By Daniel R. Vess
Suppose you returned to your home one day to find this message on your refrigerator door saying: "while you were out, God Called. Please return His call." Of course no such exact thing ever occurred. Yet, God calls every sensible soul. The Bible record tells us of people who heard, audibly, the voice of God: Samuel, Isaiah, Moses, Saul of Tarsus, but the Bible tells me that my call will be through the gospel, not by an audible voice.
Just how do I return His call? Many believe that to confess Christ as one's personal Savior is the "calling on the name of the Lord" that immediately results in salvation. Others believe that one calls on the name of the Lord by "praying through" for salvation.
The expression, "calling on the name of the Lord," is found three times in the New Testament (Ac. 2:21; 22:16; Rom. 10:13). If we truly wish to know the meaning of "calling upon the Lord" we will have to investigate these scriptures, and thus, let the Bible interpret the meaning of this phrase for us.
BIBLICAL EXAMPLES
1) The conversion of 3,000 Jews on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). This represents the first occasion when men were instructed to call upon the name of the Lord. Peter quoted from the prophet Joel. The last verse quoted from that prophecy is found in Acts 2:21: "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'" He went on to tell that same audience they were guilty of killing Jesus Christ. "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;" (v. 23). They did not understand they were to pray through to God in order to be saved, nor did Peter tell them to do so. Peter did not then tell them what was involved in calling upon the name of the Lord, or what it means to call upon the Lord. Further, proof that they did not know is evident in verse 37 when they asked Peter what they must do. "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" His answer was not that they were already saved. "Then Peter said to them, '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" (v. 38). In response to Peter's exhortation to be saved they were baptized: "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them" (v. 41). Thus, according to the first gospel sermon to call upon the Lord for salvation implies the willingness to comply with the conditions God requires in order for one to be saved.
2) The second occasion occurred during the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts. 22:16. Ananias was sent by God to instructed Saul: "`And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'" To call upon the Lord, he had to arise. If calling upon the Lord is equivalent to praying for salvation Paul would not have had to arise. However, to be baptized he would be required to get up and go to a place with sufficient water in order to be immersed. Furthermore, it was baptism which washed away his sins. His praying and fasting for three days did nothing to wash away the sins of his soul (Acts 9:9,11). In submitting to God's command through Ananias, Saul was calling upon the name of the Lord. Furthermore, if he was saved by prayer, then he was saved before his sins were washed away. Who can believe it? Ananias commands Saul to call upon the name of the Lord after he had already been praying for three days. If calling on the Lord is the same as praying then Ananias' request was superfluous. Nor is Ananias telling Paul to pray while he is being baptized. The participle "calling" shows that Paul was to call on the name of the Lord by being baptized.
3) Finally, the Brethren in Rome were informed by Paul: "For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'" (Romans 10:13). It should be noted that calling on the Lord is certainly distinct from and in addition to belief. Consider verse 14: "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" This demonstrates that calling on the name of the Lord includes hearing, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (v. 17); believing and confessing, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (vv. 9,10). The continuity of the passage is indicated by the "for" beginning each of the four verses starting with verse 10. Thus, denoting a chronological order of events. First, a preacher being sent with the divine message of salvation. Second, the preacher must preach. Third, men must hear the message preached. Fourth, those who heard were to believe, with all that is embraced in the term. Thus, the text clearly defines all that is involved in "calling on the name of the Lord".
BIBLICAL MEANING OF PHRASE
Based upon the above examples the meaning of "calling upon the name of the Lord" becomes quite apparent. First of all let's consider what it does not meaning.
1) It is not strictly synonymous with prayer. Prayer includes praise, thanksgiving, and confession, as well as supplication. Calling on the Lord seems to be restricted to supplication (Acts 4:59; Psalms 4:1; 50:15; 55:16; 86:4; 88:9; 91:15). This leaves room for non-verbal means of supplication (Psalm 19:1ff; Romans 10:18). It is true that Stephen was stoned, "calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). Yet, prayer is the privilege of the righteous, and not a means of becoming righteous (I Peter 3:12; John. 9:31). No New Testament example exist demonstrating a single soul ever praying for salvation, and receiving it by means of that prayer.
2) The phrase never refers to one calling on the Lord upon their death bed. Such as: "O Lord, save me!"
3) "Calling on the name of the Lord" is not equivalent to mere belief that Jesus was the Son of God. Belief is a prerequisite to calling upon His name "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). It could be argued that belief is a part of calling on the name of the Lord. Yet, it cannot be agreed that the two are one and the same.
The alien sinner calls upon the Lord when he obey's God's requirements for the forgiveness of sin. To call upon the name of the Lord is a Hebraism, meaning to invoke the Lord. This calling is nothing less than doing the Father's Will. As Christ requires of all men who call Him "Lord". "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21- 23). Not one example can found of an inspired man telling a lost sinner to pray for pardon, or just to cry: "Lord, save me."
It has long been the practice of many people to isolate certain passages of scriptures and claim that they contain all the requirements of salvation. In doing so, they exclude all the other requirements of salvation. It is true that salvation is by faith (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 2:8). However, some teach that it is by faith only. Many seek to use John 3:16 as their proof text: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Such well meaning individuals make several mistakes. First, no scripture can be isolated from all other relevant scriptures in determining the Will of God on any subject. By doing such, one could just as logically argue that salvation is by grace alone, the blood of Christ alone, confession alone, or even baptism alone. What they fail to see is that faith is the basis of man's obedience. Besides, James explicitly asserts that one is not saved by faith alone. "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (Js. 2:24). Despite the claims I have never met anyone yet who really believes that one is saved by faith alone. After a few moments of questioning, you will find they believe that one must do something else, such as repent or pray or call on the Lord, to be saved. However, salvation by something in addition to faith could hardly be salvation by faith alone.
Likewise, calling upon the name of the Lord is not the singular requirement in being saved.
Several requirements are involved in "calling on the name of the Lord". These requirements are consider below.
RECOGNIZE THE LORD'S AUTHORITY
Understanding what is meant by the phrase "the name of the Lord" will go a long way in knowing how one "calls upon it". The phrase: "name of the Lord" is synonymous with God's authority. In Exodus 34:5-7, God instructed Moses to come upon Mt. Sinai with the tablets of stone and He would then pass before him proclaiming to Him "the name of the Lord". What was it that was revealed to Moses when the angel passed before him? It was God's character and authority. Again, in Zephaniah 3:9, the prophet speaks of God's judgment against the wicked and restoring the righteousness so that man can once again "call on the name of the Lord", the end result being man serving God. Of all the creation man alone can say "no" to God's commands. Calling on His name speaks of man's willingness to say yes to God, to His instruction and guidance. When early converts were "baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). They were baptized as God commanded. Thus, "calling on the name of the Lord" means Christ's authority is recognized and obeyed.
OBEDIENCE
It is necessary that I dial the correct number in order to speak with a specific party. If I dial the wrong number, I will get the wrong party. Even though it is unintentional, I'll still get the wrong party. If somebody gives me the wrong number, I'll still get the wrong party. Likewise, if I wish to call on the Lord I must do what is right in God's eyes. Jesus lamented concerning His many would be disciples: "But why do you call Me `Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).
BAPTISM
When Ananias came to tell Saul what he must do, he informed Saul to be baptized and call on the name of the Lord. Thus, baptism is an essential part of calling on the Lord. Peter tells us that baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. "There is also an antitype which now saves us-- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ," (I Peter 3:21). The Greek word here for "answer" is "eperotema" meaning "an enquiry, question, or appeal." When one is baptized, he appeals to God for the fulfillment of His promise to forgive his sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). Since salvation results from calling on the name of the Lord and also from repenting and being baptized, an obvious link exists between the two (Acts 2:21,38; 22:16). Just as those on Pentecost and Saul of Tarsus could not be saved from sin without calling and being baptized neither will anyone else.
TRUST
One is not calling upon water to save him; nor is he calling upon his own meritorious works. Instead, he is placing his trust in the only true source of salvation, the name of Jesus Christ (Ac. 4:12). Trust is the key element. One may be baptized, trusting the merit of his works for salvation. Such a person is not calling on the name of the Lord. All of us realize that mere water, blood, calling, immersion in water, repentance, etc. can remove sin. Yet, God had promised to remove sin if we meet His conditions. Therefore, calling on His name demonstrates that we trust and obey.
AN ONGOING ACTION
Calling on the name of the Lord is not a one time action, but an attitude and attribute of all faithful Christians all the days of their life. "And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name" (Acts 9:14). Christians were those who continued to call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved. As long as you live you must continue to call upon His name.
Conclusion
Remember that in these passages which refer to alien sinners calling upon the Lord to be saved none require prayer, but rather certain acts of obedience, leading to salvation, such as, 1) hearing (Romans 10:17); 2) belief (Romans 10:9,10); 3) repentance (Acts 2:38); 4) confession (Romans 10:9,10); and 5) baptism (Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Peter 3:21). Generally, speaking to call on the Lord is to obey Him (John 6:46; Matthew 7:21).
Most people who want to talk to you call again if you do not return their calls. They are usually very determined. God doesn't do that! There will be no special call apart from that which He issued nearly 2,000 years ago through the Gospel. Every day He calls you through the written Gospel message. Salvation is as near to you as your Bible. Will you not answer God's call today