About Doctrines
Calling
All Christians are "called" by God. But, what exactly does this mean?
First, with regard to "calling," many theologians define the call in two steps, one of common call and one of effectual calling.
- The common call is to all men, pointing them toward God. It is an outward call, a call to come to Him. Paul addresses this starting at verse 19 of Romans 1 (above).
- The is the effectual call. This is the inward call that evokes salvation. It is the call of the Holy Spirit to draw men to a saving grace (John 16:14; 6:44, 45; Acts 16:14;26:18; Eph. 1:17).
There is, at least, one other call, not labeled in the same fashion since it relates not to salvation, but to service. There is a call upon all believers to be witnesses for Jesus and the Gospel message (Matt 28:19-20). But, beyond this general call to all Christians, many are called into part time or full time ministry for our Lord. This calling is a calling to a special ministry or position (Exod 31:2; Isa. 22:20; Acts 13:2). One of the individual translations in the commentaries translates the word "call" as "divinely chosen and accredited" (Sanday). While not a very literal translation, this concept is a powerful method of stating the call upon Paul's life.
