The Effectual Call
1689 London Baptist Confession – Chapter 10
- What Is the Effectual Call?
Definition:
The effectual call is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit whereby He:
• Convicts of sin and misery, Enlightens the mind in the knowledge of Christ, Renews the will, Persuades and enables the sinner to freely embrace Christ. This call always succeeds in bringing the elect to salvation. - Paragraph 1 – God’s Sovereign Decree and the Order of Salvation
Terms: Predestination: God’s eternal decree ordering all things, whereas Election: God’s choosing of specific individuals unto salvation. Man, in his natural state: Dead in sin. Enslaved to corruption, Hostile toward God
The Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation) This is a logical order, not strictly chronological, and implied but not explicitly stated here: 1. Election / Predestination 2. Effectual Calling 3. Regeneration 4. Conversion (Faith & Repentance) 5. Justification 6. Adoption 7. Sanctification 8. Perseverance 9. Glorification
Free Will and Sovereignty – God does not violate the will, He renews it. The sinner is not coerced. The sinner is made willing. The heart is transformed from stone to flesh. The elect come to Christ freely, because grace has made them willing.
Divine Concurrence – God works through all things as the primary cause, while creatures act as secondary causes. God works 100%, man acts 100%. Actions are simultaneous. Human responsibility remains intact. God’s purposes are always accomplished - Paragraph 2 – Man’s Inability and God’s Initiative
Total Inability: Man cannot come to Christ because he is: Spiritually dead. Unable to respond apart from grace
Biblical Illustrations – Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37): Life comes only when God breathes, Lazarus (John 11): Christ calls the dead to life
The call of Christ is life-giving. The sinner must be made alive before he can respond. - Paragraph 3 – The Question of Infants and the Incapable
Confessional Statement: Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit.
Salvation is always grounded in election. God works apart from ordinary means when necessary. Applies also to those incapable of understanding the gospel. Theological Positions: Elect Infants Only (Confessional View), All Infants Saved (e.g., John MacArthur), Some Infants Reprobate (e.g., Gerstner), Universalism (Rejected): “The secret things belong unto the Lord…” (Deut. 29:29) - Paragraph 4 – The Non-Elect and the External Call
• The non-elect may hear the gospel. They may experience conviction. They may appear religious, yet, without the effectual calling, they cannot be saved
Warnings in Scripture – Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25): Religious but unprepared. Sheep and Goats: Final separation is certain
Truth – Morality ? Salvation. Religion ? Regeneration. Exposure to truth ? Conversion
Summary of the Doctrine – Salvation is entirely a work of God. The sinner is passive in regeneration. The call of God is irresistible and effective. The elect will certainly be saved. God remains just, sovereign, and merciful.
Consider this: The doctrine of the effectual call does not make men robots, it reveals them as resurrected sinners, brought willingly to Christ by divine grace.
What are “Practical Applications” from Chapter 10 (Effectual Calling)?
- Cultivate Humility Before God. You did not awaken yourself spiritually, God called you. Begin each day acknowledging that your faith is not your achievement, but God’s mercy. Pride has no place in the heart that remembers it was once dead in sin.
- Rest in Assurance, Not Anxiety. If God has effectually called you, His work is not fragile. When doubts arise, do not look inward first, but upward. Your salvation rests not on the strength of your will, but on God’s unchanging purpose.
- Pray with Confidence for Others. Since calling is God’s work, even the hardest heart is not beyond hope. Pray earnestly for unbelievers, trusting that the same God who called you can call them. This fuels persistence in prayer rather than despair.
- Respond Actively to the Gospel. Though God calls sovereignly, He calls through means… the Word especially. Attend diligently to Scripture. When you hear or read it, do not remain passive. Ask: “Is God calling me to repent, to obey, to trust more deeply?”
- Walk in New Obedience. Effectual calling does not leave a man unchanged… it transforms his will. Examine your life. Are you pursuing holiness? Not to earn salvation, but because you have been made willing by grace. Are you further in your walk than you were __ months, years ago?
- Be Patient with Spiritual Growth. The Confession acknowledges that some are called in ways mysterious, even those unable to outwardly hear the Word. Do not measure all believers by identical experiences. God works diversely, yet completely, in all His elect.
- Reject Self-Reliance in Evangelism. You are not the one who converts souls… God is. Share the gospel faithfully, but leave the results to God. This frees you from both pride in success and despair in rejection.