Gospel Call

(REUPLOADED) This is the third part of our series, The Doctrine of the Gospel.

Subject: The Gospel Call (Matt. 28:19-20)

Note: The Gospel of Christ, which is the only way to salvation, is using means to reach people by using personal instruments.

Romans 10:14 (KJV) — How then shall they call on him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

• The Gospel message comes from God but is flowing through a messenger/preacher.
• When speaking of preachers, we are not limited to verbal means: e.g., gospel tracts, video streaming, etc.
• The will of God of calling people to salvation is to send preachers that will preach the Gospel in the language of men.

Premise: The gospel call is a calling both to the sinner and saved. For sinners, to believe the Gospel, and for Christians, to be a preacher of the Gospel. (Matt. 28:19-20)

1. What the Gospel Call is not
   1. Decisionism — It is a teaching that suggests that salvation is obtained by a person’s decision to let Jesus come into one’s heart.
      • Argument: No man can accept the Gospel as we are dead in spirit and cannot do anything good in the sight of God. (Rom. 3:11-12; Eph. 2:1)
   2. The Sinner’s Prayer — Often seen at the back of pamphlets or Gospel tracts. Some believed that by merely reciting the prayer, one would get salvation.
      • Argument: Even prayers cannot save. (Isa. 1:15). But prayer is the first response of a believer after God’s effectual calling through the Holy Spirit.

Note: Any attempt to change the presentation of the Gospel is dangerous to souls that will hear it.

2. Definition of Gospel Call
   • The Gospel Call is a general call of God to all people by using human preachers to know the way of salvation in Jesus Christ.
   • Not all Gospel Calls are effective. The job of believers is to explain the Gospel message; it is God’s job to make that message or call effective.

Note: The calling for preachers is to preach the Gospel to all, whilst it is God’s work to save whom he has chosen. (2 Tim. 1:9). An example of this calling is Lydia, from the city of Thyatira. (Acts 16:14)

3. Distinction from Effectual Calling
   • Calling sinners to salvation is an act of God. (Rom. 8:29)
   • Father calls (Rom. 8:29:30)—> Fellowship in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 1:9)—> Kingdom Citizenship (1 Thess. 2:12)—> Assurance of Eternal Life (1 Tim. 6:12)
   • Effectual calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the Gospel, in which He summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.

We must not give the impression that people will be saved by the power of this call apart from their willing response to the Gospel.

Note: This process is entirely God’s work alone. However, God’s effective calling comes through the human preaching of the Gospel (2 Thess. 2:14).

• Thus, when the Gospel call led a person to salvation in Christ, God executed His will of saving by the pure message of the Gospel, through the means of a preacher — this is “Effectual Calling.”

Otherwise, if the hearer heard the Gospel and did not believe, it is not the preacher’s fault, but the person not being effectually called by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14).

Principle: A Christian is a Gospel preacher, calling the world, using the Word. After we have been called to salvation, we are now being called to preach.

4. Elements of Gospel Call
   1. The Sinfulness of the World (Rom. 3:23).
   2. The Penalty of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
   3. Jesus saves (Rom. 5:8).
   4. Faith and Repentance (Acts 2:38).

Conclusion: The Church should prioritise the Gospel Call — every Christian, everywhere. The promise of Christ’s presence is in this.

Want to know the TRUTH about the Biblical Gospel and the urgency of its preaching? Let’s come together, and learn more with us.