COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFECTUAL CALL

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE EFFECTUAL CALL & THE GOSPEL CALL The effectual call is a call to eternal salvation; the gospel call is a call to repentance and faith. {Acts 2:38;Acts 3:19;Acts 17:30;Acts 20:21;Acts 26:20} The effectual call is a call to sonship; the gospel call is a call to discipleship. God speaks directly in the effectual call; God speaks through men in the gospel call. The effectual call is always obeyed; the gospel call is frequently disobeyed, shunned, and resisted. The effectual call is a creation; the gospel call is a communication. The effectual call is directed to the dead; the gospel call is directed to the living. The effectual call is an internal call; the gospel call is an external appeal. The effectual call produces life; {2 Timothy 1:9} the gospel call produces light. {2 Timothy 1:10} The sinner responds involuntarily in the effectual call (like Lazarus). The gospel call, however, calls for a voluntary, decisive response ("... harden not your hearts"-Hebrews 3:15). The conclusive testimony of Scripture is that the effectual call precedes the gospel call and that the effectual call gives a man spiritual life, while the gospel call gives a man knowledge and understanding. This distinction between regeneration and gospel conversion is essential.