Evangelism & Calvinism

The outward call: This is also termed the external call or the general call of God.This outward call is God's offer of grace to sinners, inviting them to come and accept Christ and be saved. It is found with the Great Commission of Mark 16:15-16. The parable of the marriage feast in Matthew 22:2-14 speaks of many men being invited to come to the marriage, but not all of the men came. This outward call of God has a couple of elements.

(1) A presentation of the gospel message and facts of redemption. This is when a believer proclaims to the unbeliever what Christ did to make a way for a sinner's salvation.

(2) An invitation to accept Christ in repentance and faith. The sinner is called to obey the command to believe the gospel and to embrace those facts of redemption. He is to repent and forsake sin, and believe upon Jesus Christ. (Take note, however, that the presentation of the gospel, and the invitation to receive Christ, though made with earnest persuasion, will not, by itself, effect salvation in the heart of a person.)

The inward call: The inward call can also be termed the effectual call, or the efficacious call. Thomas Watson defines it like this: "By this call the heart is renewed, and the will is effectually drawn to embrace Christ." The inward call is a work of God's divine grace, in which His Holy Spirit opens the heart of the sinner to understand the truths of the gospel as presented with the general call, and believe upon them in faith. All the biblical terms that describes man's salvation encapsulated with the inward call.

Fred Butler