Illustrating the Need for the Effectual Call of God

RL Dabney's tract, The Five Points of Calvinism (here for audio version), is a swift and devotional sweep through the Reformed doctrine of Predestination. Those not familiar with the doctrine (or those adverse to it) would find it quite helpful. Dabney's writes on the layman level, with many colorful illustrations to help mentally grasp the doctrines.

One of the illustrations you meet regards the need for effectual calling (that is, we need the Spirit's to reach down and renew our hearts because we are dead in our trespasses and sins). My eloquence will not in any way duplicate the artful pen of Dabney, but it goes like this...

The truth of the gospel may be presented to a person all through their childhood. But this child may never profess faith in Christ and never have a saving relationship with Christ while in his parent's house. This is not the fault of the parents. They faithfully nurtured their child in the ways of God and always urged them to embrace Christ.

But later in life, say some 30, 40, or 50 years later, the same gospel breaks the heart of the hardened sinner. How can this be? We cannot say that the mere outward influence of the gospel was of any avail. It is man's nature to become hardened as he grows older. And words, with repetition, become vain and loose their significance to a person. If the mere words of the gospel were to effect any change, it would be more likely that it would happen while the child is still young.

Dabney concludes that "it was the finger of God, and not the mere moral influence, which wrought the mighty change." He then goes on to illustrate,

Let us suppose that fifty years ago the reader had seen me visit his rural sanctuary, when the grand oaks which now shade it were but lithe saplings. He saw me make an effort to tear one of them with my hands from its seat; but it proved too strong for me.

Fifty years after, he and I meet at the same sacred spot, and he sees me repeat my attempt upon the same tree, now grown to be a monarch of the grove. He will incline to laugh me to scorn: "He attempted that same tree fifty years ago, when he was in his youthful prime and it was but a sapling, but he could not move it. Does the old fool think to rend it from its seat now, when age has so diminished his muscle, and the sapling has grown to a mighty tree?"

But let us suppose that the reader saw that giant of the grove come up in my aged hands. He would no longer laugh. He would stand awe-struck. He would conclude that this must be the hand of God, not of man.