Called To God, Called By God

He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

Ephesians 1:5-7

All of us are called to be the Blessed Children of God.

We are not called because of our race. We are not called because of our ethnic heritage. We are not called because we attend church, or because we attend this church rather than that church.

We are called to God. We are called by God. We are not called by any church, nor any priest, pastor, or politician.

Yet many self-proclaimed Christians delight in claiming that non-Christians are not the Blessed Children of God. Often they are prideful and even arrogant about it, as if to impute special status to themselves while denying status to others.

It is certainly true that in Scripture we have multiple teachings that non-Christians are not the Blessed Children of God.

In Ephesians 2:3, the Apostle Paul describes non-believers as “children of wrath.” This is a doubling-down on his teaching in Romans 9:8 that only those who believe—”children of the promise”—can inherit God’s Kingdom.

In 1 John 3:8-10, we find the teaching that those who commit sin, those who do evil, are of the devil and not of God.

We can also look to verses such as James 4:4, which declares that “whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

There is a sound logic in the premise that those who reject God cannot be simultaneously the Blessed Children of God.

Yet that same logic necessarily works in the other direction: all those who follow God—all those who choose to follow God—must therefore be the Blessed Children of God. The Apostle Paul asserts as much in Romans 10, teaching that “everyone who has faith may be justified” and also that “every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Which brings me back to my opening statement: All of us are called to be the Blessed Children of God. Those who do not believe are called to believe. Those who have not repented are called to repent. Those who do not follow God’s Law are called to follow.

Paul reminds us of this in 1 Timothy 2:4, teaching that God “desires all men to be saved.” The Apostle Peter concurs with this stance, teaching in 2 Peter 3:9 that God is “forebearing…not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

We see Jesus Himself giving this teaching in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet from Matthew 22:1-14, showing how God has made known His call in multiple ways using the prophets as His messengers, even though only a few choose to respond and attend upon God’s calling. Jesus reiterates this teaching in the Parable of the Sower from Luke 8:4-8, reminding us that the calling is there even if we do not listen: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

We are called to God. We are called by God.

Nor can Christians seriously dispute that God’s call is universal. The Great Commission—arguably the foundational mission statement for the whole of Christianity—is that Christians are to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. If Christians are called to carry Jesus’ teachings to all nations, it necessarily follows that God calls all nations.

Paul, quoting Isaiah, reminds us in Romans 14:11 that “every knee shall bow” before God, reminding us yet again that God calls everyone.

We should also bear in mind that God called Jonah to carry His warning to the people of Nineveh, that they should repent of their wickedness lest God’s wrath come down on them. Nineveh, the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, was culturally, religiously, and geographically outside the domains of the Israelites, God’s chosen people. Yet the whole of the Book of Jonah revolves around God calling Jonah to carry a message of repentance and therefore grace to the city.

We must also remember that Ruth, ancestor to King David, was from Moab—the land inhabited by the pagan descendants of Lot’s incestuous union with his own daughter. Despite this heritage, she chose to follow Naomi back to Israel, back to God’s chosen people, and thus gave rise to Israel’s second and greatest King.

Even before Jesus came into the world, before He charged His disciples with the Great Commission, God called pagan peoples to repentance. God called pagan people to join God’s chosen people Israel.

We have always been called to God. We have always been called by God. Regardless of who we are, no matter from where we come, no matter what we believe in the moment, God calls all of us to come back to Him.

Will everyone answer God’s call? We already know that many do not. We need only listen to the non-believers around us who loudly and proudly reject God to know that not everyone has answered or is likely to answer God’s call. In his salutation to the Ephesians, Paul points out that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him,” making it clear that only some are fated to answer God’s call.

Remember, Jesus Himself, at the close of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, soberly reminds us that “many are called, but few are chosen.”

Are Christians those who are called by God and then chosen by God? We certainly believe that we are—I certainly believe that I am—and Scripture teaches that we are.

Are Christians, being chosen by God, better than those who are not chosen by God? Sadly, in my experience I have encountered professing Christians who at least act as if they believe themselves better than others, and a few who state it outright. I say “sadly”, because believers are not better than non-believers. Those who are saved do not enjoy any special status over those who have not been saved.

Jesus makes this quite clear with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14. Jesus teaches us plainly that the humble man, who acknowledges his sins, repents, and seeks God’s Mercy is the one who is justified, not the prideful man who arrogantly proclaims his salvation to everyone.

Paul reiterates this teaching in Romans 12:3, exhorting the nascent church in Rome to remain humble and not become full of themselves, and makes the same point again in Philippians 2:3.

Nor should we think any of this to have been radical or remarkable even in Jesus’ time. Exhortations against pride, such as Proverbs 16:18, have been part of the world’s wisdom since antiquity.

We are all called to God. We are all called by God.

Believing in God is not a source of pride, and should not be a source of pride. Claiming to follow Jesus Christ is not a source of pride, and should not be a source of pride. Scripture does not teach that we should be proud. Jesus does not teach that we should be proud.

Christians are not given a special calling not given to all men. Rather, Christians must accept that, when we answer God’s call, when we submit to God’s Will, we will find ourselves tasked with things we might otherwise ignore.

Christians must accept that, having declared faith in Jesus, we necessarily accept the charge of the Great Commission.

Christians must accept that, having declared faith in Jesus, we necessarily must be prepared to take up our own crosses, standing fast against oppression and injustice even at the cost of our own lives.

Christians must accept, having declared faith in Jesus, these tasks and charges come to us not because we are “Christian”, but because they are within God’s call to everyone.

God wants everyone to repent. God wants everyone to be saved. God wants everyone to come back to Him. Christians, having declared faith in His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, are merely those who do repent, who seek salvation, and who strive to come back to God.

We are all called to God. We are all called by God.

My prayer on every day is that everyone everywhere will hear and heed God’s call. My prayer on every day is that everyone everywhere will repent, seek salvation, and strive to return to God. My prayer on every day is that everyone everywhere will be humble and not proud, always mindful that we are all fallen, we are all sinners, and so the believer can be neither better nor worse than the non-believer.

Believing in God is not a source of pride, and should not be a source of pride. Claiming to follow Jesus Christ is not a source of pride, and should not be a source of pride. Scripture does not teach that we should be proud. Jesus does not teach that we should be proud.

By professing to follow Jesus Christ, Christians accept that, in hearing and heeding God’s call, we accept the charges and tasks within that call to everyone.

God wants everyone to repent. God wants everyone to be saved. God wants everyone to come back to Him. Christians, having declared faith in His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, are merely those who do repent, who seek salvation, and who strive to come back to God.

We are all called to God. We are all called by God.