Called, Chosen and Faithful (Part 2)
by Jody L. AppleChristians Are Called
Though many years have passed since I experienced it, I still vividly recall by mother leaning out the back door of our home and calling me in for dinner. She would call my name loudly and clearly. At first, she just called my first name. But if I did not come running home right away, she would continue to call me just as loudly and just as clearly as at first - but now using my middle name too. When I heard her call me like that I knew to get home quickly.
God's call, though not literally and audibly heard, can be just as "loud" and just as "clear" - but only if we plainly identify how He "calls" us. To do so, it is imperative that we answer the following questions:
(1) How are we called?
(2) What is the gospel and what does it do?
(3) How does the gospel call us?
(4) What do we do in response to the gospel?
(5) What happens when we respond to the gospel?
(1) How are we called?
The word of God teaches that we are called by the gospel (2 Thess 2:13-14). When Paul wrote his second epistle to the church in Thessalonica he said:
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. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle. (2 Thess 2:13-14)
This passages teaches that:
a. God "chose" people for salvation
b. He did so through sanctification by the Spirit
c. He did so through our belief in the truth
d. we are called to this salvation by the gospel
e. we are called for salvation and the obtaining of glory
f. to continue in this salvation, and to ultimately obtain the glory of Christ, we must "stand fast"
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 plainly declares that individuals are called by the gospel. To be called is to be "invited (by God in the proclamation of the Gospel) to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ." (JHT).
Because God wants all mankind to be saved (Jn 3:16; Mt 28:18ff; Mk 16:15ff; Lk 24:44ff; 1 Tim 2:3-4; 2 Pet 3:9; 1 Jn 2:1-2; Titus 2:11ff), it is not surprising to see that this "gospel invitation" is extended to all. It is offered to the Jews and to the Gentiles, to the rich and to the poor, to the righteous and to the unrighteous, to the weak and to the strong, to the free and to the slaves, to men and to women - it is offered to everyone.
You can not read the Bible without acknowledging the universal appeal (or invitation) God has made through the gospel. The preaching of the gospel to all humanity is intrinsic to God's plan of salvation for men. Consider how the p thele taught by Jesus in Matthew 22:1-14 (cf. Lk 14:16-24) ably reflects this point.
a. a king arranged a marriage for his son (vs 2)
b. he sent servants to call those who were invited, but they were not willing to come (vs 3)
c. he sent more servants to tell them all things were ready - come to the wedding (vs 4)
d. they "made light" of the invitation - they just didn't care - and went about their business (vs 5)
e. some seized, mistreated and killed the king's servants (vs 6)
f. when the king heard of it, he sent armies to destroy the murderers and their cities (vs 7)
g. because the wedding was yet prepared (vs 8), and because those who were first invited proved themselves unworthy, the king sent additional servants into the highway to invite whoever they found to the wedding (vs 9)
h. the servants gathered everyone they found and filled the wedding hall with guests (vs 10)
i. when the king came in, he saw a guest who was inappropriately dressed (vs 11), and consequently had him expelled from the wedding (vs 12-13)
j. the parable closes with a key principle in our lesson: "For many are called, but few are chosen." (vs 14)
This parable clearly portrays the extent of Christ's invitation, His "call," if you will. When those initially invited refused to come, the invitation was extended to others. The application was obvious: the Jews rejected God's offer of salvation through Christ, so the invitation was presented to the Gentiles (cf Ps 86:9; Is 11:10; Zech 8:20-23; Mt 12:18, 21; Lk 2:32; Jn 10:16; Rom 15:9ff). All of this occurred according to God's plan of redemption (Rom 1:16ff; Acts 2:39; 15:13ff; Amos 9:11).
The extension of the invitation to others, however, did not lesson the requirements God initially established. Those who were invited second (the Gentiles) had to comply with the requirements of God just like those who were invited first (the Jews). The gospel invitation is not offered with varying levels of compliance. Whenever it is offered (continually), wherever it is offered (everywhere), to whoever it is offered (everybody), the degree of obedience that God expects is neither decreased nor increased- it is constant. The principles of salvation by faith through grace do not vary, and the obedience God expects under every dispensation is consistent for all under that dispensation.
Consider the example of the Galatian Christians. The Galatians heard the gospel and were obedient to it (Gal 3:26ff), but they soon began to follow a different gospel. When they received the gospel, they received God's invitation to come to Him through Christ - on His terms. In responding, the only Divinely ordained choice they had was to follow the gospel as the invitation directed. The gospel was not extended with options: obey this way, obey some other way, or obey whatever way you desire. When the Galatians failed to follow the instructions inherent in the invitation, they followed "another" gospel (Gal 1:6ff).
Though the thrust of Revelation is not evangelistic, per se, there are passages in it which teach that God's invitation is extended to all:
"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." (Rev 1:3) The reading, hearing and keeping the word of God applies to the Bible as a whole, as well as to the book of Revelation. It also applies to all mankind (Mt 28:18ff; Mk 16:15ff).
That "every eye will see Him" (Rev 1:7) implicitly involves responsibility on the part of all to learn and obey.
That all will be judged by the same standard (Rev 20:13) demands that all are accountable to the gospel.
Revelation 22:17 - "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." (cf Is 55:1-3; Jn 4:10-14) The book closes with a universal invitation to "come" to the Christ. It mirrors the words of Christ in Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
2. What is the gospel?
As just noted, we are called when we hear the gospel, the good news of salvation (Rom 1:16ff; 10:13ff). But what is the gospel?
Though 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 informs us that we are "called" by the gospel and by truth, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 tells us more fully what that gospel is. Ultimately, the term "gospel" entails all the good news that God has revealed to us about His plan to redeem man. Paul, however, told the Corinthian Christians the basic tenets of the gospel.
The fundamental elements of the gospel center on all the word of God teaches about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Paul told the Corinthians that the gospel included:
Christ's death - "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,..." (1 Cor 15:3)
Christ's valual - "and that He was buried" (1 Cor 15:4)
and Christ's resurrection - "and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures," (1 Cor 15:4)
Furthermore, Paul taught the significance of the gospel in the first two verses of this passage:
he declared and preached the gospel (15:1)
they (the Corinthians) received the gospel (15:1)
they were standing in the gospel (15:1)
they would be saved by the gospel (15:2)
if they held fast (were faithful) to the gospel (15:2)
Both 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 teach the gospel is essential, that the gospel saves, and that Christians must continue to "stand" in the gospel (i.e., remain faithful) in order to stay saved.
The gospel saves
Please note that these passages teach that the gospel "saves." When Jesus told his Jewish audience that abiding in the truth would make trayefree (Jn 8:31-32), some balked. They claimed they were never in bondage to any man. How, then, did they need to be free?
Their claim was bold, to be sure. And mistaken, too. They had no independent government and no king of their own for hundreds of years. Since Israel fell in 722 BC, and Judah was captured in 606 BC, the Jews had been under the political and military domination of the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and Greeks. During the life of Christ they were under the political and military control of Rome. The Jews were not quite as free as they supposed.
But Jesus had another kind of bondage and another kind of freedom in mind. While His audience seemed to be thinking of their freedom from a political, or perhaps even a cultural, perspective, Jesus was addressing freedom from a spiritual one.
To Jesus, "bondage" meant being a slave to sin - "Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.' " (Jn 8:34); and "freedom" meant forgiveness of sin - "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (Jn 8:36).
Jesus teaching about the power of sin is reflected throughout the Bible, no perhaps no place is its power more clearly taught than in Romans 6:16 -
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" Romans 6:16, NKJV.
"Sin" is almost a non-existent word today. We have virtually eliminated it from our vocabulary. But it is still here. It has been here since the Garden of Eden, and it will continue to be here until the Lord brings us to judgment.
In reality, the problem of sin is the only "real" problem that mankind faces, has ever faced, or will ever face. When we think, say or do things contrary to the will of God, we sin. We sin against ourselves, and we sin against others; but ultimately when we sin, we sin against God (1 Jn 3:4).
When Achan stole treasures from the city of Jericho (Josh 7:21ff), a specific violation of God's will (Josh 6:18) he sinned against himself, his family and his nation. His actions caused Israel to be defeated when they went to battle against the city of Ai. But when Achan was confronted with the sin, this is what he said: "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: ..." (Josh 7:20).
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and had her husband Uriah killed in an attempt to cover his sins, he sinned against himself, against Bathsheba, against his family and against his nation (cf. 2 Sam 11-12). But when David confessed his sins he said "For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight--That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge." (Psalms 51:3-4)
These passages demonstrate a clear and fundamental principle about sin. Though doing wrong may bother our own conscience, or even offend someone else (spiritually), it is imperative that we concede that doing wrong (sinning) is a violation of God's will (1 Jn 3:4). The young man we call the prodigal son took his inheritance and lived wantonly. In so doing he sinned against himself, his father and the rest of his family, and if his sin involved others (the text suggests it did - Lk 15:13; cf. Eph 5:18; Titus 1:6; 1 Pet 4:4 re the terms "riot" and "excess"), he sinned against them also. But when he "came to himself" the Bible records his thoughts: "I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ..." (Lk 15:18). He not only determined to confess his sins before his father and God, he really did so. Luke 15:21 recounts his actual statements to his father: "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "
Each of these accounts (Achan, David, and the lost son) teaches the same principle. Sin is a violation, first and foremost, of God's will.
To speak about the gospel's power to save therefore, it is vital that we understand what it was designed to save us from. The gospel was not designed to make to keep us from poverty, foolishness or poor health. The gospel, then, does not necessarily make us rich, wise or healthy. The gospel was designed with only one purpose in the mind of God - to cleanse our souls from sin.See also:
TheBible.net: Called, Chosen and Faithful (Part 1)
TheBible.net: Called, Chosen and Faithful (Part 2)
TheBible.net: Called, Chosen and Faithful (Part 3)
TheBible.net: Called, Chosen and Faithful (Part 4)