The prophet Joel gave the following prophesy in Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.” The apostle Peter quoted this passage from the book of Joel on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection saying that it was being fulfilled (Acts 2:21). The apostle Paul quoted this prophesy in Romans 10:12-13 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? Let us go back to the book of Genesis where this expression was first used. Genesis 4:26 “And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” What were men doing when they called on the name of the Lord? Abram also called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 12:7-8 “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.” When they called on the name of the Lord, they were asking for His blessings in their life. Perhaps they were asking that their crops would bear fruit. Perhaps they were asking that their flocks would produce healthy offspring. Perhaps they were asking for success in their hunting. Perhaps they were asking for protection from their enemies. For Abram, perhaps he was also asking that the promises that God made to him would be fulfilled. They were not calling on some idol as their God. They were not calling on the sun, moon or stars to bless them. They were calling on the name of the Lord. They wanted His blessings. They offered sacrifices to Him. They worshipped Him. I believe that the expression “calling on the name of the Lord” implies praying to the Lord God, asking for His blessings, and worshipping Him. It was making Him lord in their lives.
The apostle Paul addresses his letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:2 “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” Anyone in any place who calls on the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord and worships Him is called a saint, holy, and is set apart for God.
But calling on the name of the Lord is much more than just saying His name or calling Him Lord. Jesus addressed the subject in Matthew 7:21-23 “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!’” Jesus says that we can say to Him “Lord, Lord” and maybe even prophesy in His name, cast out demons in His name and do wonders in His name but not be permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven if we practice lawlessness. We have to also do the will of the Father in heaven.
Just saying to Jesus “Lord, Lord” is not going to save anyone. God is the one who saves us. But He requires that we have faith in Him and in His son Jesus who died for us on the cross. He expects us to repent of our old way of life and decide instead to do His will in our lives. He wants us to confess that Jesus will now be our Lord. And He wants us to die to our old life as symbolized by being buried in baptism.
Let us continue with the words of the apostle Paul after he quoted the prophesy of Joel. Romans 10:14-15 “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? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?” Obviously, it requires belief to make Him our Lord. “And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” Belief in Jesus Christ requires first hearing the message about Jesus. “And how shall they hear without a preacher?” To preach is to proclaim the gospel or message about Jesus, His life, His teachings, His miracles, His death and resurrection. “And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” It is possible to preach to our family members and our neighbors. But for those at a distance, preachers must be sent. “As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” How beautiful are the feet – those who preach have a beautiful mission they perform, taking the first step to bring salvation to those who are lost. The gospel is a gospel of peace because those who obey the gospel have the enmity between them and God removed, resulting in peace. The gospel is good news because it is the power of God for the salvation of those who are lost. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
As Christians, we have had the gospel preached to us. We have believed and have made Jesus Lord of our lives. We no longer practice lawlessness. We call upon the name of the Lord. We worship Him. We pray to Him and ask for His blessings in our lives. We are saved. We are permitted to enter the kingdom of Heaven. But what about those who do not know the gospel? I encourage you to preach the gospel to others. I also encourage you to send those who will preach the gospel so that any who have not heard may believe and call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.