Westminster Larger catechism # 68
Commentary by Dr. Chuck Baynard
Q68. Are the elect only effectually called?
Answer: All the elect, and they only, are effectually called: although others may be,
and often are, outwardly called by the ministry of the word, and have some common
operations of the Spirit; who for their wilful neglect and contempt of the grace offered
to them, being justly left in their unbelief, do never truly come to Jesus Christ.
References: Acts 13:48; Mt. 22:14; Mt. 7:22; Mt. 13:20-21; Heb. 6:4-6; John 12:38-40;
Acts 28:25-27; Ps. 81:11-12.
Perhaps one of the strongest statements concerning the election, and the clearest
reference that the effectual calling is only to the elect is found in this question (Acts
13:48). All rejoiced in that day on hearing the Word of Life, but only those elected by
God, from the foundation of the world were enabled to believe.
Here we see one of the "mysteries" of God and in difference to the Divines I
don’t believe there is any common operation of the Spirit, just as I have previously
denied common grace. There is a benefit, blessing from being among God’s people.
There is a temporal reward for obeying God’s commands. The offer is free and many,
perhaps even most hearing the word and seeing the joy of the believers around them will
"willingly" embrace the concept, not for the eternal implications but for the
current blessings and stability it brings to the turmoil of the natural world. We have all
seen the operation of this within the visible church, and some who appeared anchored to
the Rock of our salvation, so quickly turn aside and curse God when the trials of life
assail them personally. They or a member of their family suffer loss of life or health,
and suddenly, words of praise and Thanksgiving turn to words of contempt and cursings. Or,
those who appear to embrace the Lord from a place of utter depravity, at first sing of the
great salvation God has wrought in their lives, yet all too soon return to the pit from
which they were lifted.
All of this relates to the discussion we had concerning the covenant of God. The
covenant applies to all, however only the elect will be able to willingly, and totally
accept the conditions thereof. Because man refuses the offer of the covenant has nothing
to do with the fact God has made a covenant, for some a blessing unto eternal life, but
for others condemnation unto eternal fires because they would not continue in His way. God
says obey, man by nature is a creature of will and refuses to obey any, God included. We
might at this point lean to sympathize with those who would declare God unjust in that He
has made an offer that the non-elect cannot keep, and then condemns them on the basis of
that offer. This is not true. All mankind, elect and otherwise by nature are sin, and
condemned already. It is not unjust then for God to save some by interference and
"effectually calling them to salvation in Jesus Christ by the operation of the Holy
spirit. Perhaps in a very weak analogy we might compare this to man’s efforts to save
some animals from extinction by removing the freedom of some in bringing them into
captivity, that protected they might multiply and one day reestablish their kind in
nature. Yet we have those who would say the free will of man precludes God from
"interfering" in their freedom of choice, no matter what the outcome. In a way
then like these animals headed for extinction, so is all man dead in his sin headed for
the fires of hell as enemies of God. God out of his mere love chose to protect some of
these, that the seed of the righteous might be preserved, and the combine offspring of the
righteous one day occupy that eternal city, not made with hands, coming down from heaven.
Common operation of the Spirit? I chose to think the Spirit in the process of bringing
about God’s will in calling the elect to Himself, makes His work visible in the lives
of those so called. Man created in God’s image, with a spark now so dim to be unable
to be detected by any but God Himself, respond to the same stimulus (means) used of the
Spirit to call the elect to Christ, attempt in their own blind foolishness to partake of
the bread of the children (Mark 7:27-28). However, they are unable in and of themselves to
maintain the nourishment that is derived only from feeding upon the body of the Lord, for
He is the Word, and as He spoke, man does not live by bread alone, but every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.
I have heard it said the difference was that the Spirit worked "on" the
non-elect, but "in" the elect. There is no scriptural basis for this
explanation, and I do not believe God will have any part of that which belongs to the
realm of the evil one. The Holy Spirit is God, and will have no fellowship with evil, it
shall not know His blessings in any direct manner, but only as the consequence of His
operation among God’s own called. All of the work of the Holy Spirit is special and
precious. His work of no less importance or consequence than that of creation, where we
read "God created" yet in the narrative find the whole of the God head. So it is
with the current work of the Holy Spirit as He indwells the believer and draws them to
Christ, by the word of the Father, we again see the fullness of the Godhead present,
though the actual manifestation be credited to the one person, it is the fullness of God
who is in all things. Distinct they be, but, separated they cannot be. A holy God will not
bless in any way the actions of an unholy people. Those mentioned in Matthew seven who
come and proclaim the powerful acts they have done in the name of Jesus are not an example
of the common operation of the Spirit. They show the integrity of an all powerful God who
honors His word, even when spoken by profane lips. Ask and you shall receive is not an
empty promise, but the word of God. Yet, the word of the Lord is "I never knew
you." Not that they had been honored for awhile, or were blessed only for a season,
Christ never knew them, they were never in God’s family. Deeds, even good deeds done
in the name of Christ work no salvation.
Salvation is of the Lord, and petal two remains unshaken, as God unconditionally
elected to eternal life, those whom for and by His own counsel, for His own purpose He
chose before the foundation of the world. Petal one stands as of necessity for the
vindication of God, that all might be condemned already. That these two exist brings about
the necessity again of the next two, and five can not be otherwise from a sovereign God,
for being unable to complete that which He alone began, would make him no god.
The inability of other gods to initiate, maintain, nor complete the salvation of any
proves the foolishness of mankind in their constant search, blinded by their own puffed up
selves, to provide any comfort to a lost and dying race. How sad that this truth which
stands so bold before them in the Scriptures and in the history of the reformed church
cannot be understood and embraced by all of the visible church. How much human misery
would disappear, were the combined clergy of the church of God to apply the salve of
salvation as taught in the great reformed doctrine known as TULIP. God is sovereign and
our salvation depends not upon mortal man, but the very word of the sovereign God who
created all, who through the operation of the Holy Spirit effectually calls to Himself,
those alone He has chosen.
Dr. Chuck Baynard -- August 1998
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