Called by God

Traditionally, in Reformed circles, it has been popular to distinguish between the general call of God to salvation and the effectual call of God. Supposedly the general call is an invitation given to all (Matt. 22:14) while the effectual call of God to salvation is given only to the elect. In Calvinistic thought, this effectual call summons faith into existence in the same way that Lazarus was called forth from the grave. When God effectually calls someone to salvation, it always works. This differs from the general call in that it doesn't always work. Normally Reform theologians point to passages such as Romans 8:28-30 and 1 Cor. 1:24 as proof texts of this doctrine.

However, I would to like to suggest that we need to reconsider the meaning of the word "called" in these passages. As we know, good exegesis should not be tied down to our systematic theology. Rather, our theology should be based on our exegesis. The text should lead us to our theology and not the other way around.

So how does this influence our understanding of the word "called" in Romans 8:28-30? Well, we should start by noticing that, yes, this call is different from the general call talked about in Matt. 22. Unlike that call, this call always accomplishes its purpose. Notice the progression. "Those he called, he also justified. Those he justified, he also glorified." We also discern that this call is effective by the whole argument of Romans 8:28-30. Here Paul is explaining why we can be certain that God works all things together for our final good. If this call doesn't always work, then this certainity is rather shallow.

Now let's examine how Paul uses this word in Romans 9:25-26. He writes, "As he says in Hosea: 'I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one,' and 'It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'" In this passage, the word called describes the action of God giving someone a new identity. Here the word is synonymous with the word "named." In other words, God is going to call them by a new name.
Let's take this understanding back into Romans 8:28-30.

Based on the usage in Rom. 9, we should translated it: "To those he gave a new name, he also justified." This is why that call is always effective. So as least in Romans 8, Paul is not describing a summons to faith as described by traditional Reform theology. Rather, he is talking about God calling (or naming) those who were not his people "my people."