Vol. 11 No.5 – January, 2013
Calling on the Name of the Lord
(Romans 10:8-13)
Shane Williams
In regards to salvation, there are many different ways people will tell you to follow. If you were to ask most people the question of what to do to be saved, most would answer that you just need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
Let’s consider one of the most “popular” passages used to promote this false teaching:
The World’s View Of Romans 10:8-13: — Take time just here to read this passage of Scripture. At face value, this passage seems to include everything necessary to be saved: Believe in Jesus and His resurrection, confess Jesus as Lord, and who-ever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
In many religious circles, this is the passage used to prove to others the need to say, what they call, “the sinner’s prayer.”
Essentially this is a confession that one is a sinner, that they can’t save themselves, and that they want Jesus to be their Savior.
You will likely notice in reading this passage that it says nothing about praying a prayer as a means to this end. Much of this speculation revolves around the idea that “calling on the name of the Lord” must mean saying a prayer.
Consider with me this phrase while looking at the context of this passage of Scripture:
Let Us Look At The Context Of Romans 10: — Many today read the Bible just like it was a text book written specifically to them. It must be understood that there was an author and a specific audience addressed. Before we can understand what it means to us, we really must come to an understanding of what it meant to the audience in the first century.
Throughout the first eleven chapters of the Book of Romans one of Paul’s primary objectives was for the Jew to understand that Gentiles were also fellow partakers of Christ. Under the Law of Moses, the Gentiles were formerly not accepted. Under the Law of Christ they are. The Jews needed to understand that this was prophesied about even in Old Testament times.
In Rom. 9:25,26, Paul quotes from the prophet Hosea: He says: “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people.’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’ And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people.’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.” (Hos. 2:23; 1:10).
Christ is the end of the Old Law (Rom. 10:4). Now, there is no partiality with God (Rom. 10:12,13). Vs. 13 states: “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved,” is actually a quotation from the Old Testament prophet (Joel 2:32).
The apostle Peter quotes from Joel 2:28-32 at the beginning of his sermon in Acts 2. Joel 2 talks about the promise of the Spirit and Peter said he was talking about those things taking place on Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). You will notice that Acts 2:21 is the same as Rom. 10:13. This was all said as an introduction to the first gospel sermon that Peter delivered on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ.
At the end of Peter’s sermon, the audience asks Peter and the other apostles what they needed to do. Peter had talked to them about Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of God. The Jews had put Jesus to death. Being pierced in their hearts, the people wanted to know that they needed to do (Acts 2:37). Peter did not command the Jews to believe in Jesus and say the sinner’s prayer. He did not tell them to just audibly call out Jesus’ name to be saved. Instead, he told them to: “repent and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).
There Is Another Passage That Talks About Calling On The Name Of The Lord: — In Acts 22, the apostle Paul recounts his own conversion to the Jews in Jerusalem. He tells them about his trip to Damascus to punish Christians. He talks to them about Jesus appearing to him, striking him blind and telling him that he would be told in Damascus what he needed to do. Then Paul talks of Ananias, the one who was sent by the Lord to instruct Paul as to what he must do.
In talking about Ananias’ words to Paul, he was told: “And now why do you delay? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). Calling on the name of the Lord was equivalent to being baptized and washing away your sins.
What About The Application Of Romans 10:8-13? — So what do we do with this passage of Scripture? Yes, we must believe in Jesus, along with His death, burial, and resurrection. Yes, we must confess with our mouth what we believe in our heart, that Jesus is the Son of God, take note of: (Acts 8:37; Matt. 16:16).
These are not the only things involved in our salvation however. Rom 10 says nothing about repentance but we know this is necessary (Lk. 13:3; Acts 17:30). We must also be baptized in water for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; Mk. 16:16). This is what washes away our sins (Acts 22:16).
Salvation is for all. There is no one who cannot be saved. Rom. 10 teaches us that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile. “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” We are to be obedient to His wishes. Peter explained it on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Paul explained what he was told to do and he obeyed Acts 22.
Won’t you take the opportunity to be saved in the same way? Why not look into your spiritual life before God today? You can find all that you need to know in order to be saved from your past sins. 2 Tim. 3:16,17. The New Testament is Christ’s Law to men today. Study it, believe it, obey it.