Romans 10:13-15 “For ‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 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!’”
What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? 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.” 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.” In each place, the scripture does not say what they did when they called on the name of the Lord.
I believe 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!’” Certainly, calling “Lord, Lord” is not the saving method of calling on the name of the Lord. Jesus said that one must also do the will of His Father in heaven. I submit that the calling on the name of the Lord that saves includes submitting to Him as Lord and master of our lives, doing the will of our Lord, and calling to Him in prayer. In that sense, all of us should be calling on the name of the Lord!
“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 save those who are lost. The gospel is a gospel of peace in that 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.”
Let us all continue to call on the name of the Lord. Let us also gladly send preachers that others may hear the gospel, obey it, and call on the name of the Lord.