¡God calls!

"For many are called, and few chosen" (Matthew 22:14). But, called and chosen for what? What exactly is the call of God? Are you sure you are one of those called? 

Can you imagine seeing in your caller ID "God calling" when the phone rings? Obviously, God's call is much more subtle than this; But it's that real. In John 6:44, Jesus said: “No one can come to me, if the Father who sent me will not bring him [call or send]; and I will raise him up on the last day ”(see also verse 65). In other words, no one can go to Him — become a true Christian — if he is not called by the Father before.

Without doubt, the teachings of Christ were very impressive; so much so that, hearing this, many of aus disciples were offended and left to follow him , as he wrote the apostle John (v. 66). The call of God is a process through which the Father brings (or calls) a person; This means opening your mind to your spiritual truth and literally inviting him to be saved. 

But there is a lot of confusion about exactly what salvation is, so let's describe it in simple terms. Physically speaking, being saved is being rescued, usually from death; A person who takes another from a burning building has "saved" her from a terrible death. Similarly, spiritual salvation is the rescue of a person from eternal death, or spiritual death. The difference is that when a person dies spiritually, it is impossible for them to come back to life — it has ceased to exist altogether. But whoever achieves this salvation will be transformed to be spiritual and eternal when Christ returns, even if he has died physically.

The Bible tells us that not everyone is called now

God is not calling everyone to salvation at this time. One of the biblical passages that reveals this clearly is Matthew 13: 3-9, where Christ tells the parable of the sower: “Behold, the sower [farmer] went out to sow [plant seeds]. And while sowing, part of the seed fell along the road; and the birds came and ate her.

“Part fell in stony, where there was not much land; and it sprang up soon, because it had no depth of land; but the sun came out, it burned; and because it had no root, it dried up. And part fell among thorns; and the thorns grew, and drowned her. But part fell on good ground, and bore fruit, which one hundred, which one to sixty, and which one to thirty by one. He who has ears to hear [who can understand], let him hear ”.

Do you understand what Jesus meant?

Jesus explains the parable

In this parable — or story with a moral moral — the farmer planting the seeds represents Jesus Christ and his church and the work they do; The seed is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Let's see how Jesus Christ explained this story: “Hear [understand], therefore, you the parable of the sower: When someone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes, and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one that was sown along the way.  

“And he who was sown in stony rocks, this is he who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; but it has no root in itself, but it is short-lived, because when affliction or persecution comes because of the word, then it stumbles.

“He who was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the eagerness of this age and the deceitfulness of riches stifle the word, and it becomes fruitless. But he who was sown in good soil, this is he who hears and understands the word, and bears fruit; and produces one hundred, sixty, and thirty for one ”(Matthew 13: 18-23).

As it happened in history, the "calling of God" occurs when He opens a person's mind so that he can understand the good news of his future kingdom. And this knowledge of his kingdom implies knowing his King (Jesus Christ), the territory where he will be established (the earth), his constitution (the law of God) and his settlers (who will be ruled by Christ and the saints). We invite you to discover more details on this topic in our section "The Kingdom of God".

"Many are called, and few chosen"

But not everyone who heard this parable [teaching] understood what Jesus was trying to tell them. While the entire crowd heard exactly the same words, not everyone reacted in the same way to the message of Christ. Some simply did not "hear" the call; others did hear it, but decided not to respond.

The seed only bears fruit in those people whom God is calling and they decide to follow their way of life. But we must remember that, according to his plan of salvation for humanity, God will not open everyone's mind at the same time. This is what Jesus Christ was trying to explain to his disciples with the parable of the sower (Matthew 13: 11-17).

Let us now analyze another biblical example where we read about some being called before the rest of the world.

Something of crucial importance

The book of Acts is another place where God reveals to us that he is not calling everyone at this time. At a Feast of Pentecost, the day God gave his Spirit to the Church, Peter gave a shocking sermon after which many of his listeners understood that Christ had sacrificed (died) for the forgiveness of his sins. Feeling very distressed and repentant, "they were heartbroken [they felt repentant], and said to Peter and the other apostles: Men brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37)

This is something of crucial importance: true repentance implies taking what has been learned into action; Conversion is much more than a mere emotional reaction. 

This is why Peter replied: “Repent [change your way of life], and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Because for you it is the promise, and for your children, and for all who are far away; for whom the Lord our God will call ”(vv. 38-19, emphasis added). 

Let us stop at the last sentence, "for whom the Lord our God will call." Did all the people who heard Paul's message actively respond by repenting and being baptized? Do not; only "those who received his word were baptized" (v. 41). In truth , God added about 3,000 members to his Church that day, but there were many others who heard the call and decided not to attend. 

Few chosen

Do you find it strange that God is only calling a few for now? Well, it shouldn't; This is a truth that you have surely read many times, although you probably have not noticed! No doubt the term "the chosen ones" will sound familiar. Have you ever thought carefully about its meaning? An election involves choosing certain people to perform a job or trade, and the obvious result of this is that, while some will be chosen, others will not be. Well, the biblical meaning of "chosen" is quite similar — with the difference that it has a spiritual connotation. Only some people hear the call of God during their lifetime. Those who listen to him and decide to repent are chosen by God to receive the Holy Spirit at this time.

But, this does not mean that the rest of the world is lost! God is working according to a carefully designed plan, according to which the vast majority of human beings that have existed throughout history will be called and saved from eternal death if they decide to heed God's call. God's plan is not to give eternal life to those who did their best according to the creed they chose to profess! When, where, how and why will salvation come for all? We invite you to read our article "The Resurrections: What are they?" To know the answer.

Are you being called?

How to know if "God calls!" Does it apply to you personally? Are you a true Christian? The following questions will help you reflect and find the answer:

Have I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior (Savior from the death penalty that sin deserves — breaking God's law)?

Do I understand the Bible when I study it?

Does God listen and answer my prayers?

Am I aware that my natural tendency is to do the opposite of God's law?

Do I appreciate the rules of life that God gives me through his laws instead of bothering with Him for setting me rules?

Do I recognize that I must live according to God's laws since Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for my sins?

Do I take into action the knowledge I acquire when studying the Bible?

Do I strive to obey God in every aspect of my life as I understand how He wants me to live?

Have I discovered that, the more I learn and put into practice the biblical truths, the more I want to continue learning?

This need to change our way of life often begins with the discovery of some aspect of God's great truth in the Scriptures. As the apostle Paul explains, God chooses “from the beginning for salvation, through sanctification [being separated] by the Spirit and faith in the truth, which he called you through our gospel, to reach the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2: 13-14). 

Who is being called by God will discover that, at some point, he will come to understand a passage from the Bible that he had never been able to understand before.

You can know if God is calling you

If you understand the teachings of the Bible and feel the need to change the way you live, God is beginning to work with you. If you understand how necessary it is to obey God's commandments and are aware of how difficult this is for you, God is working with your mind. God is bringing him — calling him — Jesus Christ and his way of life; It is showing you that you also need to repent, just as those who heard Peter's instruction did (Acts 2: 37-38).

But, when God decides to call someone, he does not do so with the intention of nullifying his free will; He never forces us to act against our will. It is up to you to respond or not to that call, God's invitation to be part of the "first fruits" - the first people who will be transformed to spiritual beings and enter his kingdom. If you decide not to respond, God will eventually stop working with you at least for now. But, if you respond, God will give you even more understanding and you will begin to build a strong personal relationship with Him.

Salvation: more than "surrendering the heart to God" momentarily

As we said above, conversion is much more than a passing emotional reaction to the Word of God. Actually, it is a process that requires time, prayer, study, effort, change and more. But every step of this process is very rewarding! While it is true that your actions cannot save you, just as the growth process of a plant is not what life gives you (in reference to the parable of Jesus Christ), this growth process is still necessary. Otherwise, the plant will not produce fruit or, in this case, we will not obtain salvation.