JUDE 1a: WHO ARE THE "CALLED ONES"?

 Verse 1: Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.

Since verse 1 of Jude contains a number of important doctrinal elements, I will present them over the course of the next three postings.

A Bond-servant—a Slave

Jude describes himself as a bond-servant, “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the other.”1 Both Peter (2 Peter 1:1) and Paul (Romans 1:1) declare that they also were bond-servants of Christ; the only difference is that they were apostles, which Jude does not claim to be.

The Called Ones

Jude states that he is writing “to those who are the called” (literally, the called ones). The word called is an adjective positioned at the end of the Greek sentence for emphasis describing a particular quality of the recipients of the letter. The Greek word for called when used in Scripture takes on a technical theological meaning as an element of the divine plan of God. Kenneth Wuest explains:

The word here speaks of that effectual call of God whereby the sinner called to salvation is constituted willing to receive that which he by nature rejects, namely, salvation.2

There are two aspects of God’s calling: the general call and the efficacious call. It is essential that we understand this important doctrinal truth. L.S. Chafer asserts that “the word call is closely related to the word draw.”3 As our Lord stated:

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44)

The Greek word used in this verse for draw means “to draw toward without necessarily the notion of force.”4 This means that no one is dragged into a belief in Christ, giving them freedom of choice.    

In the general call, the drawing is through the presentation of the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16; cf. John 12:32), offered to all mankind.  However, not all will believe, because each person has the free will to choose or reject the gospel. An enforced response to the gospel could no longer be viewed as a call—for a true calling necessitates the individual’s volitional response. This is the significance of the phrase “whoever believes” in John 3:15-16.

The drawing of the efficacious call is divinely enabled by the Father and is not resisted. How does the Father accomplish this? Dr. Chafer explains:

The assurance is that God can and does so influence men by the enlightenment which the Spirit accomplishes…Calling, then, is that choice on the part of God of an individual through an efficacious working in the mind and heart by the Holy Spirit, to the end that the will of the one who is called may be moved by its own vision and determination in the exercise of saving faith.5

The Purpose of the Calling

God’s purpose is twofold for calling individuals for salvation: concerning our relationship with God and our relationship with man. 

Scripture states that our relationship with God should entail specific characteristics: love of Him (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 12:37-39); glorifying Him (1 Corinthians 6:20); serving (John 12:26); honoring (John 5:23); worshipping (Psalm 2:11; 29:2); obedience (Deuteronomy 27:10; Acts 5:29; 1 Peter 1:2); fear (1 Samuel 12:24; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Psalm 111:10).

Regarding our relationship with others, this is summed up by the apostle Paul. He maintains that we are “to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1; cf. Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12).  This word walk is used by Paul figuratively of how one conducts their life.6 He goes on to describe the characteristics of this worthy manner of life towards other believers:

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2–3)

In order to enable believers to walk in this manner worthy of their calling Paul asserts that this can be accomplished by being “filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9). In order for the believer to acquire this knowledge it requires a dedication of one’s life to God and an intensive study of God’s Word. Paul concisely outlined this:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1–2)

By the renewing of your mind Paul is suggesting a total renovation of how we think about our life, our ambitions, and our world-view. Remember, that at the point of accepting the free gift of eternal life (responding to the call) we changed our mind about Jesus Christ and our eternal destiny. We then had a choice to make. We could have moved on and maintained our lives as if nothing occurred; living out our lives, die and go to heaven. Or, we could submit to Paul’s command to be transformed—renewing our minds through the daily intake of God’s Word; learning God’s purpose for calling us.

This transformation will result in enabling us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10). The Apostle Peter concurs with Paul, as recording in his second epistle, emphasizing that believers should “be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10). It will be instructive to read the entire passage, 2 Peter 1:4–11.

By having made the right decision about the free gift of salvation should motivate us to transform our minds so that we can fulfill the purpose for which He called us.

 

 

---

[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G1401.

[2] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English Reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 16.232–233.

[3] Chafer, L.S. (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 7.65

[4] Zodhiates, S. (2000). In The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G1670.

[5] Chafer, 7.67

[6] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 649.

 

 

© 2023 David M. Rossi