Calvary Road Baptist Church
“CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD”
Romans 10.13
We have the wonderful opportunity of considering one of the most famous and easily recognizable salvation verses, so-called, found anywhere in the Bible. The address of our text is Romans 10.13:
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
It seems like a pretty straightforward verse, doesn’t it? It’s a conditional statement. And the great thing is, it’s concise. It’s blunt. It’s to the point. If such and such is true, then a certain thing necessarily follows. But, like any portion of God’s Word, it deserves to be carefully examined. So, before we deal specifically with our text, allow me to recapitulate and lay before you the essentials of this letter to the Romans that brought Paul up to this wonderful verse in God’s Word.
Through 3.20 in his letter to the Romans, Paul established in the most concrete and undeniable way that everyone needs to be justified in the sight of God. Why? Because we are all sinners in God’s sight and justification is God’s prescribed remedy for our great need to be reconciled to Him. Then, from Romans 3.21 through Romans 6, Paul carefully explained the nature of justification. In chapter 4 he showed his readers that justification is now, and has always been, accomplished by the instrumentality of faith and that works has never resulted, and cannot result, in a sinful person like you or me being justified in God’s sight. Only by faith in our blessed Savior Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us can a sinner be justified. Then, in chapters 6-8, the apostle dealt with other matters related to justification, namely sanctification, all the while reinforcing the notion that the justification that comes through faith in Jesus Christ is the continuation of the plan of salvation that God introduced in Old Testament times.
This may sound fine to you and me, but it raised a serious question to the original readers of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Many, many Christians in Paul’s day were Jewish Christians. In fact, for a decade or so almost every Christian was a Jewish Christian. But as time went on the Jewish people as a majority turned against the Gospel and refused to respond to God’s free offer of salvation. If New Testament Christianity is God’s logical follow-on to the faith of the Old Testament saints, those Roman Christians reasoned, why were so few Jewish people now responding to the Gospel? And why were such a disproportionate number of Christians now Gentiles?
In the two chapters leading up to my text for today, Paul laid the groundwork for answering that question. Romans chapter 9 deals with Israel’s past, Paul showing that the Hebrew Scriptures predicted that the great number of Gentiles would be saved and that the responsive Jewish people would be few in number. Romans chapter 10 deals with the spiritual state of the Israelites, verses 1-5, and the standing that the Jews have before God, verses 6-12. Recognizing that Romans 10.13 is in the middle of a portion of Scripture that speaks to the lost condition of the Israelites, let’s now examine the verse as carefully as we can in the time we have.
There are three portions of this conditional sentence that I would like to scrutinize:
First, LET US SCRUTINIZE THE BELIEVER OF BELIEF
You will notice that I have referred to “the believer of belief.” That is, “the person who believes what is believed.” But in our verse, Paul uses the word “whosoever.” Why is it that I am referring to “whosoever” as a believer who believes? Because in Romans 10.11, just two verses earlier, Paul wrote “For the Scripture saith, ‘Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.’” So, the word “whosoever” is Paul’s generic term for someone who has come to believe in Jesus Christ in this immediate context.
With that in mind, what is the definition of a believer? A believer is someone who believes in Jesus Christ to the salvation of his or her eternal soul. A believer is not someone who believes in Jesus Christ the way most people claim to believe in God. “Yeah, I believe in God.” Remember the words of James 2.19:
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
And why do the devils tremble? They tremble for fear of God. They tremble in horror at their destiny. Demons tremble because they understand that simply acknowledging the existence of God has nothing whatsoever to do with their eternal destiny, which is the lake of fire. In like manner, a believer is not someone who simply acknowledges the existence of Jesus Christ, that He lived, that He died, that He rose from the dead. That does not describe or define a believer in the Bible sense, though many sinners are convinced they are believers by such shallow reasoning. A genuine believer, a believer in the Bible sense, is someone who has been given saving faith by God.[1] And that faith given by God is faith in Jesus Christ. It is trust, with the Lord Jesus being the Object of that trust. Ephesians 2.8 declares,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it (faith) is the gift of God.”
The genuine believer, then, is someone who has been blessed by God with the trust in Jesus Christ to do for him what he could not do for himself, in securing his salvation from sin. Further, if you examine the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you see that believers, genuine believers, not those who merely acknowledge the existence of Jesus Christ or His work on the cross, are people who have had a life-changing experience, a transformative experience. That life-changing experience sometimes referred to as being born again, with the result sometimes being referred to as conversion, comes from believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, results in them becoming what they never were before, believers.
With the definition established, what is the determination of the believer? That is, who can be and who cannot be a believer? That question is answered, from the human perspective, in our text for today, as well as from the verse just preceding it. Though he is dealing with the standing before God of Jewish people, Paul elsewhere points out that “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.” Preachers often communicate this idea by painting a verbal picture in the mind when they say that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. Essentially, it means that absolutely no one has any standing before God who is not a genuinely converted believer in Jesus Christ. Being Jewish does not place you at an advantage about conversion. Neither does being a high-class Gentile place you at an advantage. That’s why Paul uses the word “whosoever” in verse 13. There is no indication who can and who cannot become a believer in Jesus Christ, because the Bible says “whosoever believeth in Him.” What does that mean? It means that you are a candidate to become a believer in Jesus Christ if you are not already a believer.
Next, LET US SCRUTINIZE THE BLESSING OF BELIEF
What blessing is derived from being a believer in Jesus Christ? According to this promise in the Bible, and it’s one of the most famous promises in the Bible, you “shall be saved.” Two looks:
First, this notion of “shall be saved” from a consideration of the Greek word, soothesetai. There are three things that we learn from this single Greek word translated “shall be saved”: First, we learn that it refers to deliverance of some kind. It is a word that is used to describe a release from slavery. It is a word that is used to describe a deliverance from threats to life and limb. It is also a word that is used to refer to delivering someone from the penalties that fall upon the sinner. So, the word can have either a spiritual or a physical significance. Second, we note that this word is a verb of the future tense. “Shall be saved.” The specific way the word is written in our New Testament indicates a look to the future, from what perspective we shall shortly see. So, some sort of deliverance is going to happen, either physically or spiritually, or perhaps both physically and spiritually. Third, we note that this verb is a passive verb. By passive, I mean that what is going to happen is not anything the “whosoever” does. Rather, it is going to be done to the “whosoever.” The believer does not save himself, but rather shall be saved, shall be delivered. But who does the saving? Who does the delivering? We are not told in this verse. But such a word as this is what is called a divine passive. The reason we are not told who shall save the believer is because it is obvious who shall save the believer. Only God can effect the believer’s salvation. So, from a consideration of the word alone, we can see that from some reference point in time the believer will be delivered by God.
Now, let’s look at “shall be saved” from a consideration of the context. From a consideration of the larger passage we want to answer two questions: First, when does this salvation take place? And, what is this salvation salvation from? When does this salvation take place? Verse 11 provides us with a good clue:
“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
This reference in verse 11 is the second time the Apostle Paul has quoted Isaiah 28.16.[2] Being ashamed is related to future disappointment, as in future judgment. It is reasonable to assume, then, that just as those who believe on Him shall not be ashamed at that time of future judgment, so also, at that future time of judgment they shall not be ashamed because they will then be delivered, they will then be saved. Then we ask, what is this salvation intended to be salvation from? If this salvation, this deliverance, occurs in the future, then it is almost certainly the same great judgment in the future that nonbelievers will not be delivered from. I read Revelation 20.11- 15:
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This is the judgment that believers shall be saved from and that those who do not know Christ will be faced with.
Finally, LET US SCRUTINIZE THE BEHAVIOR OF BELIEF
We’ve looked at the believers, and we’ve looked at the blessing. Now let’s look at the behavior of the believers who shall receive blessing. Paul writes that they “call upon the name of the Lord.” But what, exactly, does it mean to “call upon the name of the Lord”? We find out by examining how the phrase is used elsewhere in the Bible. It is always a good idea to give the Bible an opportunity to interpret the Bible.
First, Old Testament usages of the phrase. Let me quickly read some verses in the Old Testament where this phrase is used. Don’t try to keep up with me. Just jot down or look up later which passages you can and try to get the drift:
Genesis 4.26:
“then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”
Genesis 12.8: On a mountain Abram
“builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.”
Genesis 13.4:
“Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.”
Notice, both of these last two verses occurred before Abram’s conversion, which is recorded in Genesis 15.6. In other words, Abram is said to have called on the name of the LORD before he was justified by faith; several years before he was justified by faith.
Genesis 21.33:
“And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD.”
This occurs after Abraham’s conversion in Genesis 15.6.
Genesis 26.25:
“And he (Isaac) builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD.”
First Kings 18.24:
“And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD.”
Elijah said these words to challenge the prophets of the false god Baal on Mount Carmel. There are some other verses that I could read, but the pattern would be the same. The phrase “call on the name of the LORD” does not refer to the cry of repentance uttered by a sinner at the time of his conversion. Indeed, of the first three passages I quoted, two of those verses recorded Abram calling on the name of the LORD prior to his justification by faith. So, to “call upon the name of the LORD” refers to supplications, to prayers, to asking for things or blessings, even when unsaved people are doing it!
Now, New Testament usages of the phrase. There are five verses in the New Testament in which this phrase or one like it is found: Acts 9.14, when told by the Lord Jesus Christ to baptize the persecutor of Christians named Saul, the believer in Damascus named Ananias replied
“And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.”
Acts 9.21, when Jews heard that Saul of Tarsus preached Christ, they said,
“Is not this he that destroyed them which called on his name in Jerusalem?”
Acts 22.16, referring back to his baptism many years later, Paul recalled the words of the man that baptized him:
“And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
First Corinthians 1.2, where Paul writes to those already believers who call on the name of the Lord:
“Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, 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.”
And Second Timothy 2.22, where Paul also writes to Timothy about those already believers:
“Flee youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
So, in the New Testament, we see the phrase used in essentially the same way as in the Old Testament, except that the phrase is not used in connection with the unsaved in the New Testament. But in both Old and New Testaments we see that calling on the name of the LORD is seen not as the cry of repentance from the sinner at the time of conversion, but praying to the LORD, beseeching the LORD. There is a difference between the Old Testament usage and the New Testament usage that bears explaining. In the Old Testament, one called on the name of Jehovah. In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus is the One Whose name is called upon by believers where this phrase is found.
Finally, the immediate usage of the phrase. Throughout the Bible, in the Old Testament and the New, the phrase “call upon the name of the LORD” refers, not to the cry of repentance of a sinner at the time faith is placed in Christ, but to a cry to God or the Savior that comes from someone in dire need, whether or not the person is really a child of God. The context immediately surrounding Romans 10.13, however, suggests that in this verse what is meant is the calling out to God, not by just anyone, but someone who has already come to faith in Christ and certainly will, because of that faith in Christ and His shed blood, not be ashamed before God come Judgment Day, but will stand before God cleansed and clothed in the righteousness of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
To summarize, then, the word “whosoever” shows us that, potentially, anyone can become a believer in Jesus Christ. And a believer in Jesus Christ is someone who has been given faith from God to place trust in Jesus Christ for the salvation of his eternal soul.
For you here today who are not Christians, who are not believers in Jesus Christ, though you may count yourself as one who believes in God, this word “whosoever” means that you can become one of those people who is truly converted, if you have a living and saving faith in Jesus Christ, not the dead intellectual belief of the demons, who believe in God as they journey toward the lake of fire. The phrase “shall be saved” does not mean that by believing in Jesus Christ you shall someday have your sins forgiven you. Oh no. People who are justified by faith in Jesus Christ presently have their sins forgiven them. No, no. This future salvation that’s referred to is not a future salvation from sins. What’s referred to here is a future deliverance, a future salvation, from the Great White Throne judgment of Jesus Christ for those whose sins are already forgiven.
We who are believers in Jesus Christ shall be saved from that great judgment of each person’s works. Because, insofar as heaven is concerned, we shall be judged according to Jesus Christ’s works, not our own. So, being a Christian doesn’t just mean that my sins are forgiven here and now, though my sins are certainly forgiven here and now. Being a Christian also means that I will never have to answer for my sins in the future, either. Will God chasten the Christian as a child who is chastened by his dad? Yes, but chastening never results in being disowned or disinherited. Any spankings I receive at the hand of God are loving and correcting strokes applied so that I might be a partaker of His holiness, Hebrews 12. God’s correction of believers is never punitive, but always as a loving father corrects his child to alter his future behavior.
Finally, the phrase “call upon the name of the Lord.” From our reading of the way this phrase is used throughout the Bible we can safely say that to “call upon the name of the LORD” is not something that a person does to become a believer in Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, inappropriate to use this verse when guiding someone to Christ, since calling on the name of the Lord does not refer to trusting Christ for salvation. Rather, calling on the name of the LORD is something an unbeliever can do (as Abram did on two occasions) but which does him no eternal good whatsoever, and is also something any believer in Jesus Christ can do for his great benefit.
Question. Believer, do you call upon the name of the Lord? If you are a believer, you ought to. If you are a believer, you need to. Not limited to the shrill cries of someone who suddenly finds himself in a tight spot and wants God to bail him out. But featuring the continual approaches to God that a believer repeatedly makes because he knows God is the supplier of his every need.
SERMON:
I spoke to you of that person Paul described as “whosoever.” That was “whosoever” did believe in Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul. But “whosoever” stands in front of the word “shall call.” “Shall call” is a subjunctive verb, meaning a person might call on the name of the Lord . . . or he might not. He may be a believer in Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul, or he may not be.[3]
Having already dealt with the “whosoevers” who are believers, I now want to address those of you here who have not believed in Jesus Christ to the saving of your soul. You have not fled to Him for salvation, for forgiveness, for cleansing, for reconciliation with God. You stand outside Christ. You are not one of God’s children. You have not come to Jesus Christ. There has been no godly sorrow with you that led to a real turning away from sin and to Christ.
To be sure, you have your reasons. You are shy. Or, you’ve been burned in Church in the past. Or, you are not sure there is a God. Or, you feel hostile toward God because of some terrible experience. Or, you have not enough information on which to base a decision. Reasons, reasons, reasons. But the reasons you have, that you use to justify your continued rebellion toward God have no bearing on what I must declare to you. Regardless of your reasons, those pitiful excuses people manufacture or cling to so they might justify in their minds their continued rebellion toward God, this is what will happen to you, what must happen to you:
First, YOU WILL DIE
You must die since the wages of sin is death, Romans 6.23. You must die since it is appointed unto man once to die, Hebrews 9.27. You must die since that is the universal experience of mankind. The only unknowns about your death are when and how. Regardless of the answers to those questions, you will die.
Next, YOU WILL BE JUDGED
Judgment is in store for you when you die, Hebrews 9.27:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
You will be judged according to your sinful deeds and thoughts, Revelation 20.12:
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
And Who will judge you? Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, Who you are rejecting by not receiving:
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.”[4]
Then, YOU WILL BE CAST INTO OUTER DARKNESS
That’s what the Lord Jesus declared in Matthew 25.30. True, it will be the lake of fire for you, with torment and flames and an eternity of agony. But it will be more than physical pain and horrors such as that.
It will also be unimaginable loneliness. Isolation. Despondency. And the feeling of being outside while knowing there is an inside, of being excluded while knowing there are those who are included, and of being destitute of comfort while aware of those who are being eternally comforted.
And darkness. Outer darkness.
There are the blessed “whosoever shall” people, while you are a “whosoever shall not.” There are those few who have come to Christ, while there is you and so many others who have not. Those who have come to Christ and are converted can call on the name of the Lord and will someday be saved from the awful judgment to come. But so long as you remain God’s enemy and refuse Christ, you can call on the name of the Lord all you want, yet judgment and damnation still await you.
Beloved, I pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. Trust Christ as your Savior now.
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[1] Faith originates with the Spirit of God, 2 Corinthians 4.13, who uses the instrumentality of the Word of God through preaching, Romans 10.17, to impart saving faith to the sinner, Ephesians 2.8.
[2] Paul’s first reference to Isaiah 28.16 is found in Romans 9.33.
[3] Fritz Rienecker & Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1980), page 371
[4] John 5.22
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Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church