Sojourner #096: What Does It Mean To Be Called?
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV) The doctrine of calling lies at the very heart of the Christian life. Scripture consistently presents God as the One who calls: calling light out of darkness, calling Abraham out of Ur, calling Israel to be His covenant people, calling sinners to repentance and faith through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and calling the redeemed into lives of holiness, service, and mission. From Genesis to Revelation, the biblical narrative is filled with the voice of the sovereign God summoning His people unto Himself for His glory. Yet in contemporary evangelical culture, the language of “calling” is often used imprecisely. For some, calling refers almost exclusively to vocational ministry. For others, it is reduced to personal preference, emotional inclination, or individual fulfillment...
