“Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14)
The above statement was spoken by Jesus at the conclusion to His parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14), in which He is illustrating how His gracious offer of entrance into the Kingdom of God/Heaven through faith in Him, has and will be made to many, but that few will accept the invitation, finding the offer irrelevant or other things more important. It would seem to imply that those who do hear the call and enter, will do so only because God has chosen and enabled them to do so.
Based on the many obstacles inherent in our fallen, sinful human condition, which I have elaborated on in previous posts, in particular where we are told in Romans 3:10-11 that there is none who seek after God, this would appear to be a reasonable (and true) conclusion. Men and women who are spiritually dead in trespasses and sin can hardly be expected to hear and heed Jesus’ call to repent and believe the gospel, which is the requirement for entry into His kingdom, any more than Lazarus, physically dead in the tomb for three days, could respond to Jesus’ call to come forth apart from a sovereign, supernatural act of God, displayed for His glory (Mark 1:14-15) (John 11:40-44).
Now the proposition that God sovereignly chooses some for salvation, to be forgiven of their sins and sin’s eternal penalty, Hell, and grants them eternal life, the glorious life with God for which man was created (Romans 6:23), while leaving others under His just and eternal judgement seems unfair to some, who question His goodness in doing so. They are unwilling to acknowledge that as creator, God has the right and freedom to do within His creation as he pleases (Psalm 135:5-6) (Romans 9:19-21). Truth be told, God was never under any obligation to save anyone.
However, the Bible clearly teaches that God does have a particular people whom He has, in the freedom of His will, chosen, predestined, elected for salvation, whom He has effectively called from spiritual death to life, enabling them to believe and receive the glorious promises of the gospel, of the redeeming work of God the Son, Jesus Christ, who on the bases of His sinless life, substitutionary death and miraculous resurrection is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him (Ephesians 2:1) (Hebrews 7:25).
Multiple scripture passages suggest, if not outright proclaim this to be the case. In Matthew 1:21, the angel in addressing Joseph regarding Mary’s pregnancy reveals, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
In Titus 2:14, the Apostle Paul in speaking of Jesus writes, “who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” In John 15:9-16, Jesus in speaking to His disciples regarding His love for them and His friendship with them states in verse 16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you…”, and in John 6:44, He emphatically proclaims, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day”.
In Romans 8:28-30, Paul presents the full range of salvation, from our justification in Christ to our glorification at His second coming, as being for a people whom God called, foreknew and predestined. Numerous other passages, including 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and Romans 1:5-7, give evidence of a divine and supernatural call in the lives of those whom God chooses for salvation.
In 2 Timothy 1:8-10, Titus 3:4-7, and particularly Ephesians 1:3-14, it is made clear that God’s choice of a people who will respond to the call of the gospel is not conditioned on anything those who are chosen have or will do, but only according to the wise counsel of His will, motivated by His loving kindness, by which He would display His glory – the infinite perfections of His being – particularly the glory of His grace.
The term grace as used in the Bible describes how God freely and gladly displays His infinite goodness, wisdom and power on behalf of men and women for our present and eternal joy, pleasure, significance and satisfaction in Him. The glory of His grace was first revealed in the initial creation, where everything God created was good, given to man to freely enjoy under God’s fatherly authority (Genesis 1:27-31) (1 Timothy 6:17). Mankind’s outright and universal rejection of God’s authority, what is referred to as sin, resulted in mankind being cut off from this glorious display of His grace, bringing us under the just judgement of God, and in need of His redeeming or saving grace, which God from the foundation of the world planned to display in and to His called (Romans 3:23) (Ephesians 2:5) (Ephesians 1:3-6).
This call is thus a divine and supernatural call, originating in the heart of God, motivated by the love of God, expressed in the mercy of God, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Jeremiah 31:3)(Ephesians 2:7) .
The call is twofold, to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). The desire and ability to repent and believe is granted to the elect, proceeding from their new heart, a radical transformation God makes at the core of our being so that we willingly and gladly respond to His call (Ezekiel 36:25-27) (2 Timothy 2:25) (Acts 11:17-18).
Repentance includes an awareness and acknowledgement of the greatness of our sin against God, the justness of His judgement on it and a radical turning from it, essentially turning from a self-centered life to a God centered life (Psalm 51:3-4) (Ezekiel 18:30) (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
The call to believe the gospel, the good news of what God has done to rescue believers from the Hell they deserve and qualify them for a Heaven they never could deserve, is a call to faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him as our all-sufficient savior and gladly submitting to Him as Lord, as the Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes to see His glory, His infinite worthiness to be known, trusted and obeyed as the object of our deepest love and source of our present and eternal joy (1 Corinthians 12:3) (2 Corinthians 4:6) (1 John 4:19). This faith also is granted as a gift, upon hearing the gospel proclaimed (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Romans 10:14-17).
In our answering this call, we find there are subsequent calls that proceed from doing so, which are also dependent on God’s grace received through faith (Hebrews 10:38). These include the call to be holy as He is holy, living our lives in ever increasing conformity to Christ’s in our nature and character (1 Peter 1:15-17); the call to renew our minds to God’s truth (Romans 12:2); and the call to proclaim the gospel to others (Mark 16:15). Again, our response to these calls is enabled by God the Holy Spirit who dwells within the called (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
Most importantly, there is the call to live out our salvation in unceasing joy, thanksgiving, obedience and praise to the one – Jesus Christ – who loved us and gave His life for us, being certain that nothing can ever separate us from that love as the names of the called are already written in Heaven (Galatians 2:20) (Romans 8:35-39) (John 14:15) (Luke 10:20).
The Apostle Peter 1 Peter 2:9, thus summarizes the life of the called in this way, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim (in every aspect of our life) the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous (divine and supernatural) light.”
Grace and Peace ×
BUT GOD… !