The Call & Command

The Bible uses the word “call,” which means “to invite,” for the message of the Cross of Christ… “God called you by the Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14). There is no invitation in the universe as important as this one.

But in case people take the invitation lightly, and consider ignoring or rejecting it, the Bible also calls it a command… “God commands all men everywhere to repent, for He has appointed a Day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He has appointed, and has given assurance to all mankind, in that He raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30,31).

The “call” shows us the glories of what we’re invited “to” in Christ… a standing in grace, new power and liberty as the children of God, a life of virtue, a future of unending joys, a kingdom where Righteousness reigns, a home in eternal glory.

The “command” warns of what God wants to save us “from” in Christ… sinful lifestyles which bring damage, judgment, and death; enemies, deceit, and temptations; and the doom of all who side with the devil – the Day of wrath, the prison of Hell, and the finality of everlasting fire.

And because the hour is late and the Table is set, the King says to His servants, “Go out quickly” and “compel them to come in.” There is urgency in the mission and in the response, and we’re to make the distinction as to who needs the call or the command… “On some have compassion, being discerning. And others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire…” (Jude 1:22,23).

One day soon the final call will resound, “Come, for all things are now ready.”

(Devotional by Lisa Cataford)