Chapter 10, Paragraph 1
Effectual Calling
Summary
This paragraph teaches that all those whom God has predestined to life, and only those, are effectually called by His Word and Spirit. In due time, God powerfully draws them out of their natural state of sin and death and brings them into a state of grace and salvation through Jesus Christ. This call is not based on anything foreseen in them, nor is it dependent upon their cooperation. Rather, it is entirely an act of God’s sovereign grace.
Through the preaching of the gospel, the Spirit works inwardly upon the heart—enlightening the mind, renewing the will, and irresistibly drawing the sinner to Christ. Though this call does not violate human will, it overcomes resistance and makes the heart willing to come. Those thus called freely embrace the grace offered in the gospel because their nature has been transformed by divine power.
Effectual calling, then, is not mere invitation but new creation. The sinner who once ran from God now runs to Him. The rebel is made a child, the dead are made alive, and the blind see the glory of Christ. What God commands, His grace enables; what He calls for, His Spirit accomplishes.
Historical Context
The Reformers drew this doctrine from Augustine’s teaching on grace and from the apostolic writings of Paul. Against Pelagianism and later Arminianism, which taught that grace merely assists the will, the Westminster Divines affirmed that salvation begins and ends with God’s initiative. The call of God is not an external plea that man might accept or reject by his own strength, but an internal summons that creates the very faith it demands.
This doctrine preserves both divine sovereignty and human responsibility: the call is God’s work alone, yet those called come willingly. It also guards the comfort of believers, assuring them that their salvation rests not on fluctuating emotion or effort, but on the unchanging purpose of God who calls the dead to life.
Key Biblical References
- Romans 8:30 – “Those whom he predestined he also called… and those whom he called he also justified.”
- 2 Timothy 1:9 – God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace.”
- John 6:37, 44 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me… No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
- Ezekiel 36:26–27 – God gives a new heart and Spirit to enable obedience.
- Acts 16:14 – “The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 10, paragraph 1 proclaims that God’s saving call is effectual—it accomplishes what He intends. By His Word and Spirit, He transforms the unwilling into the willing, the blind into the seeing, and the dead into the living. Salvation is not the fruit of man’s decision but the triumph of God’s mercy. The same voice that said, “Let there be light,” speaks into the sinner’s heart, and there is life.
Chapter 10, Paragraph 2
The Outward and Inward Call
Summary
This paragraph distinguishes between the outward call of the gospel, which goes forth to all, and the inward call of the Spirit, which brings the elect to salvation. Many hear the Word preached; few are changed by it. The same sun that softens wax hardens clay. The outward call is the sincere offer of Christ in the gospel—the invitation to repent and believe. Yet apart from the inward work of the Spirit, this call is resisted, ignored, or despised.
Only the Spirit of God can make the outward call effectual. He opens the ears that were deaf, softens the heart of stone, and enlightens the darkened mind. Those whom God has chosen, He calls in His appointed time, not because of foreseen faith, merit, or desire, but purely by His sovereign grace. When the Spirit moves, the sinner no longer merely hears the Word but is pierced by it, awakened, and drawn irresistibly to Christ.
This is the mystery of divine calling: the same gospel that is rejected by the many is embraced by the few—yet not by chance or by superior wisdom, but because “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). The call that once fell on deaf ears now becomes the melody of life itself, as the sinner responds, “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.”
Historical Context
The Westminster Divines stood firmly in the stream of Augustinian and Reformed theology, countering both Arminianism and Roman Catholic synergism, which taught that man’s will could cooperate with grace to secure salvation. Against these errors, the Confession asserts that the difference between the believer and the unbeliever lies not in their natural disposition, but in God’s regenerating work.
This teaching also underscores the purity of the gospel ministry. Ministers proclaim the Word to all indiscriminately, confident that God will call His elect through it. Preaching is not manipulation, nor is conversion mere persuasion—it is the means by which God raises the dead. Thus, the preacher’s task is to sow faithfully; the Spirit alone gives the increase.
Key Biblical References
- Matthew 22:14 – “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
- Acts 28:24 – “Some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:23–24 – “We preach Christ crucified… to those who are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
- Ezekiel 11:19 – “I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them.”
- John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 10, paragraph 2 teaches that while the gospel call is extended to all people, only the elect respond savingly, for the Spirit of God alone makes the call effectual. The outward preaching of the Word invites; the inward work of the Spirit compels. Those whom the Father has given to the Son will hear His voice and come. The rest may hear the same words, but their hearts remain unmoved. Thus salvation rests not in the will of man, but in the mercy of God who speaks life where there was death, and who calls light out of darkness.
Chapter 10, Paragraph 3
Elect Infants and Those Incapable of the Outward Call
Summary
This paragraph teaches a truth both tender and profound: that God, in His sovereign grace, can save His elect even when they are incapable of receiving the outward call of the gospel. Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit, who works when, where, and how He pleases. The same gracious principle applies to all others who are, by reason of mental incapacity, unable to understand the external preaching of the Word.
Salvation is not bound to human means, though it is ordinarily accomplished through them. The Spirit of God is free and sovereign, working beyond the limits of human comprehension. Where the outward call cannot reach, the inward call may still be effectual. The Lord who knit us together in the womb is not hindered by the weakness of flesh or the frailty of mind. He can regenerate without words, sanctify without reason, and bring to glory those whom Christ has purchased with His blood.
This paragraph guards two truths: the necessity of the Spirit’s work and the sovereignty of divine grace. The Westminster Divines did not teach that all infants are saved, but that all elect infants are saved—and that their salvation, like that of all believers, is entirely the work of the Triune God, resting in His mercy, not in their merit or understanding.
Historical Context
In the seventeenth century, questions concerning the salvation of infants were deeply pastoral. The Reformers rejected the Roman notion that baptism itself regenerates, yet they also resisted the despair that imagined unbaptized infants to be lost. Following Augustine and Calvin, the Westminster Divines affirmed that regeneration is the work of the Spirit alone. The salvation of elect infants does not depend upon sacramental rites, parental faith, or human capacity, but solely upon the sovereign grace of God in Christ.
This teaching brought deep comfort to grieving Christian parents, while maintaining the integrity of biblical theology: that salvation is always by grace, always through Christ, and always the work of the Holy Spirit. It also reaffirmed the dignity of the weakest and least among us—those whom the world might overlook are not forgotten by God.
Key Biblical References
- Luke 1:15 – John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
- 2 Samuel 12:22–23 – David’s confidence regarding his deceased infant: “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
- John 3:8 – “The wind blows where it wishes… so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
- Romans 8:9 – “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.”
- Romans 9:15–16 – “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy… So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 10, paragraph 3 declares that God’s saving grace is not confined to the ordinary means of hearing and believing. The Spirit who called Lazarus from the tomb can also call the infant from the cradle or the incapacitated from their silence. The same sovereign mercy that regenerates the heart through preaching can regenerate the heart apart from it. Thus, we rest our hope not in human capacity, but in the freedom of divine grace, knowing that the Judge of all the earth shall do right—and that His mercy extends farther than our understanding can reach.
Chapter 10, Paragraph 4
The Non-Elect and the Rejection of the Call
Summary
This paragraph soberly declares that not all who hear the gospel are saved. While many are outwardly called by the preaching of the Word, only the elect are inwardly renewed by the Spirit. The rest—those not elected unto life—may experience the external call, and even feel some moral conviction or temporary interest, yet they never truly come to Christ. They may receive the light, but they love darkness more than light.
This rejection is not due to any failure in the gospel itself, nor any deficiency in God’s sincerity. The call of the gospel is genuine and free, but man’s heart is hard. Those who remain in unbelief do so willingly, blinded by sin and enslaved to their own desires. The grace of God is offered, but they will not have it; Christ stands ready to save, but they refuse to come that they may have life (John 5:40).
In this paragraph, the Westminster Divines safeguard the truth of human responsibility and divine sovereignty. God owes mercy to none; He gives it freely to some. The same sun that melts the wax hardens the clay. The fault lies not in the light, but in the hardness of the heart. Those who perish under the sound of the gospel perish justly, for they reject the Saviour who was sincerely offered to them.
Historical Context
This teaching arose in response to both Arminian and Universalist errors. The Arminians argued that the difference between believers and unbelievers lay in the proper use of human free will; the Universalists claimed that God’s love would ultimately save all. The Westminster Assembly rejected both, affirming instead that the gospel call is sincere, yet effectual only to the elect.
This doctrine does not make God unjust, nor does it diminish the duty of man. The gospel is to be preached freely and universally, as the appointed means through which God gathers His people. But salvation remains the sovereign act of divine grace. The Word is never without effect—it either softens to repentance or hardens to judgment. Thus, the Confession calls both preacher and hearer to humility: the one to faithfulness, the other to fear and trembling before the living God.
Key Biblical References
- Matthew 22:14 – “Many are called, but few are chosen.”
- John 6:64–65 – “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
- Romans 9:18 – “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
- Acts 28:24–27 – “Some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved… For this people’s heart has grown dull.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:15–16 – “We are the aroma of Christ… to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
Summary Statement
Chapter 10, paragraph 4 reminds us that salvation is of grace alone, and judgment is of justice alone. The same gospel that awakens faith in the elect exposes unbelief in the reprobate. The outward call goes forth to all, declaring Christ crucified and risen; the inward call comes only to those whom the Father has given to the Son. For the rest, the preaching of the cross remains foolishness. Yet even their rejection serves the purpose of God, who makes His power known both in mercy and in wrath.
Here we are brought face to face with divine sovereignty—not as cold abstraction, but as holy reality. The gospel humbles all pride: those who are saved boast only in grace; those who are lost perish not for lack of invitation, but for love of sin. The Judge of all the earth does right, and His mercy magnifies His justice.
Covenant Presbyterian Church 