Who are the "Called According to His Purpose" in Romans 8:28?

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

This famous verse contains a promise that is for a specific group of people: those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Who are the "called according to his purpose"?

According to Calvinists, these are the elect.  

Calvinists believe in two "calls."  First, the general or universal call, which is the preaching of the gospel to all people, the elect and non-elect.  Second, there is the effectual call which is given by the Holy Spirit to the elect, which results in their regeneration followed by their faith in the gospel.  Those "who are called according to his purpose" are the elect, those who have received and responded to the effectual call.

The effectual call is tied to two core Calvinist doctrines -- unconditional election and irresistible grace.  These are the "U" and "I" in TULIP (the famous five points of Calvinism).  Why does God only effectually call some to salvation and not all.  Because according the doctrine of unconditional election, God, from eternity past, has chosen to save a few (the elect), while leaving the rest of humanity to die in their sins and go to hell.  God's election is unconditional because it is not based on any condition that man meets -- not faith, or repentance, or anything else.  Why is the effectual call "effectual"?  Because according to the doctrine of irresistible grace, when God calls the elect to salvation He doesn't merely give them the ability to have faith, He regenerates them to ensure that they will have faith without fail.  

Both doctrines -- unconditional election and irresistible faith are unbiblical.  Let's briefly look at each one, starting with unconditional election.  

It is clear that God loves and desires to save everyone.  

1 Timothy 2:4 “[God] wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

If God wants to save everyone, then why doesn't He choose to save everyone?  Because salvation is conditional upon faith.  While salvation is available to all, it is only given to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

What about irresistible grace?  The Bible teaches that grace is not irresistible.  Jesus Himself often expressed sincere disappointment that so many of the Jews were resisting Him.  

Matthew 22:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”

John 5:40 “But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”

These people resisted God's grace.  Why?  Was it because they were not effectually, irresistibly called?  No.  Jesus clearly states that they rejected God's grace because they were "not willing."  Why would Jesus blame them for not accepting Christ if their reason for rejecting Christ is because God did not effectually call them?  In other words, why would Jesus blame them for not accepting Him if they were unable to accept Him?  Why blame them for not doing what they could not do?

I disagree with the Calvinist interpretation of Romans 8:28, that those "who are called according to his purpose" are the elect who have been effectually called.

A more biblical interpretation of Romans 8:28 is that the "called" represent Christians who have been called to become like Christ.  I agree that there are two calls in Scripture, but I disagree with Calvinists about the nature of the two calls.  The first call is a universal call (invitation) to all men to believe in Jesus for salvation.  In this sense, everyone is called, both believers and unbelievers.  The second call is a special invitation to believers to become like Christ.  Believers have been called to God's purpose of Christlikeness.  This comes out in the very next verse.

Romans 8:29 “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”  

The "called" in Romans 8:28 are those who God foreknew and predestined for "his purpose," that of being conformed to the image of his Son.  To them it is promised that God will work all things together for their good.