In his sermon, Mike Davenport explores the doctrine of effectual calling as outlined in the 1689 Baptist Confession, Chapter 10. He emphasizes that effectual calling is deeply rooted in the doctrine of predestination, where God predetermines and calls individuals to salvation through His Word and Spirit, transforming their state from sin and death to grace and salvation. Davenport highlights the role of Scripture, particularly Romans 8 and Ephesians 2, in understanding this doctrine and underscores that it is God's sovereign decree that enables salvation. He asserts that humans, in their natural state of total depravity, cannot respond to God's call without divine intervention, much like the biblical example of Lazarus, who responded to Jesus' life-giving words. The sermon further discusses the passive role of humans in this process, with God enlightening, renewing, and drawing individuals to Christ. Davenport also addresses the complexities surrounding the salvation of elect infants and those unable to receive the gospel, affirming God's sovereignty and goodness. Finally, he contrasts effectual calling with the ineffective outward call, emphasizing that true conversion results from an internal, Spirit-led transformation.

Well, we come this evening to a new chapter in the 1689 chapter 10, chapter 10 of effectual calling. So we'll jump right in with paragraph one. Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call by His Word and Spirit out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. How does he do that? Enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God.

Taking away their heart of stone and giving to them a heart of flesh. Renewing their wills and by His almighty power determining to them that which is good and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely being made willing by his grace." And so here we have this doctrine of effectual calling. Now this doctrine of the effectual call hinges, as you see, upon the doctrine of predestination. They mention that right from the beginning, those whom God hath predestinated. So what does this word predestined mean?

Well, it means to ordain beforehand, to decide beforehand, to predetermine. And we need to understand that God doesn't do this, as we'll see in another paragraph later, out of a knowledge of what we will do. He ordains beforehand. Beforehand. He ordains beforehand.

Therefore, whatever we discover that this effectual call is, it finds its roots in the sovereign predetermination of God who has decreed all things whatsoever come to pass. So if salvation comes to pass, It is by God's sovereign decree. It was predetermined by Him. And we have many Scriptures, and tonight I want to focus on the Scriptures. Sometimes as we've worked our way through the confession, the Scriptures are so broad and the details that they give in the confession are so deep, Sometimes for the sake of time we can't do that.

Tonight, because of what we're dealing with, I want to spend a lot of time in the Scripture, and I hope it's profitable for us all. God's Word never returns to him void. So Romans 8, 29 and 30, Romans 8, 29 and 30, for whom he foreknew, he knew them, not of them, he knew them beforehand, for whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he, his son, might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called." We see that right here in the first sentence. Whom he called, these he also justified, in whom he justified, these he also glorified, even in the past tense, glorification, because the work was done in Christ.

Second Thessalonians 2, 13 and 14. Second Thessalonians 2, 13 and 14. Paul says, but we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord. Why? Because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which, having predestined you, to which he called you by our gospel for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So he's talking to these Thessalonians and he's saying, God has called you by our gospel. But what was that call rooted in? God from the beginning chose you for salvation Acts 13 48 Acts 13 48 I remember the first time reading this and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Wow, I can't believe I just read what it said and it says it clearly. Acts 13, 48, now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as Had been appointed or decreed in the Greek been appointed to eternal life believed Who believed as many as had been appointed to eternal life." Appointed by who?

Who is he talking about here? Who did this appointing? God did. God did. So this doctrine of the effectual call hinges on the doctrine of predestination.

But another doctrine upon which this doctrine rests is total depravity. That man in his totality has fallen in every part. Nothing in us remains untainted by sin. It permeates us. The sin that we have is thorough.

We are by nature, as we are reminded here once again, in a state of sin and death. The doctrine of effectual call rests in that doctrine of total depravity, that man finds himself in a state of sin and death. We are dead to spiritual things. I have a scenario for you. We have a family that's going to be moving, Lord, well, in this weekend.

If I came to you to ask advice as to which families should I go and ask for help in this move this weekend, you would think about it and put a list together, wouldn't you? Well, this family over here, the dad is big and strong. Or this other family over here, they have three teenage sons and would bring quite the manpower. And then there's this family over here. What servants' hearts this family has.

Now, suppose that I came to you, but instead of asking advice in regards to families in our church that you think would be helpful in this cause, instead I ask you which cemetery should I go to to find volunteers to show up this Saturday for the move? Which cemeteries would you recommend? Maybe the one right up here up Averett Road, just a little ways before we pull into Rollsville, there on the left. Maybe that would be a good place to start. Of course not.

You would tell me that I was wasting my time. Of course if I turned my back you'd probably say the man's crazy, right? Why? What help would I get? None would respond.

Why? They're all dead. They're all dead. Because of the state they find themselves in, they cannot respond. No one's going to show up on Saturday.

That I believe is precisely the theological point that is applicable to our conversation. All souls are dead in trespasses and sins. None can respond to the outward call of the gospel in and of themselves. They can't do it. Do you remember the account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead?

As Lazarus lay there in the grave on that fourth day. What other sounds did Lazarus hear? Do you think he heard the birds that morning chirping as the sun rose? Do you think he may have heard the local children playing there nearby? Do you think he heard even the stone being rolled away from the entrance by those who gathered with Christ.

He heard nothing. Why? Because he had been dead for four days. But what happened? What happened when Christ spoke those words, "'Lazarus, come forth'?

What happened? Lazarus made his way out of the grave. He heard Jesus. Why? Because God had breathed life into him.

It was those life-giving words of Jesus that raised Lazarus from the dead. Even so, it is the life-giving words of Christ that raise men and women from their spiritual death, only the words of Christ. So what is it that makes this call effectual? It's called effectual calling. In other words, it has an effect.

What makes this call effectual? What has to happen in order for a man, a woman, or a child to respond to this call? Well, the writers tell us in detail here. There's an enlightening of the mind spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God. There's a taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart of flesh.

There's a renewing of their will and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good. There is effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ. All of these verbs in terms of us as those who are being drawn, It's passive. It's the act of God, the Spirit doing these things, enlightening, taking away, giving, renewing, determining, and drawing sinners to Christ. What is the impact of this work of the Trinity?

There's only one right and good response. They come. They come. Not coerced, not forced against their will. The writers are clear as they bring this to a close, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.

They come freely. Remember the words of Psalm 110, verse 3, your people shall be volunteers in the day when they figure it all out." Right? No. When do they become volunteers in the day of your power? What's the psalmist referring to?

This very thing, enlightening, removing, the giving, the renewing, the determining, and the drawing. In that day of power, your people freely and willingly by His grace become volunteers. Christ becomes precious. Christ becomes precious. Paragraph 2.

This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, Not from anything at all foreseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature co-working with His special grace, the creature being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit. He is thereby enabled to answer this call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead." The doctrine of the writers of our Constitution, they sought to put God at the center of man's salvation in this doctrine. All the doctrine that you'll find in this Constitution seeks to put God at the center. It is of His free and special grace alone, contingent upon nothing, nothing in man or nothing outside of God himself. And we are confronted here with who God is and who man is post fall, that is, since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden.

And the Bible does not paint a pretty picture of man, but it does magnify the grace and the glory of God. If you remember in Romans chapter 9, Romans chapter 9 deals a lot with predestination, a lot with effectual call. And in that passage, Paul begins speaking of God's choosing of Jacob and rejecting Esau before they were born, before they had done anything right or wrong. God said, I have loved Jacob, and Esau I have hated. And then Paul goes on to write in Romans 9, 14 to 23, because he knows his writers, I mean his hearers rather, as he's writing to them, he knows his hearers, he knows, flash point, something's going to come up, What is it going to be?

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not. Certainly not. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion so then it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs but of God who shows mercy for the scripture says to the Pharaoh for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you, and that my name may be declared in all the earth.

Therefore he has mercy on whom he wills, and whom he wills he hardens. You will say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will? But indeed, oh man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, why have you made me like this?

Does not the potter have power over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had prepared beforehand for glory. He's the potter. We are the clay. Ephesians 2, 1 through 10.

Ephesians 2, 1 through 10. You want a picture of the gospel? There is no better place that takes you from where man finds himself and then the big center of that, but God. That's the most wonderful phrase. One of the most wonderful phrases in the Bible, but God, because it hinges on where we find ourselves.

And you, He made alive, You who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead and trespasses made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved, and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus for by grace you have been saved through faith and that that faith it's not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works not of you because you willed, not of you because you ran, not of works lest anyone should boast, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God prepared beforehand that we should be saved. God prepared beforehand the works that we would do once he saved us because he intended to save us. Why? Because he predetermined we would be saved. In all of those, he is determined to save, he saves.

Now, we are reminded next in this paragraph that this quickening and renewing is a function of the Holy Spirit. Because we are dead in trespasses and sins, this is a function of the Holy Spirit. It is only when this work of the Spirit is active in a person's heart that he is there by. Do you notice that word there? Okay?

A little over midway down until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit. He is there by, there by this work, he is able to answer and to embrace. Not until, because he's dead in trespasses and sins. This is no small or insignificant thing. Borrowing from Ephesians 1, 19, and 20, they emphasize that this ability to answer the gospel call and embrace the grace offered in it requires the same power that God exerted in raising Christ from the dead.

The power exerted in making a sinner able and willing to respond to the call is the same power the Father used to raise Christ from the dead. So to say that God has done all he can do in salvation and the rest is up to man is to say that man also had the power within himself to raise Christ the God-man from the dead. Do you get that? Those who want to hold to true Arminianism, to say God's done all He can do, the rest is up to man, they're saying that you have the power to have raised Christ from the dead. That's foolishness.

That's foolishness. The power it takes to bring a sinner to new life, the same power it took God the Father to raise Christ from the grave. Paragraph 3. From the grave. Paragraph 3.

Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit who works when and where and how he pleases. So also are all other elect persons who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word. Before we jump into this paragraph, I want to read Deuteronomy 29, 29. The secret things belong to our God, But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law. For me personally, and I do not stand alone in this, this is a hard paragraph to grapple with.

As you see, well, if you have the confession actually in front of you, there's only one proof passage that they give. They give one proof passage, which is unusual for most all the paragraphs in our confession. And that passage that they give is found in John 3 in the words of Christ to Nicodemus. And we read there that the wind blows wherever it wills and even so the Spirit like that wind he moves and we see the results of the Spirit there but we don't know how and when he moves and that's the lone scripture that they give in the Baptist confession there may be others I didn't look at the Westminster they may have other passages that they refer to. I know people in writing about this subject quote certain passages.

But here are some lessons I think we should glean from this paragraph, both stated in a positive way or a negative way. This side of glory, we will never know who the elect really are. This side of glory, we will never know who the elect really are. Okay? This side of glory we will never know who the elect really are.

God hasn't revealed that to us. Therefore, we cannot prove or conclude that any particular infant is elect. Neither can we prove any person that we know. We can't prove it or absolutely, no, we can look at fruit in their life and say, wow, there's a lot of fruit there. We can't see the heart, okay, but we can know this much.

This side of glory, we'll never know who the elect really are. Secondly, salvation is a work of God, Okay, and he is not limited in terms of means and methods as to how he can save Okay, we can safely say that and all understand that I think he alone saves and he is not limited in terms of the means and methods as to how he can save. Now, you might say, yeah, but in Romans chapter 10, it says, how shall they hear unless they're sent? That salvation comes from the hearing of the Word of God. That's the normal means and methods.

But remember chapter 5 of God's providence that we studied, paragraph 3, God in his ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet he is free to work without, above, and against them at his pleasure." You want to be the clay and say he can't do that? Third, all men, all women, and all children who are truly converted, regardless of where they fall in regards to the timeline of the world's history, and I'm saying pre-incarnation, post-incarnation, All men, all women, all children who have ever truly been converted are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit. No exceptions. There's no other means of salvation. There never has been.

That much we can say. Fifthly, all of God's elect, Without exception, all of His elect will be called, will be justified, will be glorified. It's not dependent upon their willing or their running. You say, but an infant doesn't understand. It's not of him who wills, not of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

And he said, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And then fifthly, therefore the effectiveness of God's calling of his elect is not dependent upon their state. His effectiveness of his call is not dependent upon their state, whether in regards to their age as would be infants or their ability. So I'm going to move on from this, but before I do, I just want to give you some thoughts from Sam Waldron in his exposition on this particular paragraph. If the Bible says nothing about this issue directly, there are general biblical perspectives which must govern our thinking on the condition of infants dying in infancy.

Three great truths do provide us with knowledge to guide and comfort us in this matter. First, our knowledge of the character of God, His mercy and goodness, His justice and righteousness, His power and sovereignty should guide us. We know that whatever God does with infants, He will do what is good and just. And He gives the reference in Genesis 18, 25, which I think is, will not the judge of the earth do right. We also know that nothing will prevent him from doing what he pleases.

He is not unable to save our infants dying in infancy. If that's where the wind chooses to blow and the Spirit move, who are we to say he can't? And secondly, he says, our knowledge of the guilt and sinful condition of infants must guide us. The Bible teaches that this guilt is real. Psalm 51, 4 through 5, Psalm 58, 3, Proverbs 22, 15, Ephesians 2, 1 through 3, Jonah 4, 1 through 11.

There is no biblical warrant for the notion of an age of accountability or for the idea that the children of believers are by birth less depraved than others. The Bible also, however, teaches that this guilt is limited. Luke 12 47 and 48, James 4 17, and 2nd Corinthians 5 10 and 11. Thus, if any infants do go to hell, their punishment must be greatly less than that of others. Thirdly, our knowledge of the purpose of God must also guide us.

We know that God's general purposes of mercy towards His children include temporal and even spiritual benefits for their children collectively or as a whole. Proverbs 27, Psalm 112, 1 and 2, and 115, 14, and 15. We must be cautious here, for these are only general and conditional promises. It is not, however, wrong to deduce from such passages that God does so love his children as frequently to embrace their children in his saving purposes. Such considerations as these, while not fitted to satisfy carnal curiosity or rebellious grief, are fitted to calm the aching heart of the bereaved but submissive child of God.

And then paragraph four. Others not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will nor can truly come to Christ, and therefore cannot be saved. Much less can men that do not receive the Christian religion be saved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the law of that religion they do profess." So there is a calling that is effectual, and obviously there is a calling that is not in and of itself effectual. It accomplishes nothing in the hearer. And we've all seen this as believers, right?

We've seen this. A powerful sermon that God uses to convict some under that word and they respond to that preaching And they fall on their faces repenting of their sins and crying out for Jesus to save and Yet there are those who just sit arms crossed unmoved Content to remain in their sins What's the difference what's the difference They both had the same sound waves making vibrations in those little bones in the ear that function to take those signals to the brain. They heard the same thing. Same gospel preacher, same message, same environment. Why one and not the other?

Well, a call went forth from the pulpit. One refused that outward call and the other heard that outward call and responded to that call because he also received an received an inner effectual call, the working of the Spirit to quicken and renew. This calling here is also referred to as being effectually drawn, being effectually drawn. We saw back in the second paragraph that this comes about by the quickening and renewing of the Spirit. Note the words chosen by the writers here, yet not being effectually drawn by the Father, they neither will nor can.

They neither will nor can truly come to Christ. And therefore, because they neither will nor can, they cannot be saved. Do you remember the record of Ezekiel regarding the Valley of the Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37, 1 through 10. What was the life and breath dependent upon? It wasn't the prophesying of Ezekiel.

Even though he did prophesy, God told him to prophesy, but life and breath came as the result of the mighty God breathing that life into those bones. The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley and it was full of bones. Then he caused me to pass by them all around and behold, there were very many in the open valley and indeed they were very dry. And he said to me, son of man, can these bones live? So I answered, Oh Lord God, you know.

Again he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, Oh dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord." So I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise and suddenly a rattling and the bones came together bone to bone. Did Ezekiel put them together?

No. Indeed, indeed as I looked, he just looked on, it's the work of God, As I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over. But there was no breath in them. Also, he said to me, prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, thus says the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live.

So I prophesied as he commanded me and breath came into them and they lived and they stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." Well this chapter closes by drawing attention to the fact that a true effectual call of God does not call one away to a religion framed by the light of nature and a law of their own profession. The effectual call of God is to a reception of the Christian religion revealed in His Word. This is the reason that in the great commission, the great commission to go out and make disciples, what are we told? Teach them all things that Christ has commanded. Why?

Because we're not just simply making people who say, I want Christ. He has saved me. I am His. He is mine. And now I go about my business." No.

Teach them all things that I have commanded. What are the commands of Christ? Well, since Christ is the incarnate Word, since He is the one who reveals to us the image of God, He is the Word, the expression. This is it. Genesis 1 all the way through Revelation.

This is his word. This is what we are to teach. And so they close by saying, much less can men that receive not the Christian religion be saved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature and the law of that religion they do profess." Well this is effectual call. If you're in Christ, it's because you were called. And you were made a volunteer in the day of his power.

And those of us who know Christ, who have walked with Christ for any length of time, we know the beauty of Christ. And when one sees the beauty of Christ, He would never say no, never. God opens the eyes. Remember Paul talks about that? Some of you young people tonight, Satan has blinded you so that you can't see the glory of Jesus Christ.

Your eyes are covered. You say, what glory? What glory? Who is this Jesus? But our prayer is that in the preaching of the Word, these blinders would be removed by the Spirit, that you see Christ in all of His beauty, the mediator, the only one who can reconcile you to God, and that you'll hear a call to come and embrace this one.

And your legs will run as fast as they can carry you. Because of the quickening and renewing work of the Spirit, you are made willing and ready and you embrace this one. And that's our prayer for you, that you will come to know him as your own. Let's pray. Oh God, we thank you for this doctrine of the effectual call.

Lord, we thank you that you speak to dry bones and they live. May you do so even tonight. May you get all the glory, all the glory. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.