Walking Through Westminster, WCF 10.1-4 "Of Effectual Calling"

Westminster Confession of Faith 10.1-4

I. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed 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; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.

II. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, 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.

III. 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.

IV. Others, not elected, although they may be called by the ministry of the Word, and may have some common operations of the Spirit, yet they never truly come unto Christ, and therefore cannot be saved: much less can men, not professing the Christian religion, be saved in any other way whatsoever, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, and the laws of that religion they do profess. And to assert and maintain that they may, is very pernicious, and to be detested.

Summary

All of God's chosen people, whom He has predestined to life from before the foundation of the world, are called by God to Jesus Christ. He effects this call through His Word and Spirit. This calling is a translation from sin and death, which is man's natural state, into a state of grace and salvation. This calling and translation are holistic, no part of the human person being left out. The mind is enlightened by the Spirit to understand the things of God. The heart of stone is taken away and replaced with a heart of flesh. The will is renewed by the power of God so that, whereas we once only desired to do evil, God now gives us the desire to do good, and to come to Christ. 

Even though it is God who works all of these things in the regenerated soul, yet He does it in such a way that we come freely, not compulsively, because He makes us able and willing by His grace. He does this great work, not because of anything He foresees in us, but only because of His free grace. We passively receive this grace, which then quickens us so that we can respond to the call and embrace the grace. 

Because this work is done entirely by God, and in no way depends on the will of man, even elect infants who die in their infancy are regenerated, saved by Christ through the Spirit. The fact that God's work is done entirely independent of our own will is the only way we can actually have hope for infants and the unborn. Consider that, if salvation in any way depended on the will of man or the ability of man to comprehend and respond to the gospel (in his own power), then the unborn who die or infants who die in their infancy would have no hope. The same would also be true of those with intellectual disabilities. Because salvation is entirely dependent on God's gracious election, and not on man's will, elect infants who die in infancy and intellectually disabled people can still have the sure hope of salvation through Christ.

There are others, not elect of God, but who still hear the outward call of the ministry of the Word, and experience some of the operations of the Spirit common to men. However, if they never truly come to Christ, they cannot be saved. It is not enough to profess Christ only with the mouth; one must also believe on Him in the heart. If those who only profess Christ with their mouths, not believing on Him in their heart, will not be saved, how much less will those who do not even profess Him with their mouth be saved! There is no doubt that sinful men may attempt to outwardly order their lives according to God's naturally revealed Law. They may even be diligent in keeping the laws of their professed religion. However, if a man does not have Christ, then all of his good deeds are tainted by his own sins and he is incapable of standing justified before God. 

+ Blessings in Christ +