The sermon, based on the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, explores the doctrine of effectual calling, emphasizing its dependence solely on God's grace rather than human action or merit. The speaker, Eric Bechler, explains that effectual calling is an inward work of the Holy Spirit that enables individuals to embrace Christ, distinguishing it from the outward call of the gospel that not everyone responds to. Only those predestined by God are effectually called, regenerated, and renewed by the Holy Spirit. The sermon contrasts various theological views on salvation, including Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, Arminianism, and Augustinianism, ultimately affirming the Calvinist position that salvation is entirely a work of God. Scriptural references are used extensively to support these points, highlighting themes of predestination, total depravity, and the necessity of divine grace. The message concludes with a call for humility, gratitude, and a life worthy of one's calling.

A reading this morning of the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 comes from chapter 10 of Affectual Calling, paragraph 2. This Affectual 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, 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, that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead. Last week we began to look at a new chapter of effectual calling. We introduced it by looking at what it is, to whom it is applied, and how it is applied. Today we will look at who is responsible for this effectual calling, essentially who are the actors.

In the next few weeks we'll look also at how to handle those incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word and those who respond to the ministry of the word and are not of the elect. I'd like to take a few minutes to review from last week the key parts. Effectual Calling, What Is It? I read a description by Thomas Watson last week and will summarize his explanation of it. It is a gracious work of the Spirit whereby He causes us to embrace Christ freely, as He is offered to us in the gospel.

By this call, the heart is renewed and the will is effectually drawn to embrace Christ. There is an outward call, a proclamation of the gospel, which is God's offer of grace to sinners, inviting all to come and accept of Christ in salvation. There is the inward call, when God wonderfully overpowers the heart and draws the will to embrace Christ. The outward call may bring men to a profession of Christ. The inward call brings them to a possession of Christ.

The effectual call is that inward call. Many will hear the outward call, but not everyone will respond. We read from Matthew 22, 14, for many are called, this is the outward call, but few are chosen, this is the inward call, the effectual call. Everyone without exception will or rather must respond in faith to the inward call, which is why we call it the effectual call. It is effective.

It is effective absolutely. But to who is this applied? Our confession from last week stated that those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased effectually to call. So only those whom God the Father has chosen, elected from before the foundations of the world, will he effectually call. And how is it applied?

Again, our confession from last week stated that the effectual call comes from his word and spirit enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly, renewing their wills, effectually drawing them to Christ, made willing by His grace. We are born again, we are regenerated, given a new heart by the Holy Spirit. This is what we covered last week and We went through many verses to support what the Confession stated here. And today we continue to look at who is responsible for this effectual calling. Again, who are the actors?

Who is involved? It's a very particularly important point for us to understand. We live in a culture that's very self-focused, very independent minded, and we find humanism has intertwined itself throughout our culture at every level. This paragraph is included in the confession to provide clarity to this particular point of who's involved and who's responsible for someone's coming to salvation. Some respond to the gospel preached and some do not.

Why is this? Well, we have different positions ranging from it's all up to man to it's all up to God and each point in between. These carry the names of Pelagian, semi-Pelagian, Armenian, and Augustinian. Tony Arsenal describes these theological positions as follows, Pallagianism. Man does not inherit any guilt or corruption from Adam, and each human is born in the exact same condition that Adam was prior to the fall.

Man cannot only begin the process of salvation, but can complete it unaided by God's grace. Semi-Pelagianism, man inherits the corruption, but not necessarily the guilt, of Adam's fall. However, this fall is not total and there remains a faculty in humans, which is the same as Adam's prior to the fall. Man must begin the process of salvation unaided by God's grace, but God's grace is necessary to complete it. Arminianism—man inherits the corruption, but not necessarily the guilt, of Adam's fall.

This corruption extends throughout the whole man. There is no unfallen faculty within humans. However, God extends prevenience or preparatory grace to all men and restores some faculty in all to a state of spiritual integrity. Man is then free to respond to this grace or reject it. God must begin the process of salvation and man must respond in faith to grace.

God's grace is necessary throughout the entire process of salvation which cannot be initiated or completed without it. Likewise, although man does not initiate that process of salvation, it cannot be completed without man's contribution. That's Arminianism. And we have Augustinian and Calvinism. Man inherits both the corruption and the guilt of Adam's fall, and this corruption extends throughout the whole man.

God extends saving grace only to specific persons, initiating and completing the entire process of salvation in which man is a passive recipient. So I want to just touch base real quick on the first three positions here before we get into the paragraph. With Pelagianism, it says man can complete the process of salvation and essentially that the grace of God has no effect. He's not inherited any guilt or corruption from the fall. Well, if we look at the Bible to see what that says about that, scripture tells us something different.

Romans 512, wherefore is by one man's sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And in Psalm 51, surely I was brought forth in iniquity. I was sinful when my mother conceived me. We see that even in the womb we are sinful. We have inherited the corruption from the fall.

Regarding salvation, scripture is clear, it is not according to our works. In 2 Timothy 1, 9, who have saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Before God saving grace, we were dead in sins. Ephesians 2.1, and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sin We look at semi-palagianism Allows that humanity is tainted by sin, but not to the extent that we cannot cooperate with God's grace on our own Semi-palagianism is in essence partial depravity as opposed to total depravity. We're sinful, but we can still recognize the truth, cooperate with God's grace, and choose to see Christ.

We need God's grace to be saved, but we can take the first step towards Christ on our own apart from grace. Again, what does the Bible say? Scripture tells us that there is no one righteous, none that can seek after God. In Romans 3, 10, and 11, As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seek after God.

You cannot choose to seek after Christ. You cannot take even the first step toward Christ on your own. We read, There is none that seeketh after God. You must first receive God's grace. You must first be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

We read in Ephesians 2, 8, For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Only then can you come to Christ, only then can you be saved. You must be drawn by the Father. We read that in John 6.44. No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me, draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day." Both Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism deny total depravity, which says that every part of man, his mind, his will, his emotions, his flesh, have been tainted or corrupted by sin.

The Bible tells us that man is incapable of coming to God on his own. He is at enmity with God. He is by nature an enemy of God. We read this in Paul's letter to the Church of Rome, Romans 8-7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God. And in Romans 5-10, for if we, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.

And finally, Arminianism, per Max Slip from the slarmor.org website, Arminians affirms the sovereignty of man's will and ability to choose God, that God's predestinating of people is based on his foreseen knowledge of their choices that Jesus died for all people who ever lived That is possible to lose one's salvation Regarding salvation the sinner can successfully resist the grace of God and not be regenerated when God convicts that person. Furthermore, the Arminian believes that although man does not initiate the process of salvation, it cannot be completed without man's contribution. What does the Bible say? With respect to salvation, scripture provides a number of passages countering this position. Again in John 6, 44, no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me to draw him.

In Romans 9, 11, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. Ephesians 1-4-5, Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will. In 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 to eternal life believed. Salvation is completely the work of God. It has been ordained even before we were born, according to the good pleasure of God's will.

This is not something we do. It's not something we can do. We cannot come to Christ unless the Father has drawn us. Scripture is clear on this. Calvinism, or the Augustinian position, is what is covered in our paragraph today.

I've broken it out in three parts for us to take a look at. The first part, 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, being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses. The effectual call, that inward call, is of God's grace, His free and special grace alone. Paul tells us, it is the gift of God, not of works. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. In Titus 3, 4, and 5. But after the kindness and love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. This call, the effectual call, is not from anything we have done nor can do. We were dead in our trespasses and sins.

We are passive. For the natural man, the carnal man, cannot receive the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him." In Ephesians 2 verses 4 and 5, But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you are saved. In 1st Corinthians 2 14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him.

Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And finally, Romans 8, 7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Scripture tells us that God's grace is a gift to us, a free gift, Not something we earned or paid for or accomplished by our own doing If we look at one of Paul's letters where he is speaking to God sovereign choice to the church in Rome again in 9 11 For the children being not yet born neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." What does it say here? For the children being not yet born, if you haven't been born, You couldn't possibly have done anything yet towards your salvation. But Paul tells us that God's election will take place not because of any works done by you, but because He has effectually called you.

It is His calling by his grace. Which leads us to the second part of our paragraph, but let's first define one of the words used quickened. It's not a word we use every day in our speech. The word quicken is used in the King James Version of the Bible. It means to revive or make alive.

We see it also used in a familiar phrase, the quick and the dead, used in the King James Version in several of our creeds that contrast the word dead with the word quick, again meaning revived or made alive. So our paragraph continues, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit. So being until being made alive again or revived and renewed by the Holy Spirit. At what point do we respond? At what point do we get involved in this process?

We cannot respond until we have been regenerated Until we have been quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit Remember regeneration comes before faith Again in Ephesians 2 5 even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved. Then in Psalm 51-10, the psalmist cries out, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." In 1 Peter 1 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. R.C. Sproul comments, God the Holy Spirit alone works upon the soul. He does not use any other agent to change the heart.

Now it's true that God's Spirit brings a person to salvation through the preaching of the gospel, for someone must know about his sin and the grace offered to Christ if he's going to repent and believe. Yet the quickening power of the Holy Spirit must act on us first, otherwise we remain dead and unable to heed Scripture's call to trust in the Messiah. Once again, we have been quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we respond. Our confession continues in this final part.

He is thereby enabled to answer this call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead. If we read Ezekiel 36-27, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments and do them. And from the Gospel of John we read, John 6 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And in John 5 25, verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. It is only after we have been quickened, after the Holy Spirit has done a work in us, that we can answer God's call.

Without that quickening or renewing, we would not be able to respond. There would be no inclination in our hearts to turn to Christ. The last part of our phrase here in our paragraph connects the power of God that used to raise Christ from the dead and exalt him at his own right hand to the power that he uses to quicken us, to regenerate us. This is an appropriate comparison since we are all dead in our sins and must be raised also from the dead. In Ephesians 1, 19 and 20, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.

Albert Barnes comments on this, the power which God has shown in renewing and saving His people is that same power evinced in that which was required to raise up the Lord Jesus from the dead and to exalt Him over the universe. It is no small work of God to raise anyone from the dead. We should not take this for granted. In conclusion, salvation is a work of God and a work of God alone. We are passive.

We contribute nothing. The picture here is not that we're in a sea drowning, thrashing about, hoping and waiting for a lifeline so that we can reach out, grab it and cling to it. No, this is a picture where we've been drowned in the sea and days later, someone finds us floating at the bottom, no life in us. This is our position towards our salvation. It's only by God's great love and mercy towards us that he gives us his grace, a free gift, again, not of any work of ours, lest we could roast.

All praise and glory go to God and God alone. Be faithful to your calling, that effectual calling that has brought you into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We should be overwhelmingly thankful to God. We listen to several of the men pray about how thankful we are to God. We should be.

We should be humble. We should be showing compassion and love to others. Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians in Ephesians 4, 1 through 3, to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Is this the picture of your life? Would a stranger who's been watching you secretly all week vouch for this?

Would he see this in you? Take some time this week to to thank God for what he has done for you and ask him to help you live a life worthy of that effectual calling Amen Thanks for watching!