The called and chosen must be faithful! They must continue to actively believe, obey and rely on God. The called and chosen will need to faithfully endure, both in good and in bad times.
The faithful
Being faithful comes from the Greek word pistos. There are two senses in which this word can be understood. It means “to be trusted, reliable” and, secondly, “active, signifying believing, trusting, relying” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, p. 402).
The called and chosen must be faithful! They must continue to actively believe, obey and rely on God. The called and chosen will need to faithfully endure, both in good and in bad times.
The hope of the called and chosen and faithful is to receive eternal life at the resurrection. It is a belief and trust that is deep within each one. Paul reminded Timothy to “lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called” (1 Timothy 6:12).
The Bible is full of examples of the faithfulness of His people—those who looked forward to the coming Kingdom of God. The author of Hebrews 11 points out a number of the men and women of faith. Despite difficult trials, they relied on God and always looked to the future. They were the called and chosen, and they were full of faith. (See the accompanying articles describing some of these people in the “Faith” section of this website.)
“Many are called, but few are chosen”
This particular phrase was used by Jesus after He spoke a parable in which someone was invited to a wedding but did not have on a wedding garment (Matthew 22:11-14). The lesson of the parable is that when someone is called by God, that person has a responsibility to respond to the calling and make spiritual changes in his or her life.
We see an example of this obligation in Job 29:14, where Job said: “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.” Here the putting on of righteousness was compared to putting on clothing.
This symbolism is also found in Revelation 19:8: “And to her [the Church] it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
The man in the parable who was invited to the wedding had a duty to come dressed for the occasion, which symbolically meant that he was to put on righteousness, but he didn’t do that. So Jesus made this famous statement that “many are called, but few are chosen.” Therefore, the called-out ones must be spiritually prepared and be clothed with righteousness.
Make your call and election sure
The apostle Peter specifically reminded the brethren to be diligent in their calling: “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11).
As Peter implied, one’s calling must not be neglected. Since the called and chosen have “exceedingly great and precious promises” (verse 4), it is “for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, … knowledge, … self-control, … perseverance, … godliness, … brotherly kindness, … love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Peter continued, “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 8).
What a wonderful blessing!
In the concluding chapter of 1 Peter, we read the following statement: “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).
It is the will of God to open our minds to His truth. He wants us to remain faithful to Him after our calling, so that we can be His chosen—His elect. Sure, life in this world is not easy. But there is hope! Let’s be about the business of being the called and chosen and faithful!
