Effectual calling (or effective calling
) in
Calvinist
Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...
Christian soteriology
Soteriology (; el, σωτηρία ' "salvation" from σωτήρ ' "savior, preserver" and λόγος ' "study" or "word") is the study of religious doctrines of salvation. Salvation theory occupies a place of special significance in many religion ...
is a stage in the ''
ordo salutis
''Ordo salutis'' (Latin: "order of salvation") refers to a series of conceptual steps within the Christian doctrine of salvation.
Definition
Ordo salutis has been defined as, "a technical term of Protestant dogmatics to designate the consecuti ...
'' in which God calls a person to himself. It is connected with, but different from ''external calling'', in which a person hears the
gospel message
The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefits ...
.
Wayne Grudem
Wayne A. Grudem (born 1948) is a New Testament scholar turned theologian, seminary professor, and author. He co-founded the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and served as the general editor of the ''ESV Study Bible''.
Life
Grudem was bo ...
suggests that it is a summons from the
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
of the universe that has "such power that it brings about the response that it asks for in people's hearts."
Grudem appeals to the story of
Lydia: according to
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...
16:14, "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message" (
NIV Niv may refer to:
* Niv, a personal name; for people with the name, see
* Niv Art Movies, a film production company of India
* Niv Art Centre, in New Delhi, India
NIV may refer to:
* The New International Version, a translation of the Bible into ...
).
[Grudem, ''Systematic Theology'', p. 693.]
See also
*
Irresistible grace
Irresistible grace (also called effectual grace, effectual calling, or efficacious grace) is a doctrine in Christian theology particularly associated with Calvinism, which teaches that the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those w ...
References
External links
"Of Effectual Calling"from
John Gill's ''Body of Doctrinal Divinity''
{{Christian Soteriology
Salvation in Protestantism
Christian terminology