Effectual Calling

Coral Ridge Ministries

Effectual Calling

Romans 8:30

August 25, 2023

“… whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
— Romans 8:30

Have you ever called to someone—maybe your child playing in the yard or a friend you see across a room—and that person didn’t respond to your call? While people may not respond to us for a variety of reasons, God never has this problem. He is sovereign. The ones He calls always come to Him. In theological circles, this truth is known as the doctrine of “effectual calling.” (“Effectual” means “producing results.”) From the beginning of the world, God chose the ones who would be His, and He presently goes about calling His chosen to Him.

God calls His chosen people in two ways: outwardly and inwardly. The outward call comes from God’s Word, the inward call comes from the Holy Spirit, and the two interact to draw us to God. When we hear the Word of God preached, the Holy Spirit works in our hearts so that we’ll respond to it. (The doctrine of effectual calling is also “irresistible grace” because the Holy Spirit calls us so lovingly and powerfully we can’t possibly resist Him.) A person whom God has not chosen gets only the outward call. Such a person hears the Word but cannot respond to it because the Holy Spirit hasn’t worked in his or her heart.

Some people believe that God gives only an outward call, that they hear God’s Word and have the power to accept or reject it. But this cannot be true because it would mean God doesn’t have enough power to choose whom He wants. His call would not be effectual. It would also mean that people wouldn’t need God to choose them because they would be all-powerful. But we know this is not true. Until God chooses us, we’re dead in sin with our minds darkened and unable to understand or choose spiritual things.

None of us deserves God’s choosing. In His infinite mercy, He chose us according to His good pleasure. The fact that the Lord wanted to choose any of us and that He sent Jesus to seek us is an awesome mystery. He revealed it so that none of us would boast of our salvation. Do you hear God’s call? Be sure to respond today.

QUOTE:
“I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my heart to seek Him seeking me.”
— Hymn

Living Thankfully

August 31, 2023

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” — Colossians 2:6–7 A secular author was researching the subject of gratitude. As he did, he examined two large dictionaries of modern psychology and could find no mention of the terms “gratitude,” “thankfulness,” or “giving of thanks.” He then scanned the card catalog of a large university library containing hundreds of thousands of volumes. Through his search, he found not one single card giving any reference to the terms “gratitude” or “thankfulness.” Indeed, as one humorist put it, “If you’re looking for gratitude, you’d better look in the dictionary. That’s the only place you’re going to find it.” If someone looked into your heart today, would that person find thankfulness and gratitude? Someone once said that thankfulness is the least of the virtues and ingratitude the worst of the vices. We consider gratitude an easy virtue to attain, yet so few people distinguish themselves by their thankfulness. Meanwhile, in the first chapter of Romans, Paul, in cataloging the descent of humankind into the mire of depravity, begins by saying that “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (Romans 1:21, emphasis mine). He then describes humanity’s fall into all sorts of base immorality. The slide from godliness into wickedness begins with ingratitude. Shakespeare once said, “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!” But the Bible repeatedly calls upon us to remember our blessings and express gratitude. It says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). What blessings can you thank God for today? Beginning now, cultivate a grateful heart. Make it a regular practice to thank the Lord for who He is and for all He has done for you. “As a rule, a man’s a fool. When it’s hot, he wants it cool. When it’s cool, he wants it hot. Always wanting what is not.” — Anonymous

To Rear a Child

August 30, 2023

“Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept. Line upon line, line upon line, here a little there a little.” — Isaiah 28:9-10 If you’re a parent or hope to be one someday, then you’ve probably already considered how you’ll raise your children. Allow me, if you would, to put my oar in the water and give you a few thoughts about godly parenting. When we first look at our newborn children, we are full of hopes and dreams for them and their future. To guide our children toward reaching their potential, we can rely on promises and principles from God’s Word. Biblical parenting boils down to two main things: We must train our children in God’s Word and discipline them according to God’s principles. “Training our children” means teaching them line by line, precept by precept, a little bit here, a little bit there about the things of God. A father must fulfill his role as spiritual head of his household, teaching his family the things of God: “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). This includes teaching the Ten Commandments, the gospel of Christ, the importance of memorizing Scripture, and how to pray. And because our lives speak louder than our words, we must teach by both precept and example. Disciplining our children must be done in love, not anger. We shouldn’t raise our voices. We should listen to our children and refrain from disciplining them until we hear all the facts. We should set explicit and reasonable boundaries, enforce them consistently, and make it clear that Mom and Dad will always have the final say. We should encourage good behavior by offering positive rewards. A father once paid his son to read certain books and write book reports on them. When in college, the son often expressed gratitude to his father, because his knowledge of those books put him far ahead of his classmates. This father’s initiative helped the son reach his potential. Parenting is tough but worth every effort we make. As we train our children in God’s ways, we can feel confident that our children will reach their full, God-given potential. Today, pray for your children. Ask God to help them grow in Him. And ask Him to give you the wisdom you need to train them in the way they should go. “You cannot change your ancestors, but you can do something about your descendants.” — Anonymous

Hope

August 29, 2023

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope …” — 1 Peter 1:3 What’s your outlook on the future? Do you view the future with hope for great things or with despair? Two thousand years ago, Cicero said, “Where there is life, there is hope.” These words ring true to a certain extent. When we struggle against all sorts of odds, even if we face imminent death, as long as we have life, we have hope. However, for many people, the following statement seems more relevant: Where there is not hope, there is not life—nothing but darkness, despair, and death. When we lose hope, we lose all of our joy. Just imagine facing any one of many difficult trials—betrayal, loss of a job, death of a loved one—without having any hope. Without hope, we have no foundation to stand on when the going gets rough. We also lose the meaning of life when hope slips away. When we have no hope, nothing has purpose. Under these conditions, the everyday struggles of life become burdens too heavy to bear and too difficult to endure. But we need not lose hope. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we have great hope for our future. We don’t just hope for something that is to come; we find our hope in something that has already taken place. The Resurrection, a documented fact in history, is a solid, unmovable rock, and everyone who hopes in it has great joy. Christ has vanquished death and Hell. We have the hope of going to Heaven to spend eternity with Him. And even in this life, Christ has promised never to forsake us. Christ gives us hope. If you’re feeling a little low on hope today, ask Jesus to give you some. Remember that He has secured your future, and in that truth you can have great hope for today and every day. QUOTE: “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” — Martin Luther