Think Wink.

One of our first assignments in the “Illuminati” (I would like to consider myself the Iron Man and Pastor Tim the Prof. X but I think I’m more Namor/the Submariner) is to examine what does it mean to be “called.” With the gift of my new NET Bible I couldn’t wait to start investigating the issue. I chose to examine passages in the Bible where it is said that one is “called” by God to ministry. They were Abram, Moses, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Barnabas and Saul/Paul (both in Acts and in his epistles). Here are some of the observations that I’ve come away with.

Nearly all of the passages that I examined involved an imperative, namely that of “Go!” Abram (Genesis 12:1-3 NET), Moses (Exodus 3:10 NET), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5-10), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:1-3:11), and Jonah (Jonah 1:2 NET and Jonah 3:2 NET) were all told to “Go.”

When Acts speaks of Paul being called (Acts 13:2 and Acts 16:10), the term there is προσκαλέομαι, proskaleomai (the word comes from the preposition πρός meaning towards and the verb καλέω meaning to call or summon or invite), and the force is more like “chosen” or “summoned.”

In Galatians 1:15-16 the verb καλέω appears. However it is difficult to discern if καλέω refers to Paul being called to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, to his task as the apostle to the Gentiles, or if καλέω isn’t either/or but is both/and and that there is only one call that we are gradually awakened to over time. Note also that there are striking parallels between Paul in Galatians 1:15-16 and Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5-10.

In Acts 26:15-18 and 1 Timothy 1:1, Paul’s being made an apostle is done in the same manner as the OT prophets are made prophets, by command, by an imperative to go.

I’m not sure what to make of this yet. I have only just started this investigation. What really catches my attention Paul’s use of καλέω in Galatians 1:15-16 simply because I’m not sure how to read it. I know that for Paul, in a salvific context, καλέω is an effectual call. But I’m not 100% certain that καλέσας in Galatians 1:15 is referring to his salvation, or solely to his salvation. Could it be that there is only one call in the Christian life? But that call isn’t just to salvation, but the call is to a vocation and to a marriage (or to singleness as I am still very much single) and to having children and to minister at a particular church. I have really become very curious about this possible notion. I challenge you, my reader, to think over what it means to be called as a Christian. What does it mean?

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