SLAVE OR SERVANT?

There is a great humanist fear abroad amongst our people today. And that fear is of being swallowed up politically, emotionally or physically so that we are no longer free agents. As a popular example of this malady, let me cite the latest Star Trek movie. In that movie the most fearsome enemy ever to challenge the Federation is highlighted. It is the notorious Borg! In case you do not understand the connection here, the Borg take all humanoid captives, and improve them with mechanical implants. As part of the hive, individual lives and moves are all at the pleasure of the Queen Bee or Borg in this case. Certainly, like any beehive there is order amidst the complexity and the combined efforts of the Borgian make even the PC vision of the Enterprise crew pale in comparison. At least the Federation officers are volunteers and have chosen their career of going boldly where man has not gone before, to spread the New Age mantra that humanity can evolve in a positive way!

I would guess that this Borgian nightmare would hold for the worldly, the same fear that any submission to Christ would entail. You see, the world detests the doctrine of election and effectual calling which we are studying in our question today. To put on the mind of Christ and put away the humanistic freedoms is more upsetting than any political captivity the mind of man can invent! To the worldly, the mind of Christ involves slavery while the fictional Federation glorifies humanistic servant hood to the future of [humankind].

Slave or servant, that is the question in most minds as we enquire into the theological depths of effectual calling. To highlight this difference, let us look at one more example. Near the end of the Medieval period in European History, control of the Mediterranean depended on the skill and versatility of the galley rowers for the assorted naval powers. The Venetians swept the Muslim fleets away because their rowers were volunteers and free men. The Muslim rowers, as well as those of many other powers were slaves. The advantage of using free men as rowers was that when our galley rammed another, every volunteer rower would grab a sword and swarm over the enemy ship to kill the enemy and capture their slaves who were often chained to the oars.

The world has its images wrong, Christians are not slaves to, but servants of our Sovereign Lord. I just love the heading in the NIV for our section of Ephesians today: Made Alive in Christ. Contrary to humanistic teachings, by submitting our life to Christ we gain life instead of death. It is the popular image makers who are slaves to sin and to the death caused by and glorified in their music, movies and media. Yes, we are almost molded by the popular images of our time, but thanks be to God, the power of the Holy Spirit has come upon us and we have been enabled to escape the final power of seduction and sin.

Look at verse four, for the right attitude in all of this: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved." This teaching is affirmed again four verses later: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

In one modern commentary on and translation of the Westminster Confession, John Gerstner reminds us that many "who profess faith never come to Christ." Over the years I have dealt with many students and adults who took more than a passing interest in spiritual issues. On one occasion, a Baptist friend objected that my assessment of some activity on the part of the Holy Spirit did not necessarily indicate that regeneration was in progress. At this time, with fifteen more years of experience and understanding I would have to agree. John Gerstner's commentary makes this point: "The recognition the Confession makes here of common operations of the Spirit that are non-saving is much needed in our church today. ... It is all too quickly and erroneously assumed now that any activity of the Holy Spirit is evidence of regeneration."

Like the worldly, many within Christ's Church believe that any sincere attempt to follow a religion or any moral code is enough to save them. Unfortunately for those who are deluded enough to believe that, Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John that He is the only way, no one comes to the Father except through Him! Gerstner allows that if sincerity brings salvation, then Himmler, the German architect of mass murder certainly demonstrated his sincere determination to exterminate masses of people for Hitler.

By contrast, our doctrine of effectual calling insists that we who are "predestined, while still passive, are graciously changed and brought savingly to embrace Christ in the gospel." According to A.A. Hodge we may make five affirmations of this doctrine.

First, we understand the Scriptures to describe a process of new birth which is necessary to salvation. This new birth is activated through the power of the Spirit, which even Nicodemus had a hard time grasping! In John 6: 45 we read: "As is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. In Acts 16: 14 Luke reports that that a certain Lydia experienced the opening of her heart by the Lord to respond to Paul's message. In Ephesians 1:17 Paul asks "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." In the next verse, eighteen, he prays "also that the eyes of hour heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you."

Second, we may affirm that only the elect are effectually called. The world cringes when we make the Scriptural observation from the Lord: "Jacob I have loved and Esau I have hated." There are indeed distinctions made, "many are called, but few are chosen". Just think of the millions of Publishers Clearing House invitations that have been sent out for suckers to respond to! The worldly are willing to allow for the elect nature of that cash dispensation! But, our God in heaven does much better and on a much more massive scale. Jesus reports in the Gospel of John that none of those given to Him by the Father will be lost. His calling to salvation is effective!

Third, we may affirm that the agent of effectual calling is indeed the Holy Spirit. Paul reports in 1 Corinthians 1: 9 that "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." We see here that the Lord God Creator of the universe is involved personally in our calling into faith. The person, of course is the third person of the Trinity, who Jesus describes in the Gospel of John as another One, just like Himself. And all through the Gospel's Jesus continually promises the coming of the Spirit into the lives of His elect saints.

Fourth, this "overwhelming" of our soul by the Holy Spirit creates in us a desire for knowledge of grace and makes us willing to be thankful servants instead of fearful slaves. Very often in public education teachers would like to be able to reach out and touch one of their charges with a two by four in order to bring them into compliance. This is not the way of the Spirit. True servants are exceedingly thankful for the gift of grace and willingly gather to praise our God in heaven for such a great salvation.