SS - What Does it Mean to Become a Christian

Ordo solutis - Order of salvation

Election

Gospel Call

Regeneration

Conversion

Justification

Adoption

Sanctification

Perseverance

Death

Glorification

Effective Calling

“Effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.” - Grudem

“Calling/Called”

Those who were predestined & became justified

NOT

General calling

work calling

Etc

This kind of calling is a summons from the King of the universe; it is a summons that can’t be denied, and it brings about the desired response in people’s hearts. This calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith. Because it comes from God and always results in saving faith, it is sometimes referred to as effective calling.

Grudem, Wayne . Christian Beliefs, Revised Edition: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know (pp. 96-97). (Function). Kindle Edition.

Romans 8:28–30 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

John 6:35–44 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent…”

Monergism

Mono one Ergon - One Agent

It is the work of God alone in my soul to make me spiritually alive

John 3:3 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.””

Ephesians 2:1–5 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—”

Always results in faith

Romans 8:28–30 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Objections

“Faith comes first, then regeneration”

Those who received him were born of God

John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

Ref

John 1:13 “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Acts 16:31 “And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.””

Ref

1 John 5:1 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”

Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Ref

Yes & amen

But you must be born again to see or enter the kingdom

John 3:3–8 “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.””

“God desires all be saved”

1 Timothy 2:4 “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Ref

Preceptive (Revealed) will vs Decretive (hidden) will

“All” refers to all kinds (nations, tribes, tongues, languages)

All could refer to believers

Draw in jn 6 doesnt mean irresistable

Helkō consistently means a strong pulling — used in John 21:11 (dragging a net) and Acts 16:19 (dragging to authorities).

Doesnt say “everyone” who is drawn, which would be all people, it says those who the father draws

Other verses that describe this more fully

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1 Thessalonians 2:12 “we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

Those called by God

Romans 1:6 “including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,”

1 Corinthians 1:2 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”

1 Corinthians 7:15 “But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace.”

Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Ephesians 1:18 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”

1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”

1 Peter 2:20–21 “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

So What

Prayer in evangelism

John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

Acts 16:14 “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”

Not general or external call (Gospel proclamation)

Can be rejected

Some argue the Gospel call is enough

Is vitally important

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

Elements of Gospel call

Explanation of facts concerning salvation

Invitation to respond to Christ personally in repentance and faith

Promise of forgiveness & eternal life

Facets of salvation

All people have sinned

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The penalty for our sin is death

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Personal Response

Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all 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.””

Forgiveness & Eternal Life

John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”

Sharing the gospel

How the call is received

God must change their heart (regeneration)

Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

You become a new creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

You love the god you once hated and hate the sin you once loved

How the call is responded to

Repentance & Faith

Repent - μετάνοια

Change orientation

Faith

Trust, Confidence

Not simply believing a fact

“Faith is not believing in God; it is believing God. It is trusting in what He has said and done through Christ.” - Sproul

Chair, Bridge

How we live

The same way in which we were saved

Colossians 2:6 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,”