of the elect. Through the regenerating work of the Spirit, the elect sinner (1) is made spiritually alive, thus opening his heart and favorably disposed toward the things of the Spirit, which previously seemed foolish to him (1 Corinthians 2:14); (2) is convinced of his sin; (3) is enlightened regarding the full sufficiency of the Savior Jesus Christ as He is offered in the gospel; and (4) is renewed in his will, thus being made willing (no sinner is brought to Christ against his will!) and able to embrace Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. In other words, the work of the Spirit makes the sinner willing and able to repent and believe, but his repentance and faith in themselves are not aspects of the effectual call proper. They are his responses, divinely produced, to God’s effectual call, which, taken together, indicate his conversion” (p. 718).

Fifth: The results of the effectual call 

1. Although the effectual call is experienced at the beginning of the application of salvation by the Spirit in us, it continues to be a constant reference point throughout our Christian life. We are continually reminded of what our calling is and to what we have been called.

i. We have been called to fellowship with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:9).
ii. We have been called to the fellowship of the saints (Colossians 3:15).
iii. We have been called to the peace of God, to live at peace with all men (1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 Peter 3:9).
iv. We have been called to a life of holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7; 5:23–24).
v. We have been called to the light (1 Peter 2:9).
vi. We have been called to freedom (Galatians 5:13).
vii. We have been called to hope (Ephesians 1:18; 4:4).
viii. We have been called to endure persecution with patience (1 Peter 2:20–21).
ix. We have been called to the kingdom of God’s glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
x. We have been called to eternal life and glory (2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Timothy 6:12; 1 Peter 5:10; Hebrews 9:15).

2. This high calling carries with it covenantal obligations as we learn to live by faith in Christ. “Therefore I, a prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3).

3. We are called to a diligent practice of obedient growth, thus demonstrating the reality of having been effectually called. “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure; for as you do these things, you will never stumble; for in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you” (2 Peter 1:10–11).

4. “The sovereignty and efficacy of the call do not relax human responsibility, but rather establish and confirm it. The greatness of grace increases the obligation” (John Murray, RAA, p. 92).

5. Observe the diagram “07.1 Building a Detailed Ordo Salutis.” We see that it is God who effectually calls us at the moment of our conversion. As noted, God’s call is made effectual by the work of the Spirit, who regenerates us and gives us new life in Christ.