This is another repost of an old post in the Called According to Paul series. I’m reposting them all, one per week (sort of), so I can link to them in the sidebar under Favorite Posts. An explanation of this series can be found here, and the already reposted pieces are here.
Here are the verses from Romans 11:
In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. (28-29 NET)
What I’m not going to do is explain exactly what these verses mean. I think we can glean at least a couple of things about the way Paul uses the word “call” without explaining exactly what it is Paul is teaching about the Jews here.
- The call is associated with God’s choice (election). This is a common theme in regards to calling throughout Paul’s writings, so it’s not the first time we’ve seen it.
- The call is irrevocable. There is certainty or surety in the call.
Is there more? What more can you see about the way Paul uses the word call from these verses?