Theological Term of the Week: Effectual Call

effectual call

A work of the Holy Spirit in which sinners are convicted of their sin and drawn to Christ in such a way that they are persuaded to embrace him in saving faith; “the work of God’s Spirit whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ and renewing our wills, He persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel.”1 Also called internal call or effective call.

• From scripture: 

…we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23 ESV).

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. (Romans 8:28–30 ESV)

• From the London Baptist Confession, 1689, Chapter 11: 
  

  Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
  A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.

  Q. 31. What is effectual calling?
  A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.

  Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
  A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.

• From Systematic Theology by Robert Letham, pages 656-658: 

Because of sin, no one can respond unaided to the universal call of creation; besides it provides no remedy for sin. Furthermore, no one an respond unaided to the gospel call either. The will is bound (John 8:34; Rom. 6:13; 7:13-14). By nature, people are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1) and so cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3); they cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14) and so cannot be subject to the law of God (Rom. 8:7). In summary, fallen humanity cannot do good in the sight of God (Rom. 3:18; 15:5; 2 Cor. 2:3-5). A positive response to the call to fellowship with Christ is from the human standpoint impossible. How then, do people believe? The answer is in terms of effectual calling (Matt. 19:26). 

… . [S]ince the calling is the work of the Holy Spirit, it is effectual and immutable (Rom. 11:29); is high, holy, and heavenly; and has as its goal fellowship with God’s Son, union with Christ. Here is the answer to the question of how people repond to the gospel. Calling itself cannot be understood in terms of our faith, although it includes our response of repentance and faith in order to reach its goal. The Spirit, in calling, unites us to Christ by awakening faith in us. He does this by regenerating us.

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: What is the effectual call?
2. Ligonier Ministries: Effectual Calling
3. Matthew Barrett: Effectual Calling
4. Thomas Watson: Effectual Calling
5. Steven Lawson: Effectual Calling (video)

Related terms:

• conversion
• external call
• irresistible grace
• prevenient grace
• monergism
• regeneration

1Westminster Shorter Catechism

Filed under Salvation

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Sunday Hymn: O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
Is the current of thy love;
Leading onward, leading homeward,
To thy glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread his praise from shore to shore;
How he loveth, ever loveth,
Changeth never, nevermore;
How he watches o’er his loved ones,
Died to call them all his own;
How for them he intercedeth,
Watcheth o’er them from the throne.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of ev’ry love the best:
‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
‘Tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to thee.

—S. Tre­vor Fran­cis 

Another hymn for this Sunday:

• Beneath the Cross of Jesus at The Happy Wonderer 

Theological Term of the Week: Double Imputation

double imputation

The two-way imputation that is the grounds for a believer’s justification. In this exchange, God imputes (or credits) the sins of the believer to Christ, and imputes (or credits) Christ’s righteousness to the believer. 

• From scripture: 

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith … . (Philippians 3:8-9 ESV)

• From the London Baptist Confession, 1689, Chapter 11: 
  

  1. Those whom God effectually calls He also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting them as righteous, not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone. They are not justified because God reckons as their righteousness either their faith, their believing, or any other act of evangelical obedience. They are justified wholly and solely because God imputes to them Christ’s righteousness. He imputes to them Christ’s active obedience to the whole law and His passive obedience in death. They receive Christ’s righteousness by faith, and rest on Him. They do not possess or produce this faith themselves, it is the gift of God.

  3. Christ, by his obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those who are justified; and did, by the sacrifice of himself in the blood of his cross, undergoing in their stead the penalty due to them, make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice in their behalf;yet, in as much as he was given by the Father for them, and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for anything in them, their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners. 

Learn more:

1. R. C. Sproul: Double Imputation: Our Sin For His Righteousness
2. Got Questions: What does it mean that Jesus became sin for us? and Why does Christ’s righteousness need to be imputed to us?
3. Stephen Nichols: The Doctrine of Imputation
4. J. V. Fesko: The Doctrine of Imputation
5. Albert N. Martin: Romans 5:12-21 - Justification: Double Imputation (mp3)

Related terms:

• active obedience of Christ
• imputation
• justification
• passive obedience of Christ

Filed under Salvation

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button above the header will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.