Effectual Calling
Effectual calling does not make us the center. We are not chosen and that’s the end of our effectual calling. It’s the beginning. Regeneration means that we have been called and chosen, but only for God’s purpose, not so we can sit back and say, “Well, I’ve got the issue of heaven settled. God chose me, he did it, and now I can relax. I am safe for eternity. I’ve got life and fire insurance, and nothing to worry about.” No. When we are called by the Lord, we are commissioned to go forth into that area of life and thought which is our place under his purpose, and there to bear fruit under him, and there to be diligent in service and in prayer, that his will be done.
- R. J. Rushdoony
Effectual calling does not make us the center. We are not chosen and that’s the end of our effectual calling. It’s the beginning. Regeneration means that we have been called and chosen, but only for God’s purpose, not so we can sit back and say, “Well, I’ve got the issue of heaven settled. God chose me, he did it, and now I can relax. I am safe for eternity. I’ve got life and fire insurance, and nothing to worry about.” No. When we are called by the Lord, we are commissioned to go forth into that area of life and thought which is our place under his purpose, and there to bear fruit under him, and there to be diligent in service and in prayer, that his will be done.
- R. J. Rushdoony
Rev. R.J. Rushdoony (1916–2001), was a leading theologian, church/state expert, and author of numerous works on the application of Biblical law to society. He started the Chalcedon Foundation in 1965. His Institutes of Biblical Law (1973) began the contemporary theonomy movement which posits the validity of Biblical law as God’s standard of obedience for all. He therefore saw God’s law as the basis of the modern Christian response to the cultural decline, one he attributed to the church’s false view of God’s law being opposed to His grace. This broad Christian response he described as “Christian Reconstruction.” He is credited with igniting the modern Christian school and homeschooling movements in the mid to late 20th century. He also traveled extensively lecturing and serving as an expert witness in numerous court cases regarding religious liberty. Many ministry and educational efforts that continue today, took their philosophical and Biblical roots from his lectures and books.