Ask Donnell - What Does It Mean To Be Chosen By God?
We received the following question from Kathrina;
Hi Donnell,
Can you explain this expression for me please? “many are called/invited but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14… how do i know if i’m called or chosen? what is the difference? many pastors talk or preach about answering the “call” but i can’t remember ever hearing anyone talk/preach about the difference between “called and chosen”.
Great question Kathrina, I see you've been paying attention in church.
I've heard it many times before but my former pastor did offer the following interesting explanation. The "called ones" are the people God invites but the "chosen ones" are those who show up in response to the invitation. That simple explanation sounds pretty good to me but let's see what we can discover on our own by reading through the scripture reference for ourselves.
Matthew 22:1-14(NKJV) - And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Let's begin with a brief study of the words "called" and "chosen" from Matthew 22:14.
The word "called" was translated from the Greek word "kletos" which means; 1) called, invited (to a banquet) a) invited (by God in the proclamation of the Gospel) to obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom through Christ b) called to (the discharge of) some office 1) divinely selected and appointed
The word "chosen" was translated from the Greek word "eklektos" which means; 1) picked out, chosen a) chosen by God, 1) to obtain salvation through Christ a) Christians are called "chosen or elect" of God 2) the Messiah is called "elect", as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable 3) choice, select, i.e. the best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians
The 14th verse of Matthew 22 should be interpreted in context of the 13 preceding verses. Many people were invited to a banquet. Only a few people responded to the invitation. In the same way, at the most basic level, many are invited by God into His Kingdom. Those people are "the called." Out of that group, those who actually respond and obtain the salvation that is offered are known as the "chosen" or "elect."
Another interpretation of this scripture is that each one of us was born with a "call" of God on our lives. We were each given a purpose to fulfill during our lifetimes and it's our responsibility to discover what it is. According to Romans 11:29 this call is irrevocable and is directly accompanied by our natural gifts. Unfortunately, many of us make excuses and find reasons to justify doing absolutely nothing with God's call on our lives. The chosen few are the people who know God's call on their lives, perfect the gifts they've received, then carry it out with excellence. They become the best of their class and are chosen for special honor by The Lord.
Last but not least, the call of God is an open invitation to everyone which means nobody has to be specially qualified to be called by God. In contrast, those who are chosen by God are individually picked out by God for special reasons. For example, check these scriptures out;
2 Corinthians 5:17-19(KJV) - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
If you don't know your purpose or where you fit into God's Kingdom at the very least you should know this. God gave all of us the ministry of reconciliation. Every single Christian is called to the ministry of reconciliation. The same way God reconciled you to Himself through Jesus Christ you should go out and reconcile the world to Jesus. That's what it means to be called by God. He gave you a ministry of reconciliation and invited you to participate. As long as you're a Christian you qualify for this ministry. You just have to answer the call.
Ephesians 4:11-13(NKJV) - And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Here's the difference between being "called" and "chosen". All of us were given the ministry of reconciliation which means all us are "called" to the ministry of reconciliation. On the other hand, God only gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers which means these people are "chosen" to do so by God. I hope this short study on being "called" or "chosen" was easy to understand.
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i have a much better understanding, now that parable comes to life or light to me when i read it….
thanks Donnell
Amen Kathrina. Glory to God!
Thanks for sharing this! I always wondered what the difference was.
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow! This is a great explanation of being “called” verses “chosen”. Thank you for sharing this word. It really challenges the reader to fulfill their purpose. Bless you!
That’s very true Angel. Thanks for the positive feedback. God richly bless you.
good teaching on the called and the chosen, but i have a question for prophet donnel, my question is when u have the call of God upon your life, u would want to answer that call right, how do u answer the call of God upon your life and what are the steps to answerin it so that u do not miss it or ignore it? Eg. the callin of the prophet
Good questions Ronald. Read this; http://thecrackeddoor.com/Main/?p=2292
God will always tell you what you need to do now before He tells you what you need to do next. You can answer His call right now. If you’re called to be a prophet He’ll tell you when He wants you to prophesy and to whom. Just do it.
HI Donnell, this is Charlene Compton from Divine Destiny Trinidad. I like how you explain called and chosen . I remember i had a dream when i was in my 20’s a man came and took up everyone on the earth up in the sky and their faces were picture frames. I watched a bit sad then i heard a voice saying ‘go back for her she is chosen also’. So i feel i am chosen because of what i went through in my life and i have a message for people who are hurting and need to find love. So what did you think of that dream ? I am a dreamer. If i’m not too sure in Deuteronomy state some were created for common use and some for noble purposes.
Charlene, it’s good to hear from you. That’s an interesting dream. Here’s the scripture I believe would bring clarity to your understanding. Looks like God gave you an image of The Resurrection. Glory to God!
Hi Donnell, thank you for answering me really appreciate you may god continue to bless you and your family. Remember i told you i am a dreamer i think God speaks to me in dreams sometimes. I have been dreaming more than once i’m barefooted looking for my slippers. I sometimes find them and put it on and feel good . What do you think God is saying to me or why am i dreaming it more than once? Every day i get a word from God. Today’s word is “My spirit is saturated in you.” To me this speaks about “holy Spirit” in you , when the presence of God is in you you are not the same because you have a responsibility to do what is right and acceptable to him.To show love,mercy forgiveness and giving.
Isaiah 50:4 – The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
Charlene you are living The Word of God. That’s wonderful. Thanks for your words of encouragement and positive feedback. God is a good God.
Concerning your dream? I’m not too sure what this one specifically means. However, if you continue to do what God says on a daily basis monitor how the dream changes if it continues coming. If you seem to keep finding those slippers more often than before then it’s probably a sign of things going in a better direction. At least that’s a good thing. 🙂
that’s a nice one. if you have been chosen does it has to do with who you are to marry. was in a relationship of about five years now, but, one way or the other I began to realize GOD’s call upon my life. then I met wit a minister of God whom we both happened to like each other. He is not married yet. Now, I have issues wit my boyfriend. My parents are like do I know wot God will do through Him. They said that its better to go for someone who u started together. I am confused. I have a witness in my spirit that that man of God will be a good companion to me in my ministry. Though, My boyfriend loves me and He is growing gradually in the Christian race. Wot do u think about this
Esther, you can’t go further in your relationship if you are not sure if you even should be in it. It’s never a good idea to marry someone who is not on your same level of spiritual maturity. If he’s growing gradually then that’s good but he needs to keep growing until he’s mature enough to lead your family before you ever marry him. Your parents have given you good advice. However, you need to step back a little so that you can hear from The Lord.
You know that your boyfriend loves you and you know that your parents like your boyfriend. However, the question is do you love him? If you don’t, let him go his way. Concerning the minister you met, you might not be too sure unless you give it time the same way you gave your boyfriend time. It’s hard to make good decisions about anyone else when you’re in a relationship with someone. If you don’t feel peace about your current relationship don’t keep dragging it on.
Your boyfriend needs to be able to live his life. However, if you do love your boyfriend and want to be with him don’t let the possibility of being with someone new confuse you. Focus on the relationship you already have. It’s time to search your heart for the truth.