Calling On The Name Of The Lord

The Apostle Peter, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, preached the first gospel sermon ever preached on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 after Jesus’ ascension back to heaven. By believing and obeying the message preached that Pentecost day the men and women present would be saved from their sins, and so they were. In that sermon, Peter quoted the prophet Joel, saying, “It shall be, that every one who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21 NAS 77)

All rational men and women ought to want to be saved. We all know, if we are at all honest, that we have sinned and have sins that need to be forgiven. God’s promise through Joel the prophet was that “every one” will be saved who will call on the name of the Lord, so how do we do that?

One’s first inclination when hearing the word “call” is to think of verbal communication, thus prayer to God. Yet, when one reads the entirety of Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, we find not a word about prayer to God or Christ.

As Peter proceeded in his speech to those who had assembled that day after convincing them he and the other apostles who were speaking in tongues were not drunk, his first objective was to convince them that the Jesus they had condemned to death was indeed the Christ. This was not difficult to do. Peter reminded them of the miracles, wonders, and signs Jesus had done in their presence. No ordinary man could do such things if God was not with him, and God is not with liars. Jesus was who he said he was – the Son of God.

No doubt they were also aware of the events surrounding the Lord’s death, the earthquake, the darkness, the veil of the temple being rent, and, add to that, many of them were likely already convicted in their hearts that they had condemned an innocent man.

Being convicted in heart of their sin and of the fact that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, they appeal to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37 NAS 77)

Peter’s well-known response was, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 NAS 77)

Now to the heart of our subject: what does it mean to call on the name of the Lord? It means to obey the gospel; if you are not a Christian, to become one, it means for the alien sinner to repent and be baptized upon your faith in Christ.

Were these people on the Day of Pentecost saved after obeying Peter’s instructions? The Bible says, “There were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 NAS 77) Inspiration says that, not me. We ought to believe what the text clearly states.

I ask you this question: Did those three thousand that day call on the name of the Lord? It is those who call on the name of the Lord that Joel says will be saved. Did they do it? What did they do? When you answer that question, you will know what it means to call on the name of the Lord. It means to obey the gospel -- to have faith, repent, and be baptized.

If calling on the name of the Lord meant to simply pray to God for forgiveness, Peter would surely have emphasized that, but we hear not a word from him along that line. Why not? Because that is not what it means to call on the name of the Lord.

Saul, called on the name of the Lord in Acts 22:16. Perhaps you recall his experience on the road to Damascus when he encountered the Lord and was told to go into the city and it would be told to him what he must do. Ananias was sent to him and told him, “Why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” (Acts 22:16 NAS 77)

Paul had developed faith and repentance on the road to Damascus when the Lord appeared to him thus all that was left in calling on the name of the Lord was to be baptized. Calling on his name was not something in addition to baptism that Saul needed to do, but it was a summarizing statement of what was transpiring or being accomplished by being baptized.

Surely, Paul had been praying to God, no doubt for forgiveness, ever since Jesus had appeared to him on the Damascus road. The Lord, in directing Ananias to go to Saul, said specifically to Ananias, “he is praying.” (Acts 9:11 NAS 77) We are told just two verses before this, “he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” (Acts 9:9 NAS 77) If calling on the name of the Lord meant praying to God for the forgiveness of one’s sins certainly Saul had done that before Ananias ever arrived at his abode. Why then did Ananias not instruct him to do what he had already been doing if praying to the Lord is the same as calling on the name of the Lord?

Saul, despite his prayers, had not yet called on the name of the Lord, for he had not yet completed his gospel obedience. He had developed faith, he had repented at the time of his heavenly vision when Jesus spoke to him, but he had yet to be baptized; thus we find Ananias directing him to do so. In Ananias’ own words, “Why do you delay?” (Acts 22:16 NAS 77)

When one obeys God, that person is without speech, but by action, asking God to fulfill his promise. The person obeying the command is expressing in action his/her faith in what God has said and promised. The alien sinner in obeying the gospel is asking or calling on God, by his acts, to grant him or her the promised forgiveness of sins.

There are a few other passages in the New Testament that shed light on this subject. Acts 9:14 speaks of those who “call upon Thy name.” (NAS 77) It is clearly a reference to Christians for those who call upon the name become Christians.

Rom. 10:12-14, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; for ‘Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed?” (NAS 77) Again, to call upon the name of the Lord is to become a Christian, to obey the gospel. However, there is an additional point that needs to be made from this passage and what it teaches.

This passage makes plain that belief alone is not calling upon the name of the Lord. You cannot, according to this passage, call upon the name of the Lord until you first believe. When you believe, then you can call on the name of the Lord. This accords with Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 and Saul’s conversion account in Acts 9 and Acts 22. The Bible has never taught salvation by faith alone as so many today teach.

In closing it needs to be said that one must always read the context in determining the meaning of words and/or phrases. The one exception that I am aware of to what I have set forth in this article is the passage in Acts 7 where Stephen is being stoned to death, looks up into heaven, and sees the Lord. The text says, “he called upon the Lord.” (Acts 7:59 NAS 77)

He was speaking person to person, face to face, man to God directly. He was making a request, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:59 NAS 77) Context always matters in scriptural exegesis.

To summarize, calling upon the name of the Lord is, in the New Testament, a request by man to God for God to fulfill his promise. It is a request not made verbally but a request made by obedience, an action out of faith in God’s word, faith in God’s promise.  

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