“But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”
John 10:2-4
What does it mean to be “called by God”?
At the simplest level, the word in Greek is just like our English word – it means to summon as we would call a dog or whistle for our kids to come home for dinner. (I suppose now it’s not a bell on the front porch but a text to the smart phone – but the effect is the same.)
But there is a deeper, more profound level for the Biblical word “call.”
“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
In this short passage we see the word “called” deliberately used alongside other significant words like “foreknew,” “predestined,” and “justified.” This is relational terminology meant to remind us of God’s covenant commitments to His people.
Rewind to Romans 1. Paul identifies himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle” (1:1). The word “called” must be important to the author since he applies it to himself and opens the book with it. Then he applies it to his readers:
“…including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 1:6-7
There is a deep and genuine comfort in this idea of being personally invited into a covenant relationship with Jesus. And the power of the concept is that it’s more than an invitation, it’s an intentional work that God is doing in us. There is grace and peace for us to receive and experience as we appreciate the wonderful gift it is to be called.
Listen to how Paul interprets this doctrine in Abraham’s life:
“That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
Romans 4:16-17
Think about Abraham’s situation when he was called. An old man – 75. A barren wife – 65. A servant boy would be his heir. From the standpoint of family Abraham was already dead, with no legacy, no tribe to leave behind.
But the God who summoned him to a new land is the God who “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist,” like a baby in a lifeless womb; like a nation from a genealogical dead end.
One more quote:
“And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’”
Romans 9:10-12
We may struggle with “God’s purpose of election” for loved ones who show no signs of movement toward the Lord, but the doctrines of predestination and calling are primarily meant to encourage those who already follow Jesus. And one of Paul’s primary goals in the book of Romans is to do away with, once and for all, any last remnants of the idea that we can be saved by works.
How could you possibly boast about something that was decided before you were born? (Or, as Eph. 1:4 says, that was determined “before the foundation of the world”!)
The takeaway here is that it’s all grace! “That the promise may rest on grace” (4:16). God didn’t call you because of your amazing Bible knowledge or impeccable fashion sense. He didn’t choose you based on your driving record or SAT score. He didn’t look down through time and determine that your moral code and righteous, on time tax payments were needed in heaven.
It was all grace. God called you because you would beautifully reveal His overflowing generosity.
In a poetic turn of phrase Paul quotes Joel 2:32 using the same word for “call” but this time in our mouths.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10:13
How did you receive this gift of God’s infinite grace in calling you to Himself? You answered the call by calling on the Name of Jesus. Be encouraged in this truth for yourself and pray for all the people you love – praying in hope – knowing that everyone who calls on the Name of Jesus will be saved!