Calling on the Name of the Lord Robert Meredith What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? God, through the prophet Joel, declared, “And is shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered” (Joel 3:32). This is a great promise made to all people. In the religious world today, there is much confusion concerning “calling on the name of the Lord.” God is not responsible for this confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) and the devil delights in it. God has commanded us to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Study is work, and when studying, one must consider the context of the passage or he will certainly draw a false conclusion. Let us turn to the Bible and allow it to tell us what it means to call upon the name of the Lord. The first time this particular phrase is found in the New Testament is in Acts 2:21. In the context of Acts 2, Peter is quoting from Joel 2:28-32 and showing the people that the out pouring of the Holy Spirit was being fulfilled. Peter told the crowd, “that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). A little later some in the crowd cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do” (Acts 2:37)? Those who were pricked in their hearts understood that calling on the name of the Lord meant they had to do something that God required, and that it was not simply inviting Jesus into their hearts and asking Him to forgive them. Peter and the rest of the apostles told the multitude how they could have their sins forgiven. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). If a person is saved by “faith only” or “grace only,” why did the apostles inform the crowd they had to do something to be saved (Acts 2:40)? The second time the phrase under consideration is found in the New Testament is Acts 22:16. In the context, Saul of Tarsus is in the city of Damascus waiting to be told what the Lord required of him (Acts 22:10). When the gospel preacher came to him, he told him, “And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins; calling on the name of the Lord.” To call upon the name of the Lord in this context is to arise and be baptized. At least that is what the Holy Spirit said through Ananias. Also, consider this: if Saul were saved on the Damascus road by faith only, he was saved while he was still in his sins. Why? Because Ananias told Saul that baptism would wash away his sins. Jesus saves people from their sins, not in their sins (Revelation 1:5). How could the Holy Sprit make it any clearer? “Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The third time this phrase is found is in Romans 10:13. In this context, Paul is beginning to show how faith comes (10:17). After stating that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” Paul then asked a series of questions (vs. 14-15), showing us that one cannot call upon Jesus until the gospel has been preached unto him (vs. 16-17). Notice what Paul said in verse 16. He equates believing our report with obeying the gospel. Therefore, to believe, in this context means to obey what God says to do to access His grace. If a person will not obey, he does not really believe. In this context, once again, one sees that to call upon the name of the Lord means to obey Him, not to pray the sinner’s prayer, which cannot be found anywhere in the scriptures. It should be our desire to obey the Lord. If a person is going to be saved, he will be saved by God’s grace. God’s grace tells us that we must call on the name of the Lord. In every instance that this phrase is found in the New Testament, the context shows us people obeying the gospel by believing in Christ, repenting of their sins, and being baptized for the remission of their sins (having their sins washed away). Is one calling on the name of the Lord when he refuses to obey what the Lord says to do to be saved? (see Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:21-23).
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 08:28:41 +0000