ROMANS UNWRAPPED 173

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."   Romans 10v13

Who makes the call, and what does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?   From here through to verse 17 Paul is describing the  "mechanics" of conversion.   He ends the section by saying that " faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the spoken word of God."   Thus we don't have faith inherently  within ourselves, it comes through paying attention to God's word and acting upon it.   We have in our hands the spoken word of God in the bible.   Within that is the message of salvation, all that we need to know to be right with God.   He sends preachers to explain it, we have ears to hear it, and we have hearts to either accept it or reject it,   When we accept God's word we will call upon Him, and no such call will be disregarded.  

This scripture is a quotation from the prophecy of Joel chapter 2v23 .   The context there is of the coming of the day of the Lord, a period of time in the future when God will take issue with this world and the present day of grace will give way to divine wrath.   Says the prophet Joel,  "all those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered."   Deliverance from divine wrath in the future is in view.   This generation may not be alive when that day comes, but all human beings will face the prospect of divine wrath for sins.   Therefore the term  "call on the name of the Lord " refers to all who realise their need of forgiveness and their need of protection and who call by faith for mercy to the living God.  

Throughout Holy Scripture this phrase has been used in a number of different ways.   It is used firstly in Genesis 4v26 when a son was born to Seth, the son of Adam whose name was Enos.   The scripture says there  "then began men to call upon the name of the Lord."   Enos means "frail, moral man" and this name is very significant, because it is only when we realise our frailty and our mortality that we will be moved to call on God.   So the first occurrence of this phrase is in the context of human weakness and which of us have never felt like that?;   but have we felt it enough to feel the need to call on the name of the Lord?   Another occasion was when Elijah the prophet was challenging the priests of Baal concerning their ungodly worship, he said  "I will call on the name of the Lord and the God who answers by fire" 1st Kings 18v24    This is in the context of human idolatry.   Again it is used by the Psalmist in Psalm 116v2  "Because He has inclined His ear unto me therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live."   In verse 3 he says  "the sorrows of death compass me and the pains of hell got hold on me; I found trouble in sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord."   Psalm 116 v3-4.   This was in a time of deep trouble.    In the New Testament in Acts 9v14, Ananias described those who were believers in Christ as  "those that call on Thy name"   This was in the context of severe persecution.   Again the apostle Paul wrote to the church of God at Corinth saying this  "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."   1st Corinthians 1v2

So the term "call on the name of the Lord" refers to all those who through human history, finding their own weakness, finding themselves in times of trouble, finding themselves persecuted, and finding themselves recipients of the mighty power and grace of God, have not only made an initial call upon Him but have made it a way of life.   This would be the true meaning of calling on His name.  

It means our whole being is focused on the only One who can save us from divine wrath.   It means we confess what He has done to provide for us a deliverance from sin and wrath.   It means we call upon Him to save us now and in the future.   It means we trust Him, pray to Him and worship Him.   there is no formula laid out, just a promise that WHOSOEVER will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved now and forever.  

There is no one outside the bounds of this invitation.   it matters not who you are. where you were born, where you have been, what you have done.   We need to grasp this wonderful, universal and all embracing statement whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.   Almost the last words of the Bible are these   " and the Spirit and the Bride say come.   And let him that heareth say come.  And let him that is athirst come.   And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."