Augustine on Calling

Augustine distinguishes the common from the effectual call in the following passages: “God calls many predestinated children of his to make them members of his only predestinated Son, not with that calling with which they were called who would not come to the marriage, since with that calling were called also the Jews, to whom Christ crucified is an offense, and the Gentiles, to whom Christ crucified is foolishness; but with that calling he calls the predestinated which the apostle distinguished when he said that he preached Christ, the wisdom of God and the power of God to them that were called, Jews as well as Greeks. And it was this calling he meant when he said, ‘Not of works, but of him that calls, it was said unto Rebecca, that the elder shall serve the younger.’ Did he say, ‘Not of works, but of him that believes’? Rather, he actually took this [namely, faith] away from man that he might give the whole to God. Therefore he said, ‘But of him that calls’; not with any sort of calling whatever, but with that calling wherewith a man is made a believer” (Predestination 32). “The vessels of mercy were not so called as not to be elected, in respect of which it is said, ‘Many are called, but few are elected’; but because they were called according to God’s purpose they are of a certainty also elected by the election of grace, as it is denominated, not of any precedent merits of theirs, because grace is all the merit they have” (Rebuke and Grace 13). “Whoever are elected are without doubt also called; but not whoever are called are also elected. Those are elected who are called according to God’s purpose and who are also predestinated and foreknown” (Rebuke and Grace 14).