Calling On The Name of The Lord There are four passages in the New Testament that discuss calling on the name of the Lord. One describes those who are Christians, saints, who “call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:2). The Corinthian letter is addressed to all of these, that includes all saints today. The other three refer to how those who are not Christians can become such…by calling on the name of the Lord. Many today believe calling on the name of the Lord is essential to salvation, but have a misconception of what it means. They believe, because they were taught, that all one must do is believe in Jesus as the Christ and say a prayer. Nowhere in the Bible is such described. It is a doctrine invented by man, not revealed by the Holy Spirit. The first instance of calling on the name of the Lord is in Acts 2:21 where Peter quoted Joel. He said, “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Peter then proceeded to explain what this means. He laid out the evidence for Jesus being the Christ (Acts 2:22-32). He declared plainly Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36). The people were convicted and asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). The reply was, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). So, calling on the name of the Lord for salvation involves a conviction or belief that Jesus is the Christ, repentance, and baptism. Another passage that discusses this issue is Romans 10:9-13. Paul stated that one must believe and confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus to be saved (Rom. 10:9, 10). He said this is a fulfillment of “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). This is the passage where many people are taught about calling on the name of the Lord; all they need to do is believe and confess…nothing more or less. However, if that is the case, then there is no need for repentance. The truth is, belief and confession are required to be saved; they are part of calling on the name of the Lord. But, there is more. In Acts 22:16, Ananias tells Saul of Tarsus to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Saul had seen Jesus on the road to Damascus and was convicted that He is Lord (Acts 9:1-8). He was in the city three days neither eating nor drinking; he was in a state of repentance (Acts 9:9). He was praying (Acts 9:10, 11). Still, he had to be baptized to call on the name of the Lord and be saved. If we take all these accounts together, we see plainly that calling on the name of the Lord to be saved involves belief, repentance, confession, and baptism. It is not exclusively faith any more than it is exclusively baptism. It is not faith and confession alone any more than it is repentance and baptism alone. All are require for salvation. This is the truth, let us accept it.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 08:24:56 +0000
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