Called of God: Authority That Comes From Heaven, Not From Men
The difference between those who assume authority and those who receive it changes everything about what God can do through them.
One of the most foundational principles of the restored gospel is this: divine authority is not assumed, inherited by social status, purchased, or earned through institutional training. It is bestowed by God, through proper channels, upon those He calls. This distinction separates a true church from a counterfeit—not doctrine alone, but the source and legitimacy of authority to act in God’s name.
“And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”
The Pattern Throughout Scripture
The biblical record is consistent: God does not leave the authorization of His servants to human initiative. Every major figure who acted with divine authority in the Old and New Testaments received that authority through a direct call from God—often unexpected, frequently resisted, always transforming.
Moses was not a volunteer. He was a fugitive shepherd when God called him from a burning bush and said, “I will send thee unto Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10). Isaiah was undone by his own unworthiness until a live coal purified his lips and God asked, “Whom shall I send?” and Isaiah answered, “Here am I” (Isaiah 6:8). Jeremiah was told he was foreordained to the prophetic office before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5). Amos was no professional prophet—“I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son,” he said—but God took him from following the flock (Amos 7:14).
In every case, the authority did not originate with the servant. It originated with God and was conferred upon the servant. This is the pattern of heaven.
Aaron as the Type
The Apostle Paul specifically cites Aaron as the scriptural standard for what it means to be “called of God” (Hebrews 5:4). Aaron did not approach Moses and ask to be made High Priest. He was designated by God, commissioned through Moses, and ordained by specific divine instruction (Exodus 28:1). His authority was not self-generated; it was conferred.
Paul then applies the same standard to Christ Himself: “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son… Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” (Hebrews 5:5–6). Even the Son of God did not assume His priestly office by His own initiative; the Father conferred it.
If this was the standard for Jesus Christ Himself, it is the standard for every man who claims to minister in His name.
The Restoration and the Return of Proper Authority
One of the central claims of the Restoration is that priesthood authority was lost from the earth through apostasy and was restored through angelic messengers. John the Baptist, who held the Aaronic Priesthood, appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred that authority upon them (D&C 13). Peter, James, and John, who held the Melchizedek Priesthood, subsequently restored that higher authority.
This is not a theological technicality. It is the entire foundation of the Church’s claim to act in God’s name. Without traceable authority from heaven—authority that flows from God through proper channels—ordinances performed in His name have no divine backing, however sincerely intended.
“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”
God Calls the Unqualified on Purpose
The consistent pattern of divine calling includes a consistent feature: those called almost always feel inadequate. Moses said he was “slow of speech” (Exodus 4:10). Jeremiah said he was “but a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). Enoch said the people “hate me” and he was “slow of speech” (Moses 6:31). Paul called himself “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).
This is not accidental. God calls the unqualified precisely so that the work cannot be attributed to human genius. When the weak and ordinary do extraordinary things, the source of the power is unmistakable. The servant’s weakness becomes the evidence of God’s involvement.
“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
Called, Set Apart, and Sustained
In the modern Church, the principle of being “called of God” is preserved through a three-part process that mirrors the biblical pattern: the call itself (extended by one holding proper authority), the ordination or setting apart (the conferral of authority through the laying on of hands), and the sustaining vote (the congregation’s confirmation and covenant to support).
No one in the restored Church purchases, campaigns for, or inherits a calling by birthright alone. The Apostles, prophets, bishops, and teachers are called through revelation—however that revelation is received and expressed through the chain of authority God has established.
Key Scriptures on Divine Calling
- Hebrews 5:4 — No man takes this honour unto himself but he that is called of God, as was Aaron
- Abraham 3:22–23 — Noble and great ones foreordained before the foundation of the world
- D&C 42:11 — It shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel unless he be ordained by someone who has authority
- John 15:16 — Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you
The Personal Dimension: Each Member Is Called
The principle of being called of God extends beyond formal priesthood offices. Every member of the Church holds some sphere of responsibility—parent, teacher, friend, neighbor—in which they are, in a real sense, called to represent the Lord. The manner in which we live our daily discipleship is a form of that calling being either honored or neglected.
Foreordination is not determinism, but it does mean that for every soul who arrived in mortality, there was a prior agreement—a calling accepted in the spirit world—to participate in God’s work in specific ways and at specific times. You are not here by accident. You were called.
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
The question is not whether you are called. The question is whether you will answer.