“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes. I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”
1 Corinthians 1:1-3 NLT
Yesterday we considered Paul’s assertion that we have been “chosen by the will of God”. Today we look at Paul’s next statement, presented as fact, that those in the Corinthian church had been “called by God”. In other translations, this epistles starts with ” … Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, …”, indicating that being called and being chosen are much the same. However, being “chosen” doesn’t somehow have the same active meaning as being “called”. Back in my school days we sometimes used to assemble at lunch times for a game of football. Two captains were chosen and they in turn selected their teams, calling out the best footballers. Sadly, I was rubbish at football so was always the last choice but once chosen the teams battled out their game, being called to play football. We talk about being “called” into a profession, like nursing. Or being “called” to be a missionary or minister. The implication is that in the job scene, being “called” is being chosen to work in a profession that is perhaps shunned by others because it is too difficult, messy or just doesn’t fit with personalities or characters. Take being a pastor for example. A person may be a believer, but the thought of having to shepherd people perhaps just doesn’t appeal to that person because they just aren’t a people person, and instead prefer to administer or teach. Paul was called to be an Apostle, implying that having been chosen he now had to live a life represented and dominated by working out his calling.
We look at the “calling” of James, John and Peter, to see how they became Jesus’ disciples. In Luke 5:10-11 we read, “His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus“. At Jesus’ suggestion, the soon-to-be disciples had just had a miraculous catch of fish, convincing them that they had to follow the Master. A bit further down in Luke 5 we read about the calling of Levi (Matthew), “Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him” (Luke 5:27-28). The first four disciples were chosen into a calling following Jesus for three and a half turbulent years, years that, with the other disciples, established their later role as the early church fathers.
What is our call as believers in God? We know that we were chosen “before the foundation of the world”, but we are also called to be someone. In Ephesians 4:1 we read, “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God”. All believers, pilgrims everywhere, have a calling, and in Ephesians 4 Paul continues, “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace”(Ephesians 4:2-3). The life of a Christian is a calling, but it is more than a job of work, it is a lifestyle that will continue for all eternity. In another epistle, Paul wrote, “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9). So our calling involves living a life of holiness. That may conjure up in our minds pictures of monks or nuns dressed in their habits, but that would be incorrect. Today’s believers are facing into seemingly insurmountable challenges as we are bombarded with the products of this evil and wicked world, deflecting us away from the calling to be holy. Being chosen leads to being called to do and be someone.
1 Peter 2:9 reads, ” … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Consider this, there we were as unbelievers, bumbling along in our sinful lives in an evil and dark world until we somehow heard a voice calling us. It may not have been an audible voice from Heaven, but through a series of contacts, conversations and situations we found ourselves looking at a wonderful world as a believer. The calls continued and one day we transitioned into God’s world of light. God’s goodness indeed. And Peter reminds us that our calling is to “show others the goodness of God”.
So are we pilgrims working out our calling as believers in Jesus? I suspect we all are, possibly at different rates, or in different ways, but with an active faith like we have what else could we be doing? But that is not to encourage complacency, because we know that the heart is deceitful above all else (Jeremiah 17:9). Day by day we come before God in our prayer times, as we study His Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the times ahead.
Dear Father God. There was that day when we heard Your voice calling us and we responded at the foot of Jesus’ cross as we confessed and repented of our sins. We thank You for Your grace and mercy and Your love that never fails us. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 