When you were about 4 or 5, your mom took you to the mall to shop. She told you to stay close to her. But while she was looking at a dress, something that interested you caught your eye, and off you went. When you had enough of whatever it was you were looking at, you went back to where you thought your mom was, but she wasn't there. Panic set in. "Where is she?" you wondered! Meanwhile, your mom, suddenly noticing that you had vanished, quickly went to the lost and found desk to report the incident. That's when you heard the call: "Johnny, please come to the customer desk. Your mom is looking for you." Soon the reunion took place. After a brief scolding and a big kiss, you both went home, greatly relieved. Perhaps you have been there and done that.

Where are You?⤒🔗

What often happens to children in everyday life happens to all of us in a spiritual way. In Genesis 3, we read that God went looking for our first father and asked Adam, "Where are you?" Together with his wife Eve, they had committed the first sin and, feeling guilty, ashamed and scared, they ran away and hid themselves among the trees in the garden.

Why had they disobeyed? God had warned them not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to test their loyalty to Him. But they ignored His will, listened to the Evil One, and ate the forbidden fruit. Now they were sitting there, covered with fig leaves, waiting for what would happen next. "You will surely die," God had said, and what else could they expect but that this threat would be carried out? They could not have known exactly what death meant, yet I'm sure they realized it would be terrible. But they were in for a surprise. God did not give up on them. He could have said: "Adam, I warned you what would happen if you disobeyed Me, but you did not listen. Therefore I will leave you in the mess you have made for yourself and your descendants." That would have been just and exactly what he had deserved. But in God's marvelous grace, He made a way to bring sinful man back to Himself.

The Good News←⤒🔗

As we read in the Canons of Dort, one of the confessional standards of the Free Reformed Churches, "In this the love of God was manifested, that he sent his only begotten Son into the world, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting life," 1 John 4:9; John 3:16 . This was the motive behind God's calling Adam when he was hiding in the bushes in the Garden. It was His way of getting Adam's attention for the announcement He was to make moments later when He told him about the Seed of the woman, Christ, who would crush the head of the Serpent or Satan.

This call of Adam is typical of the call God extends to sinners throughout the ages. As the Canons go on to say: "And that men may be brought to believe, God mercifully sends the messengers of these most joyful tidings, to whom he will and at what time he pleases by whose ministry men are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified."

The Privilege of Being Called←⤒🔗

God calls sinners, including you, dear friends. How privileged you are! Many young people never go to church and don't hear the Gospel call. Others do hear it but they don't pay any attention to it. Millions live in countries where other religions are practiced so that the glad tidings never reach them. You are blessed because God has given you a place in His Covenant and Church!

God already started to call you when you were baptized. By that sacrament He placed His sign and seal on your forehead and said: "You belong to Me." Even before you knew what was going on and before you were able to respond to His call, He told you that He was your God who "would provide you with every good thing and avert all evil or turn it to your profit or benefit."

God's Call Includes a Promise and a Demand←⤒🔗

But God also expects something from you, because every covenant consists of two things: a promise and a demand. What does the Lord ask from you? That as you grow up "you will cleave (or cling) to this one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, trust in Him and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, forsake the world, crucify your old nature and walk in a new and holy life."

Basically, this means that God calls you to repent of your sins, trust Christ as your Saviour and serve Him as your Lord.

You Need an Effectual Call←⤒🔗

When we respond positively to that call, we are saved. In that case, we speak of an effectual call, one that actually results in salvation. But not everyone who hears God's call obeys in this positive way. The fact is that no one does. Left to ourselves, we all ignore the call to faith and repentance. It is only by God's grace that some heed the divine call and actually forsake sin and turn to Christ for salvation.

I can already hear some of you saying, "If that's so, if it takes the grace of God to obey His call, then there is not much I can do except wait for His enabling grace."

You are Responsible←⤒🔗

Still, God holds you responsible for what you do with His call. "That does not make sense," you will say. "How can God be sincere in calling me to repent and believe while He knows all along that it's not going to happen unless He makes it happen!"

The answer is not all that difficult, really. What you need is to accept the blame for your inability and unwillingness. The problem is that when God calls you to give up your sins, you don't hear Him, because you love your sins. And when He calls you to believe in Christ, you ignore this too, because you know believing in Jesus means submitting to his lordship, obeying His commandments, and more.

Repentance and Faith are Gifts front God←⤒🔗

Therefore, the solution to all your questions and objections is to honestly confess your inability and unwillingness to the Lord, and to ask Him to give you the grace of repentance and faith. Yes, these are graces, not achievements performed in human strength. The apostle Peter writes in Acts 5:31 that God exalted Christ to heaven with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Effectual calling is only one aspect of the way of salvation. The other parts or stages are regeneration, conversion, faith, justification, sanctification and glorification. Although all these graces are given and received together, we may distinguish them as various facets of the one precious stone called salvation. The first of these facets, logically speaking, is calling. That's where salvation begins, by being called out of the darkness of sin into the marvelous light of the Gospel by Christ, Who is the Light of the world.

The Lord is calling you!
While He proffers peace and pardon,
Let us hear His voice today!