CALL, CALLING
Invitation, summons, commission, or naming.
Old Testament - Five main
uses of call appear in the Old Testament. First, "to call" means "to
invite or summon." For example, God called to Adam (Gen. 3:9); Moses called the elders
together (Exod. 19:7); and Joel gave
a command to call a solemn assembly (Joel
1:14).
Second, the verb can have the sense of "calling on God," hence, to
pray. We first meet this expression in Gen.
4:26: "Then began men to call
upon the name of the Lord." (See also Psa. 79:6; 105:1; Isa. 64:7; Jer. 10:25; Zeph. 3:9). First mention
of prayer in that sense.
Third, "to
call" is used very often in the sense of naming, whether of things (Gen. 1:5-30; day, night, heaven, earth;
Gen. 2:19, the animals), or of
persons (Gen. 25:26, Jacob; 30:6-24, Jacob's sons), of a city (2 Sam. 5:9, the city of David), or of
qualities (in Isa. 35:8 a way and in
Exod. 12:16 a day are called holy).
Fourth, God calls by name with a view to
service. The call of Moses (Exod. 3:4-22)
and the call of Samuel (1 Sam. 3)
are good examples.
Fifth, "to
call" may be used in the sense of "to
call one's own," to claim for one's own possession and to appoint for
a particular destiny. Especially noticeable is Isa. 43:1, when the Lord addressed Israel: "I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." This
calling of Israel stands closely related to its election (Isa. 45:4).
It thus points to the covenant relation in which Israel is called to salvation,
is given its name, and has the function of God's witness.
New Testament - All the
senses found in the Old Testament appear again in the New Testament. The
meaning "invite/summon" is
encountered principally in the parables of the great banquet (Luke 14:16-25) and the marriage feast (Matt. 22:2-10). Calling in the sense of
naming has special importance in the infancy narratives (Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:60; 2:21). Calling on the name of the Lord is
found in a quotation from Joel in both Acts
2:21 and Rom. 10:13. The
choosing of the apostles can be expressed in terms of calling (Mark 1:20). Finally, Christ's people
are those whom He has called and who are rightly called by His name (Rom. 8:28; Gal. 1:6; 1 Thess. 2:12; 1 Pet.
1:15).
The New Testament refers to the Christian
life as a calling (Eph. 1:18; 4:1; 2
Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1; 2 Pet. 1:10). The basic call is to Christ as Lord and
Savior; thus, all Christians are "called
ones." It is employed in a comprehensive way to depict what has
happened to those who through the Father's love are now called children of God
(1 John 3:1). However, there are
further callings to special ministries (Acts
13:2).
The noun "calling" takes on great significance in the New
Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. First, there is the goal of
calling. We are called to salvation, holiness, and faith (2 Thess. 2:13-15), to the kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2:12), to an eternal
inheritance (Heb. 9:15), to
fellowship (1 Cor. 1:9), and to
service (Gal. 1).
The means of calling is clearly stated as
being through grace (Gal. 1:6) and
through the hearing of the gospel (2
Thess. 2:14).
The ground of calling is specifically
established in 2 Tim. 1:9. The
starting point for the divine calling is not works but the purpose and grace of
God in Christ Jesus.
The nature of God's calling is described as
an upward (Phil. 3:14), heavenly (Heb. 3:1), holy (2 Tim. 1:9) calling. It is filled with hope (Eph. 1:18, 4:4). Christians are urged to lead lives that are worthy
of their calling (Eph. 4:1; 2 Thess.
1:11). Also, they are urged to make their calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10). Finally, the "called, and chosen, and faithful"
are with the Lamb (Rev. 17:14)
indicating that those whom God called (saved) He glorified (Rom. 8:30). The stress is on the
initiative of God. The one who experiences God's calling can only break forth
in praise with Paul: "O the depth of
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33).
See Election; Predestination.
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