What is the “calling” of God? Does the Bible use that term in more than one sense? Can this calling be resisted? What are elements of true conversion? What does it mean to be justified? Adopted? Sanctified? Will true saints persevere to the end? What is the meaning of glorification?
Leadership Training and Development
Systematic Theology
The Doctrine Of The Application Of Redemption
1. The Call Of God
A. The Gospel Call: This is a general, indiscriminate call to all who hear the gospel to repent and believe in Christ in order to be saved from sin. It is made to the elect and non-elect alike. It is a call of God which is often not answered. Mt. 22:14; Lu. 14:16-24; Acts 17:30.
B. The Effectual Call: This is the sovereign action of God through His Holy Spirit, whereby He enables the hearer of the gospel call to respond to His summons with repentance, faith, and obedience. The effectual call is given only to the elect. This call is always answered in conversion. The effectual call is identical to regeneration. This call is irresistible, because it destroys the disposition in the sinner to resist, having changed his heart. Rom.8:28-30; 1 Cor.1:22-24; 2 Pet.1:10; Gal. 1:15; 1 Pet.2:9; Acts 16:14.
Westminster Confession of Faith: “All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.”
Thomas Watson: “The inward call is when God wonderfully overpowes the heart, and draws the will to embrace Christ. God, by the outward call blows a trumpet in the ear, by the inward call He opens the heart. The outward call may bring men to a profession of Christ, but the inward call brings them to a possession of Christ. The outward call curbs a sinner; the inward call changes him.”
1) The Nature Of Effectual Calling: It is the sovereign activity of God alone (monergistic): man plays no part in this work. He cannot participate, being spiritually dead. Eph.2:1-5; Jn. 1:13; James 1:18. Therefore, effectual calling must precede faith and repentance. Effectual calling is the cause; faith and repentance are the effects. This ought not be understood as God effectually calling a man one day, and next month the called man gets around to repenting and believing in Christ. The man begins to believe and repent of sin the moment God effectually calls him. But the faith and repentance are results of God’s effectual call, not the cause. It is like a person flipping a light switch. The lights come on the instant the switch is flipped, but the turning of the switch produced the light; the light didn’t cause me to flip the switch!
2) The Means Of Effectual Calling:
A. The Word Of God: 1 Pet. 1:23; James 1:18
B. The Spirit of God: Jn. 3:5,6,8
3) The Importance Of Effectual Calling:
A. Without This Call No One Will Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven:
Jn. 3:3,5.
4) The Results Of Effectual Calling:
A. New Life: 2 Cor.5:17
B. Changed Heart: Ezek. 36:25-27
C. Bent Toward Holiness: 2 Tim.1:9; 2 Pet.1:4
D. Love For God: Rom.8:28
E. Justification and Glorification: Rom.8:30
2. Conversion: The conscious act of regenerate persons turning to God in repentance (renunciation of sin) and faith (trusting in Him alone). It is the outward evidence of regeneration. Conversion is the Christian life looked at from the viewpoint of its new direction: away from sin and toward God. Conversion is the work of God and man (synergistic). God regenerates making repentance and faith certain, but it is us and not God who believe and repent. Lu. 45:22; Ezek. 33:11; Acts 2:38; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9; 2 Cor.5:20.
A. Faith:
“Looking away from self, and leaning wholly on Christ for salvation. The personal appropriation of Christ and His merits” — taken from Saved By Grace, Anthony A. Hoekema.
“In response to the revelations of His grace and provisions of His mercy, faith commits itself without reserve and with renunciation of all self-dependence, to Him as its sole and sufficient Savior, and thus, in one act, empties itself of all claim on God and casts itself upon His grace alone for salvation” — taken from Biblical and Theological Studies, B.B. Warfield.
“A whole-souled movement of self-commitment to Christ for salvation from sin and its consequences.” taken from Redemption Accomplished and Applied, Jn. Murray
“What is faith in Jesus Christ? Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel.” Question 86 from Westminster Shorter Catechism.
1) The Elements Of Faith:
a. Knowledge: A certain degree of knowledge is indispensable to faith. Rom.10:13,14,17
b. Assent: That activity by which we firmly accept the teachings of God’s Word as true.
c. Trust: Faith is knowledge passing into assent, and assent passing into confidence.
2) The Object Of Faith: Not a creed, or a set of biblical facts, but a Person. Jn. 8:24; 3:36; Eph.1:15; Jn. 20:28; 5:24; Rom.3:22; 4:5.
3) The Source Of Faith:
a. The Gift Of God: 1 Jn.5:1; 1 Cor.12:3; Jn.6:65; Heb.12:2; Eph.2:8; Phil.1:29
b. The Fruit of Divine Election: Acts 13:48
4) The Evidence Of Faith: Good Works — James 2:17-26; Titus 1:16; 3:8.
B. Repentance: The conscious turning of the regenerate person away from sin and toward God in a complete change of living, which reveals itself in a new way of thinking, feeling, and willing.
Baptist Confession of 1689: “The repentance that leads on to salvation is a gospel grace by means of which a person who is caused by the Holy Spirit to feel the manifold evils of sin is also caused by faith in Christ to humble himself on account of sin. This humiliation is characterized by godly sorow, a detestation of the sin, and self-loathing. It is accompanied by prayer for pardon and strength of grace, and also by a purpose and endeavor, in the power supplied by the Spirit, to conduct himself in the sight of God with the consistency of life that pleases Him.”
1) The Importance Of Repentance
a. It was the message of the OT prophets (Dt.30:10; 2 Kings 17:13; Jer.8:6; Ezek.14:6; 18:30)
b. It was the keynote preaching of John the Baptist (Mt.3:2,8,11; Mk.1:4; Lu. 3:7-14)
c. It was announced in the preaching of Jesus (Mk.1:15; Lu. 13:3-5)
d. It was part of the preaching of the 12 (Mk.6:12)
e. It was to be proclaimed as part of the Gospel (Lu. 24:45-47)
f. It was included in apostolic preaching (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 20:21; 26:20)
g. It is identifiable with saving faith (2 Pet.3:9)
2) The Elements Of Repentance:
a. The Intellectual Element: (A change of mind that includes a knowledge of sin, God and self) Rom.3:20; Ps.51:3-4; Lu. 15:17
b. The Emotional Element: (A sorrow for sin) 2 Cor.7:9-11; Ps.38:18
c. The Volitional Element: (A change of decisions based change of mind) Mt.11:21; 12:41; Acts 3:19-26; 26:18-20; 19:18-19; 1 Thess.1:9
3) The Source Of Repentance: It is a gift of God – Acts 5:31; 11:18; 2Tim.2:25.
3. Justification:
A. Meaning Of Justification:
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) — Question #60 — How are you right with God? Answer — Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.
The Belgic confession (1561) — “And therefore we justly say with Paul that we are justified “by faith alone” or by faith “apart from works” (Romans 3:28). However, we do not mean, properly speaking, that it is faith itself that justifies us — for faith is only the instrument by which we embrace Christ, our righteousness. But Jesus Christ is our righteousness in making available to us all His merits and all the holy works He has done for us and in our place. And faith is the instrument that keeps us together with Him in communion with all His benefits. When those benefits are made ours they are more than enough to absolve us of our sins.”
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647): “God freely justifies the persons whom He effectually calls. He does this, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins and by accounting them, and accepting them, as righteous. This He does for Christ’s sake alone, and not for anything wrought in them or done by them. The righteousness which is imputed to them, that is, reckoned to their account, is neither their faith nor the act of believing nor any other obedience to the gospel which they have rendered, but Christ’s obedience alone. Christ’s one obedience is two-fold — His active obedience rendered to the entire divine law, and His passive obedience rendered in His death. Those thus justified receive and rest by faith upon Christ’s righteousness; and this faith they have, not of themselves, but as the gift of God…
God continues to forgive the sins of all the justified. They can never lose their justification; but they may, by reason of sin, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure; in which case, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg God’s pardon, and renew their faith and repentance, God will not usually restore to them ‘the light of His countenance.”
Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 33 What is justification? Answer – “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”
Taken from Anthony Hoekema in Saved By Grace, “Justification may be defined as that gracious and judicial act of God whereby He declares believing sinners righteous on the basis of the righteousness of Christ which is credited to them, and forgives all their sins…
B. The Nature Of Justification:
1) Justification Is The Work Of God Alone: Only God can justify men, because only He is their Judge.
2) Justification Is The Declarative Act Of God: It is not a process. It takes place once and for all when a person believes in Christ. God pronounces us righteous, not on the fluctuating basis of what we are in ourselves, but on the unchanging basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
3) Justification Is Perfect: It is not subject to degrees. God’s work in us is subject to degrees. We differ in the degree to which His Spirit works in us making us like Christ, and it is possible to be more or less Christ-like. But it is not possible to be more or less justified. The Apostle Paul is not more justified than you.
3) Justification Is Permanent and Eternal: Rom.8:1,33; 5:9; Dan.9:24.
4) Justification Is Received Through Faith Alone: In no sense is it received by our good works. Faith is merely the instrument that receives justification. Justification is not because of faith. Rom.4:5; Phil.3:9; Eph.2:8-9.
5) Justification Is By Grace: Not the reward of anything in us or wrought by us, but it proceeds from God’s free and unmerited favor. Rom.3:24; 5:15-21
6) It Is Based Upon The Substitionary Work Of Christ for Us: Rom.3:24; 5:9; 2Cor.5:21
7) Justification Is Rooted In Union With Christ: It is only because we are one with Christ that His righteousness can be credited to us, and can therefore become our own.
8) Justification Is Inseparably Connected To But Distinct From Sanctification: 1 Cor.1:30
a. Justification removes the guilt of sin, whereas sanctification removes the pollution of sin and enables the believer to grow in his likeness to Christ.
b. Justification takes place outside the believer and is a declaration made by God about his legal status. Sanctification takes place within the believer and progressively renews his nature.
c. Justification takes place once for all and is neither a process nor a repeated event. Sanctification, however, is a process which continues throughout life and is not completed until after this life is over.
9) Justification is Non-Experiential: It is something declared by God, not experienced with us. It is completely objective.
4. Adoption:
A. Meaning Of Adoption:
The Westminster Confession, Question 34, What is adoption? “Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the priveleges, of the sons of God.”
Like justification, adoption is a judicial act. It is the bestowal of a new status in relationship to God. It is the action of God which places the believer into His family. In Greek society when a person was adopted they:
1. Lost all rights in their old family and gained all the rights of a fully legitmate son in their new family.
2. Became an heir to the new father’s estate.
3. Had their old life (legal debts) completely eradicated.
4. Became, in the eyes of the law, literally the son of the new father.
B. The Agent Of Adoption: The Father – 1Jn.3:1. Like regeneration, and justification, this is the work of God alone. Man plays no part in adoption. It is non-experiential.
C. The Origin Of Adoption: The eternal decree of God – Eph.1:4-6.
D. The Basis of Adoption: Union with Christ. Eph.1:5
E. The Motive Of Adoption: The good pleasure of His will. Eph.1:5
F. The End Of Adoption: The praise of the glory of His grace. Eph.1:6
G. The Consequences Of Adoption:
1) The Holy Spirit Given To Us: Rom.8:15-16; Gal.4:4-5
2) We Are Made Heirs of God: Rom.8:17-18
5. Sanctification:
A. Meaning Of Sanctification:
Taken from Anthony Hoekema in Saved By Grace, “That gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, involving our responsible participation, by which He delivers us from the pollution of sin, renews our entire nature according to the image of God, and enables us to live lives that are pleasing to Him.”
Westminister Shorter Catechism, Question 35 “What is sanctification? Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.”
These definitions deal with the meaning of Progressive Sanctification developed below.
B. Aspects of Sanctification:
1) Initial Sanctification: that instantaneous, never to be repeated work of God whereby He unites the sinner to Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement, so that the virtue of Christ’s work becomes theirs. There has been a radical and permanent cleavage with the old life. The believer has died to sin, his old self has been crucified, and he has been made alive to God in Christ Jesus. Sin has been dethroned, and shall not be master over him any longer. (Rom.6:1-14; Eph.2:4-5; Col.2:12; Phil.2:20). This aspect of sanctification differs from progressive sanctification in that it is instanteous and never to be repeated, whereas the latter is lifelong and continual. Additionally progressive sanctification is the work of God alone, whereas progressive sanctification is the work of both God and man. (1Cor.1:2; 6:11; Acts 20:32; 26:18; 2 Thess.2:13)
2. Progressive Sanctification: “That ongoing work of the indwelling Spirit whereby the believer is conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.” This work is begun at regeneration and is completed at death. It is a work in which both God and man are active. (Rom.8:13; Col.3:5; 2 Cor.7:1; 1Jn.3:3; 2 Cor.3:18)
3. Ultimate Sanctification: “The complete separation of the believer from all sin, so that he is perfectly holy in every way.” This aspect of sanctification is brought to pass at his death or the coming of Jesus Christ.
3. The Agent of Sanctification:
A. The Triune God:
1) The Father: Jn.17:17; Heb.12:10; Rom.8:29
2) The Son: Eph.5:25-27; Titus 2:14
3) The Spirit: 1 Pet.1:2; 2 Thess.2:13; 1 Thess.4:3-7
4. The Believer’s Role in Sanctification: (Rom.12:1-2; Phil.2:12-13; 2 Cor.7:1)
5. The Means of Sanctification:
A. The Word Of God: Jn.17:17; 2 Tim.3:16-17; Eph.5:26
B. Faith: Acts 26:18; Gal.2:20
6. The Goal of Sanctification:
The glory of God (Phil.1:9-11; Eph.1:4-6)
7. Perseverance:
A. The Meaning Of Perseverance:
The Westminister Confession “The saints are those whom God has accepted in Christ the Beloved, and effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit. To them He has given the precious faith that pertains to all His elect. The persons to whom such blessings have been imparted can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but they shall certainly persevere in grace to the end and be eternally saved, for God will never repent of having called them and made gifts to them. Consequently He continues to beget and to nourish in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit that issue in immortality. Many storms and floods may arise and beat upon them, yet they can never be moved from the foundation and rock on which by faith they are firmly established. Even if unbelief and Satan’s temptations cause them for a time to lose the sight and comfort of the light and love of God, yet the unchanging God remains their God, and He will certainly keep and save them by His power until thety come to the enjoyment of their purchased possession; for they are engraven on the palms of His hands, and their names have been written in the book of life from all eternity.
The Canons of Dort (1618) “So it is not by their own merits or strength but by God’s undeserved mercy that they (true believers) neither forfeit faith and grace totally nor remain in their downfalls to the end and are lost. With respect to themselves this not only easily could happen, but also undoubtedly would happen; but with respect to God it cannot possibly happen, since His plan cannot be changed, His promise cannot fail; the calling according to His purpose cannot be revoked, the merit of Christ as well as His interceding and preserving cannot be nullified, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit can neither be invalidated nor wiped out.
B. The Basis for Perseverance:
1) The Promise Of God: Jn.10:27-29; Phil.1:6; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 6:38-39; Rom.8:29-30
2) The Power Of God: 1 Pet.1:3-5
3) The Perfections Of God: He is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Immutable. Nothing can arise which He has not foreseen from all eternity. Nothing can hinder the saints’ perseverance which He is not powerful enough to overcome. Nothing can possibly cause Him to change His purposes.
4) The Prayers Of God: Jn.17:11,12,15; Rom.8:33-34; Lu. 22:31-32; Heb.7:25
5) The Preservation Of God: Jude 1:1; Eph.1:13-14. Believers are able to persevere only because God is actively at work preserving them.
C. The Misconceptions of Perseverance:
1) That all professing Christians are eternally secure regardless of the extent to which they fall into sin or apostasize from the faith.
2) That a professing Christian is eternally secure regardless of whether he continues in the faith until the end. For this reason it is probably best not to refer to the doctrine as “Once Saved Always Saved” or “The Security of the Believer.” “To teach this doctrine in such a way as to present only its comfort and not its challenge, only the security and not the exhortation, is to teach it one-sidedly. And the Bible constantly warns us against such one-sidedness” – taken from Saved By Grace, by Anthony Hoekema.
8. Glorification:
A. Meaning Of Glorification: Glorification is the final phase in the application of redemption. It is the instanteous change that will take place for the whole company of the redeemed when Christ will come again the second time, granting them a completed sanctification, the removal of sinful flesh and creation of a new glorified body. At this same time God will create a new heavens and a new earth. Rom.8:18-23; 1 Cor.15:51-54; 1 Thess.4:13-17.
B. Properties of Our Glorified Bodies:
1) Imperishable: 1 Cor.15:42. No longer will they be subject to disease, aging, or death.
2) Glorious: 1 Cor.15:40-41. Mt.13:43. Beautiful and full of splendor.
3) Spiritual: 1 Cor.15:44. The body will be absolutely subservient to the spirit, not a hindrance to it. Perhaps this means our bodies will be able to move swiftly like the angels.
4) Immortal: 1 Cor.15:53. Lu.20:35-36.
5) Powerful: 1 Cor. 15:43
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