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Written by Daniel S. McPherson II
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In Romans 10: 17, we are told that faith comes by hearing God’s word
(the bible). Jesus commands us to take God’s word into all the world
(Mark 16: 15). As we are obedient to Christ’s command, we are giving a
general or external call to men to believe the gospel message. To most
of the ones that hear this message it is foolishness. But we also see
that there are those who do come to Christ for salvation. Why? Were
these people smarter? Were they somehow less sinful than those who
rejected the gospel? Obviously, from what we learned in lesson one, the
answer is no. We know that men reject the gospel because of their total
depravity (Rom. 3: 11). The miraculous thing is that any believe. Let
us now look further into why this is so.
I) Part One: The Internal Effectual Call
i) Read John 6: 44, 45, 63- 65
(1) Is man able to come to Christ of himself? (v. 44)
(2) What is the only way that man can come? (v. 44)
(3) What will God do to those he draws? (v. 44)
(4) Of whom shall the ones who are drawn be taught? (v. 45)
(5) Who is it that quickens (makes alive)? (v. 63)
(6) What does the flesh profit? (v. 63)
(7) Who gives man the ability to come to Christ? (v. 65)
ii) Read 2 Timothy 1: 9
(1) With what have we (believers) been called?
(2) Were we called because of something we did?
(3) According to what was the call?
iii) Read 1 Peter 2: 9
(1) What four things does God call believers in this verse?
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6) What were we chosen to show forth?
(7) What has God done to get us out of darkness and into his light?
iv) Read John 10: 3,4
(1) Who hears the shepherd’s (Christ’s) voice? (v. 3)
(2) By what does he call them? (v. 3)
(3) What else does the shepherd do? (v. 3)
(4) Do the sheep, whom the shepherd has called by name, follow him? (v. 4)
(5) Why do they follow him? (v. 4)
When the natural unregenerate man hears the external call of the gospel, he is unwilling and unable to forsake his evil ways and humbly submit to it. He is a spiritual corpse that is dead in his sin (see lesson 1). The only way he will answer the call is if God the Holy Spirit draws him. Therefore, God, in order to bring his sheep (the elect) to himself, extends to them a special inward call in addition to the outward call contained in the gospel message. This call becomes effectual in the hearts of God’s elect. These are the ones the shepherd calls by name. They will heed his voice and follow him.
II) Part Two: God Gives Faith
i) Read Ephesians 2: 8
(1) By what are we saved?
(2) Through what are we saved by grace?
(3) Is faith something that we have in ourselves?
(4) Of whom is the gift of faith?
ii) Read Matthew 16: 15-17
(1) Did Simon Peter believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? (v. 16)
(2) Did he believe because of anything in or of himself? (v. 17)
(3) Why did he believe? (v. 17)
(4) Would he have believed if God had not opened his eyes to the truth?
iii) Read Acts 16: 14*
(1) Did Lydia respond to the gospel?
(2) Did she respond because she was smarter or somehow better than those who did not?
(3) What did the Lord do to her heart?
(4) Did God open her heart because she responded to the gospel or did he open her heart so she would respond?
iv) Read Luke 8: 9, 10
(1) How does someone come to know the things of God? (v. 10)
(2) Was it Christ’s purpose that everyone should understand the gospel message?
(3) Who’s the one who must give spiritual eyes and ears to understand the gospel?>
When God calls one of his elect he also gives him the faith to believe. He draws the sinner to himself. He opens his spiritual eyes and ears so that the sinner will see his helpless condition. And he gives him a new heart that makes him willing to trust in Christ as his Saviour. This will result in salvation. This is the new birth. “….Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3: 3) Does man have control over his physical birth? Does man make a decision to be born? Of course not! God creates the babe in the womb in his own time. The one being born is totally passive. The same is true in salvation.
III) Part Three: Dry Bones Receive Life
i) Read Ezekiel 37: 1- 14
(1) What did God command Ezekiel to do unto the dry bones in his vision? (v. 4)
(2) Did these dry bones receive life? (v. 10)
(3) Why did they live? (v. 5)
(4) Could these bones have lived if not for the power of God?
Just as in lesson one, when we looked at the raising of Lazarus, so the vision of Ezekiel teaches us the same spiritual truth. Believers are commanded to go out into the world with the word of the Lord. We preach to spiritually dry dead sinners. They have absolutely no hope in themselves. They are unable to make themselves spiritually alive. But, when the message is accompanied by the power of God the Holy Spirit, the dead sinner becomes a new creature. God puts his spirit in the hearts of his elect. These are the whole house of Israel (God’s Spiritual Israel, Rom. 9: 6-9). And these will be the ones brought into the land (heaven) which God had prepared for them.
“The Bible very clearly teaches that man is powerless, indeed dead, in his sin. He is entirely unable to contribute anything towards his spiritual awakening. That awakening is one hundred percent the activity of the Holy Spirit. So all the credit, all the glory and all the gratitude belong to the Holy Spirit.” --George Smeaton
“Lydia
…which worshipped God” this means that Lydia was a Gentile converted to Judaism, not that she was a true believer before she heard Paul preach.
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