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2:14,15. This call knows nothing of Christ, and therefore cannot lead to salvation. At the same
time it is of the greatest importance in connection with the restraint of sin, the development of
the natural life, and the maintenance of good order in society. This is not the calling with which
we are concerned at present. In soteriology only the vocatio verbalis comes into consideration;
and this may be defined as that gracious act of God whereby He invites sinners to accept the
salvation that is offered in Christ Jesus.
3. DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS OF THE VOCATIO VERBALIS.
The vocatio verbalis is, as the term
itself suggests, the divine call that comes to man through the preaching of the Word of God.
According to Roman Catholics it can also come to man through the administration of baptism.
In fact, they regard the sacrament as the most important means in bringing man to Christ, and
ascribe a decidedly subordinate significance to the preaching of the gospel. Not the pulpit, but
the altar is central with Rome. In course of time considerable difference of opinion became
apparent on the question, why the gospel call proves efficacious in some cases and not in
others. Pelagius sought the explanation for this in the arbitrary will of man. Man has by nature
a perfectly free will, so that he can accept or reject the gospel, as he sees fit, and thus either
obtain or fail to obtain the blessings of salvation. Augustine, on the other hand, ascribed the
difference to the operation of the grace of God. Said he: “The hearing of the divine call, is
produced by divine grace itself, in him who before resisted; and then the love of virtue is
kindled in him when he no longer resists.” Semi-Pelagianism sought to mediate between the
two and to avoid both the Augustinian denial of free will and the Pelagian depreciation of
divine grace. It assumed the presence of the seeds of virtue in man, which of themselves
tended to bear good fruit, but held that these needed the fructifying influence of divine grace
for their development. The grace necessary for this is given to all men gratuitously, so that they
are with the aid of it able to accept the gospel call unto salvation. The call will therefore be
effective provided man, aided by divine grace, accepts it. This became the prevailing doctrine of
the Roman Catholic Church. Some later Roman Catholics, of whom Bellarmin was one of the
most important, brought in the doctrine of congruism, in which the acceptance of the gospel
call is made dependent on the circumstances in which it comes to man. If these are congruous,
that is, fit or favorable, he will accept it, but if not, he will reject it. The character of the
circumstances will, of course, largely depend on the operation of prevenient grace. Luther
developed the idea that, while the law worked repentance, the gospel call carried with it the
gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the Word, and therefore the call is in itself always
sufficient and in its intention always efficacious. The reason why this call does not always effect
the desired and intended result lies in the fact that men in many cases place a stumbling block
in the way, so that, after all, the result is determined by the negative attitude of man. While
some Lutherans still speak of external and internal calling, they insist on it that the former
never comes to man apart from the latter. The call is essentially always efficacious, so that