MANY CALLED, FEW CHOSEN 

"For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). The Greek words translated 'called' and 'chosen' are very important for this study. Many Greek words are translated as called in Scripture, but the word kletos was used in this verse and was only used a total of 11 times in the Bible. It is a synonym of 'invited'. For example, the Apostle Paul used it in Romans 1:1 when he wrote he was "called to be an apostle", and in Galatians 1:15 when he said God had "called me by his grace".  Eklektos was translated as 'chosen' and is also translated that way in 6 other places and translated as elect 16 times. Our verse clearly reveals that many who are invited to come to Christ will never become the elect of God. This is totally contrary to what Reformed Theology (Calvinism) believes.

Reformed Theology claims that prior to the foundation of the world God sovereignly chose who He would save and who would never have a chance to be saved. Those chosen became His elect and were at that time given to Jesus with the understanding that they would be the only ones He would die for on the cross. They further teach that God chose who He wanted to save unconditionally of anything His foreknowledge knew about them. It was simply His sovereign choice! The five points of Calvinism has previously been revealed in a devotional on this website using the acronym TULIP. The letter T stands for 'Total Depravity', which was addressed in a previous devotional. This devotional will deal with the U standing for 'Unconditional Election'. There are numerous reasons from Scripture why their teachings should be rejected.

If the election was made prior to the foundation of the world, every newborn baby that was blessed to be in that number was elect at birth and would always be an elect, even before he is saved. John 9:31 states "Now we know that God heareth not sinners", but Luke 18:7 reveals the Lord hears the prayers of all His elect: "And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?" Does He hear the prayers of the elect before they are saved? No man becomes justified before they receive Jesus Christ as Savior to have sins forgiven, but the Scripture is again clear that all the elect have already been justified. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth" (Romans 8:33). Clearly, a person becomes elect when God accepts him as one of His children, and not before the foundation of the world! Then, and only then, has he become justified and is able to call on the Lord in his prayers.

There are so many verses in Scripture that prove without question that the call of God to salvation is universal to all the 'who-so-evers' of the world. Jesus, Himself, said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). However, the Calvinist has a way of getting around that truth. They teach that there are really 2 calls. One they say is a GENERAL call and the other an EFFECTIVE call. According to them, the general call only goes to those who were not elected, but the effective call to those who God chose and gave to Jesus. I suppose if a non-elect tries to answer the general call the Lord would have to say, "Sorry, but I was only kidding." This belief of theirs is as preposterous as their other teachings!

Many Christian couples have been faithful in raising their children in church and daily teaching them about Jesus. They hold on to the promise given in Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." A godly mother and daddy would never want to do anything that would turn their child away from the Lord or hinder him from being saved. But, according to the Calvinist it will not matter how the child is raised and taught. Either God chose the child, or He did not, and His choice was made unconditionally of how he was going to be raised! Can you imagine a Christian couple holding their precious baby and wondering whether God had chosen him to be saved, or to spend eternity in Hell! I promise you that not one of the preachers who claim to be in the Reformed Theology camp would ever officiate a funeral for a small child who had died and tell the heartbroken parents they would have to hope that their child was chosen by God unconditionally and was one of His elect. They would have to wait for Heaven to find out. I thank God that when a tragedy like that occurs the family can find comfort in the truth of God's Word!

Believing the choice of who would be saved was made unconditionally by God prior to the foundation of the world will also effect the burden of the soul winner. Whether you witness to the lost or not will have no effect. If he was chosen, he will be saved and nothing can prevent it!. If he was not chosen, all your efforts and prayers are useless. The Apostle Paul would not agree with the Reformed doctrines! He had a burden for the lost and shed many tears trying to win them to the Lord. He prayed for the lost to be saved, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved" (Romans 10:1), and he shed many tears over the lost "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31". Every Christian should have a burden for every sinner to invite them to accept Jesus as his personal Savior. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Psalm 126:5). When a soul dies and goes to Hell, it is not because God unconditionally willed it to be so.

We are to be busy calling all the many lost people to come to Jesus. A failure to do so will result in some of them going to Hell. God will not be at fault, but we will be. God does not unconditionally accept anyone! He only accepts people on the condition that they repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesua Christ to be redeemed by His precious blood. That is the condition established before the foundation of the world! We are to be calling many and praying that many will answer to become God's chosen ones, not just a few.