What Is the Difference Between ‘Called’ and ‘Chosen’?
00:00:00.000 | [Music]
00:00:05.000 | Abram in Chesterton, Indiana writes, "Dear Pastor John, in the parable of the wedding
00:00:09.160 | feast found in Matthew 22, Jesus says, 'Many are called, but few are chosen.'
00:00:15.240 | However, in Romans 8, 28-30, it seems that the people who are called are part of an unbreakable
00:00:20.600 | chain that ultimately leads to glorification.
00:00:24.020 | So are the called in Matthew the same called in Romans?
00:00:27.860 | And what is the difference between being called and being chosen?"
00:00:31.080 | It's remarkable to me that Abram would ask this question now because the book that I
00:00:38.240 | just finished writing a few weeks ago on reading the Bible supernaturally and reading it naturally
00:00:47.340 | and how those fit together has a section in it on precisely these two texts and their
00:00:54.880 | differences.
00:00:55.880 | So this was easy for me to think about because it was so front burner.
00:01:01.040 | And the reason I had taken it up is exactly the reason that Abraham took it up, namely
00:01:07.380 | that Matthew 22, 14 and Romans 8, 30 do not apparently use the word "called" in the
00:01:19.320 | same way.
00:01:20.320 | And if they do, they contradict each other.
00:01:22.720 | So that's why he's concerned about this.
00:01:25.680 | And so I took it up as an illustration of how when you want to know the meaning of a
00:01:32.680 | word in the Bible, you must not assume that the use of that word by other authors besides
00:01:42.080 | the one you're studying will be the same as the place where you're reading.
00:01:48.800 | In fact, I would stress, even the same author can use the same word in two very different
00:01:57.800 | ways.
00:01:58.800 | Now we all know this in English, and I quoted this in the book.
00:02:03.420 | That's why it's on my mind right now.
00:02:07.080 | In the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "set" has listed, I mean, examples of
00:02:16.320 | 464 definitions.
00:02:20.040 | That just makes me wild with happiness about the English language.
00:02:26.680 | And the word "run" has 396 listed definitions.
00:02:35.000 | Now if you need any evidence that words are flexible, that's it.
00:02:40.560 | And it's true in the Bible as well, which means that good old Mortimer Adler in his
00:02:46.080 | book How to Read a Book is absolutely right to have a whole section called "Coming to
00:02:52.000 | Terms."
00:02:53.000 | And what he means is when you see a word, you don't know yet what that word means just
00:02:59.960 | because you're familiar with the word.
00:03:01.360 | You don't know what "set" means or "run" means until you see it, or the word "rock,"
00:03:05.560 | like "rock a chair" or "rock music."
00:03:08.400 | The words have to have a context.
00:03:10.800 | And as soon as you have discerned from the immediate context how it's being used, then
00:03:16.760 | you have "come to terms," and a word becomes a term with a definitive meaning in the context.
00:03:24.460 | So now to Matthew and Romans.
00:03:27.120 | Romans 8:30 says, "Those whom he predestined, he called."
00:03:32.120 | And "called" is the word that Abram is concerned about.
00:03:35.260 | He called.
00:03:36.260 | And those whom he called, he justified.
00:03:38.600 | And those whom he justified, he glorified.
00:03:40.320 | So clearly, Abram's right.
00:03:43.160 | Paul means that all the called are justified, and all the justified and therefore all the
00:03:49.200 | called are glorified, which means if you are called, you're going to be saved forever.
00:03:56.040 | Forever.
00:03:57.040 | You will not lose your salvation.
00:03:58.840 | God won't let it happen.
00:04:00.560 | You are his called.
00:04:02.920 | But when you go to Matthew 22, there's a parable.
00:04:09.400 | It's a parable of the wedding feast.
00:04:11.080 | A king is giving this feast, and he wants lots and lots of people to come.
00:04:17.140 | So he sends out invitations, and those who are invited won't come.
00:04:22.200 | Unbelievable.
00:04:23.360 | It's just a parable of how horrible we are in turning down the wooings of God in this
00:04:28.560 | world.
00:04:29.560 | And so he says to his servants, "Go out and call," it's translated "invite," but it's
00:04:36.760 | the word "call" that he's going to refer to in the end.
00:04:39.480 | "Go call everybody you can find.
00:04:41.720 | Beat the bushes and bring them in."
00:04:44.240 | And then his house is full of people, except there are a few in there, at least one, who
00:04:52.160 | has the wrong clothing on, no wedding garment, which probably signifies a lack of respect
00:04:58.360 | for the king and a lack of being changed by the grace that was extended to him in this
00:05:07.200 | invitation, and the parable ends like this.
00:05:11.360 | In that place where this person is thrown, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,
00:05:16.400 | for many are called, but few are chosen.
00:05:20.760 | Now clearly, the called there are not always saved.
00:05:27.840 | The chosen are saved, but many are called who may not be chosen.
00:05:33.700 | Many are called, few are chosen.
00:05:37.240 | And so what's clear is that in Matthew's terminology, the called is simply the general appeal to
00:05:47.320 | the world to come to the banquet, but those who come in response to this general call
00:05:55.480 | may not have been—now I'm going to use Paul's term—called in what theologians call the
00:06:02.600 | effectual way.
00:06:04.800 | And we know Paul thinks this way, too.
00:06:06.720 | Paul knows about this.
00:06:07.720 | This is not—they're not theologically different here.
00:06:11.080 | In 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul says, "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the
00:06:17.240 | Jews and folly to the Gentiles."
00:06:19.080 | So in other words, Christ crucified has been heralded to all the Jews and all the Gentiles,
00:06:25.240 | and they have been invited to come.
00:06:27.520 | They have been called in a general way.
00:06:30.080 | And then he says, "But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power
00:06:38.500 | of God and the wisdom of God."
00:06:41.200 | So there's a general call that goes out to everyone, "Come!
00:06:44.520 | If you believe, you'll be saved."
00:06:46.560 | And there's a call like the call that Jesus issued to Lazarus as he was standing before
00:06:52.560 | his grave when he said, "Lazarus, come forth!"
00:06:55.400 | And the dead man was given life by the call.
00:07:01.200 | And that's the way Paul uses "call" in Romans 8.
00:07:05.200 | 30.
00:07:06.200 | That second usage is the call creates the obedience.
00:07:10.840 | The call creates the life, and therefore all the called will be glorified.
00:07:17.400 | So the lesson of how to read the Bible is different authors sometimes use the same words
00:07:25.400 | in different ways, and we need to base our interpretation on the immediate context, not
00:07:31.120 | just the fact that they use the same word.
00:07:35.640 | So good and valuable.
00:07:36.640 | Thank you, Pastor John.
00:07:38.120 | And in April, we talked about the next book Pastor John is writing.
00:07:41.060 | We talked about it in episode number 837, a sneak peek of John's next book.
00:07:46.840 | We're going to break for the weekend now.
00:07:48.640 | What a week it's been talking about cremation, how to design and pull off a simple and inexpensive
00:07:54.120 | wedding.
00:07:55.120 | And we talked about the best commentaries on the book of Romans.
00:07:57.120 | There was something for everyone.
00:07:58.680 | You can catch up on the week's episodes, search our archive of hundreds of episodes, download
00:08:02.980 | our podcast app, or subscribe to the podcast, or even send us a question of your own.
00:08:07.120 | Go to DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn.
00:08:11.120 | On Monday, we field a question from a reader in Norway where it is illegal to spank your
00:08:15.920 | own children, and the state can take your kids away for it.
00:08:20.120 | Wow.
00:08:21.120 | So what is a God-fearing parent to do?
00:08:23.720 | I'm your host Tony Rehnke, and John Piper and I will return on Monday.
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