God's Salvation (4)

[Romans 8:29-30]

Let's look at Romans 8:29-30: "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

This passage teaches us the five stages of salvation, which we will review again:

First stage: God saves those whom He foreknew, i.e., those whom He loved in advance.
Second stage: God saves those whom He predestined, i.e., those He chose before the foundation of the world.
Third stage: God saves those whom He called, i.e., those whom He effectively called.
Fourth stage: God saves those whom He justified.
Fifth stage: God saves those whom He glorified.

Today, we will reflect on the third stage: God saves those whom He called, i.e., those whom He effectively called.

In the Westminster Confession of Faith [Chapter 10, "Effective Calling"], there are several key lessons that we need to consider:

"God effectively calls only those whom He has predestined to eternal life, in His appointed time and according to His good pleasure (Romans 8:30; 11:7; Ephesians 1:10-11)."
God predestined those He foreknew, i.e., those He loved before the foundation of the world, to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29-30). The term "predestined" here means He chose them before creation. God calls them effectively at the time He has appointed.
This calling is through His word and His Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3,6), to rescue them from the state of sin and death into the grace and salvation that is in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:9-10; Romans 8:2; Ephesians 2:1-5).

How does God effectively call? He calls through "His word and His Spirit."
God effectively calls those He has loved and chosen before the foundation of the world to salvation through His word, i.e., the gospel of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, God calls through the Holy Spirit, who enables them to hear the word (the gospel), understand it, accept it, and believe in Jesus Christ.

Here are some Bible verses about how the Holy Spirit enables understanding:

Acts 26:18: "To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."
1 Corinthians 2:10, 12: "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God... Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."
Ephesians 1:17-18: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints."

Verses about how the Holy Spirit softens our hearts to receive God's word (the gospel):

Ezekiel 11:19: "Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:26-27: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."
Deuteronomy 30:6: "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."
Philippians 2:13: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."

The Holy Spirit works in us, enabling us to hear God's word (the gospel), understand it, accept it, and believe in Jesus Christ.

Then, in what state does God call us through His word (the gospel) and the Holy Spirit?
He calls us from the "state of sin and death in which we were born." The "sin in which we were born" refers to the words, "I was born in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). The phrase "in a state of death" refers to the condition where we were spiritually dead due to disobedience and sin (Ephesians 2:1, Modern Translation).

Look at Ephesians 2:1-3: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others."

At that time, we followed the course of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and we lived in the desires of our flesh, doing what the flesh and mind wanted. In other words, when we were by nature children of wrath, God called us. At that moment, the Holy Spirit moved in us and gave life to us who were dead in trespasses and sins (regeneration) [(Titus 3:5) "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"]. He led us to repentance, made us believe in Jesus, declared us righteous, and made us God's adopted children, allowing us to call Him "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). Moreover, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us (makes us holy) and is making us more like Jesus.

Then, when the Lord comes again (the second coming), He will resurrect us or transform us, and take us into the new heaven and new earth, where we will enjoy eternal life and happiness. All of this happens because of God's effective (efficacious) calling, which leads us to be glorified (Romans 8:30).

Bible verses about God's calling:

Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14: "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, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."

God loved us and chose us, and then He called us through the gospel. At that moment, the Holy Spirit worked in us, leading us to believe in Jesus, the truth, and through that, we were saved.

Look at 2 Timothy 1:9-10: "Who has 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 to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

God called us with a holy calling, not according to our works (good deeds), but according to His own will and grace that was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Our Savior, Christ Jesus, abolished death and showed us the way to eternal life and immortality through the gospel.

Look at Ephesians 2:4-5: "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."

It was only because of God's great love that we, who were dead in trespasses and sins (v.1), were made alive with Christ (regeneration) and were saved by God's grace.

Look at John 6:37: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

Those whom God foreknew (loved and chose), whom He called, will all come to Jesus.

Look at John 5:25: "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live."

We, who were dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually dead, and destined for eternal death, will live when we hear the voice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, through God's effective (efficacious) calling.

The Holy Spirit will regenerate us (give us new birth), lead us to repentance, make us believe in Jesus, teach us to obey God's word, and help us grow spiritually, making us more like Jesus. Then, when Jesus returns, we will be resurrected or transformed, entering heaven to enjoy eternal life and happiness.

Having received God's effective (efficacious) call and obtained salvation, we must work diligently in the Lord's work. We must preach God's Word, the gospel of Jesus Christ, while praying for the work of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of any adversity or tribulation, we must receive the Word with joy in the Spirit and become imitators of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:6). When we receive God's Word, we should not receive it as the words of men, but as it truly is, the Word of God (2:13). This Word is also at work in us, the believers (v. 13). We must obey this Word of God, live a holy life, and, in the process of becoming more like Jesus, we must preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are still other sheep who have not yet come into the fold of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must preach the gospel of Jesus Christ so that the Holy Spirit will cause those whom God has loved and chosen from before to hear the voice of Jesus and become one flock under one Shepherd (John 10:16, Modern Bible).

Thus, when Jesus returns (His second coming), we will all be glorified and enter heaven to enjoy eternal life and the blessings of heaven.