Called

“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ”  Galatians 1:6

Called – Who was the active agent in your salvation?  Was it the preacher who uttered the invitation?  Was it the evangelist you heard at the meeting?  Was it your friend who explained God’s plan to you?  Was it someone in your family or neighborhood?  No, says Paul.  None of these people called you to God.  The only truly active agent was God Himself.  He called you to Him by and through the sacrifice of His Son.

Once we see that this is the case, we all say, “Why, of course.  That’s what I really thought all along.”  But there are implications in this fact that we may not have fully absorbed.  If God does the calling, then there is no credit to be given to us or to anyone else who facilitated that call.  Evangelists sometimes talk about winning souls for Christ.  They may be well intentioned but the truth is that they don’t “win” anyone.  God does His own calling.  He is the One responsible for the press on my life that turned me toward Him.  No one can claim credit or reward for this move of the Spirit.  It is God’s alone.

Kaleo (the Greek for “to call”) also means that no one who is called has any more status than any other called person.  God’s call is not based on merit.  Did you see that Paul makes clear that the calling is based only on “the grace of Christ”?  I am no better or worse than you when it comes to God’s call on my life.  I can’t claim any special status at all.  God called me.  God called you.  That is the end of the reward system.  It doesn’t matter what my background is or what you did in the past, we are exactly the same before God: called by the grace of Jesus.  There is no room at all for a hierarchy of merit.  We all have exactly the same rank:  humbled and repentant.

Last, but certainly not least, I have no authority to tell you why God has called you.  That is strictly up to God.  He promises that He will call all for His purposes, not mine or yours.  While you and I are both destined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, what God has in mind for you in His choice.  He has a completely unique wonderful path in mind for you.  And another one in mind for me.  There is no room for me to say to you, “Do it my way.”  God calls and what that means to you is His to determine.

Christians are unusual.  They are the only people in the world who have no right to make any claims for themselves.  Is that how you view it?