Who Are the Called of Jesus Christ?

I have a confession to make. I like gangster movies. Everything I know about organized crime I learned from watching movies like The Godfather, The Untouchables and The Road to Perdition.

If these movies have taught me anything, it’s that success in the criminal underworld requires dedication, service and years of unflinching loyalty. I learned this from one of my favorite movie gangsters, Lefty Ruggiero, in the 1997 movie Donnie Brasco:

Keep your nose clean, be a good earner, follow the rules, and who knows? Maybe one day they open the books, you get straightened out, become a wise guy, a made guy.

Strangely, this is how some people see their future in the kingdom of God.

They think that if they serve the Lord faithfully for years, one day, when the books are opened, they’ll get called up and accepted as full members in the family of God. They’ll get promoted and be recognized as a “made guy,” one of God’s capos.

It would be funny, except this mindset has enslaved many of our brothers and sisters. Like Lefty, they’re waiting for a call that never comes.

In the movie, Lefty’s tragedy is that he has been a loyal soldier for years yet he has never been called up by the skippers. As a result, he’s frustrated and bitter. He feels used and overlooked. Which is how you would feel if you had invested your life in a system that failed to reward your years of service.

Sound familiar?

Manmade religion holds out the promise of promotion in order to enslave the free. Religious gangsters say, “Work hard, keep your nose clean, and maybe one day you’ll be called up, recognized and rewarded.” In other words, you have to serve and prove yourself if you wish to be numbered among those who are…

…the called of Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:6)

Who are “the called” of Christ?

This is one of those questions that can lead to division and debate. Ask a theologian, “How do I become the called of Christ?” and you may get a long speech about predestination, prevenient grace, and sacramental participation. Yawn.

The truth is far simpler. “The called of Christ” are believers. That’s it.

There are many references in the New Testament to “the called.” This is not some elite club of super-Christians. “The called” is simply another name for the family of God.

What is the call of God?

Have you heard the call of God? Here it is:

Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22)

If you hadn’t heard the call of God before, now you have. You’re welcome.

Some people like to say they found God. It is more accurate to say they responded to his call. They heard the gospel – the call of Christ – and responded in faith.

Who gets called?

For too long, the world has been afflicted with the lie that says God calls only a select few. It’s not true. Through the gospel, God calls ALL OF US to himself, Jew and Gentile alike. Paul told the Athenians, “God declares to all that all people everywhere should repent” (Act 17:30). God’s call is universal.

(If you need to see this in scripture, check out Rom 9:24, 1 Cor. 1:24, and 1 Tim. 2:3–4.)

Sadly, not everyone responds to the call of God, but those who do are known as “the called of Jesus Christ” or simply “the called” (Jude 1:1).

The call of God is not based on your merits but his grace (Gal. 1:6, 2 Tim. 1:9).

His call is not based on your work, but Christ’s finished work.

His call is not based on your faithfulness, but his faithfulness.

So discard those gangster notions about trying to prove yourself or becoming a made guy. You were “made” the moment you were born again. In Christ, you are a brand new creation.

Pay no attention to religious gangsters who use threats to extort money and service from others (e.g., Matt. 23:14). If gangster movies have taught us anything, it’s that working for gangsters is always a bad idea. The story of Lefty Ruggiero does not end well, and your story will not end well if you think you must be a loyal soldier to win your Father’s approval.

He is God your Father, not the godfather.

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From the E2R Archives: What makes a great Christian movie?

Got a question about a tricky scripture? Check out The Grace Commentary.