In this message we shall consider more aspects of God’s work in the new dispensation.
God’s work includes His calling, forgiving, justifying, reconciling, receiving, regenerating, washing, sanctifying, and glorifying the believers. Let us briefly consider these matters one by one.
Romans 8:30, speaking of God, says, “Whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Here we see that we have been called by God. According to 1 Corinthians 1:9, God has called us “into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” To be called into the fellowship of God’s Son is to be called into the partaking of, the participating in, His Son. This is to be called to partake of and to participate in the all-inclusive Christ. God has called us into such a fellowship so that we may partake of and participate in Christ and enjoy Him as our God-given portion.
First Thessalonians 2:12 says that God has called us “into His own kingdom and glory.” The kingdom here is the sphere in which the believers worship and enjoy God under the divine ruling with the view of entering into His glory.
Paul speaks of God’s calling in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 14. “God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, to which also He called you through our gospel unto the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The pronoun “which” in verse 14 refers to salvation and belief in the preceding verse. God chose us unto salvation and belief in eternity, and then in time He called us to salvation and belief unto the obtaining of the glory of our Lord. Salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and the belief of the truth are the procedures; obtaining the glory of our Lord is the goal.
In 2 Timothy 1:9 Paul says that God “has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose.” God has not only saved us to enjoy His blessing, but also called us with a holy calling, a calling for a particular cause, to fulfill His purpose. The purpose here is God’s plan according to His will to place us into Christ, making us one with Him to share His life and position so that we may be His testimony.
In his second Epistle Peter gives us a word regarding God’s calling, saying that God “has called us to His own glory and virtue” (2 Pet. 1:3). Glory is the expression of God, God expressed in splendor. Literally, the Greek word rendered “virtue” means excellency. Virtue denotes the energy of life to overcome all obstacles and to carry out all excellent attributes. Glory is the divine goal, and virtue is the energy and strength of life to reach the goal.
In 1 Peter 2:9 we are told that God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Darkness is the expression and sphere of Satan in death; light is the expression and sphere of God in life. God has called us, delivered us, out of Satan’s death-realm of darkness into His life-realm of light (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13).
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