When Calling Isn't Just Speaking

Sometime after Israel was delivered by God from the trouble it was facing in the days of the prophet Joel, God promised, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh” (Joel 2:28). This would empower people across the strata of society (Joel 2:28-29), bring about changes in the heavens (Joel 2:30-31), usher in “the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31), and culminate in the greatest blessing of all: “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Joel 2:32).  As difficult as some of the language Joel uses may seem to be, Peter said that this series of promises in its entirety was a picture of the day of Pentecost, proclaiming, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). The pouring out of the Spirit of which Joel spoke was what had begun earlier that day (Acts 2:1-4). Though the “wonders in heaven” and “signs in the earth” (Acts 2:19; cf. Joel 2:30) are described with the challenging apocalyptic language common in the Old Testament prophets, Peter applies it to Pentecost; it likely refers to the fall of the power of Satan. Calling on the name of the Lord is what that Pentecost audience would have the opportunity to do, and every audience to a Gospel message since has had the same opportunity.

What does it mean though to call upon the name of the Lord? Paul later quotes Joel 2:32 in Romans 10:13, and since it comes in context after a discussion of confession (Romans 10:9-10), there are some who believe that calling on the name of the Lord is as simple as it sounds. Calling on the name of the Lord is a simple prayer spoken to Heaven seeking salvation. Interestingly though, the Lord Jesus Himself asked, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46), and also affirmed, “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” (Matthew 7:21). Even if these passages weren’t in the Bible, both the immediate context of Romans 10 and the uses of the phrase “calling upon the name of the Lord” elsewhere point to the fact that there is more to calling upon the Lord than speaking or praying.

Take note of the fact that Romans 10:13 begins with the word “for.” This continues a string of thoughts that carries us as readers all the way back to Romans 10:1. Paul desired physical Israel’s salvation, but they weren’t saved because their unknowledgeable zeal attempted to establish a righteousness based on perfect obedience that was perfectly impossible because of sin (Romans 10:2-5). Christ came to make true righteousness possible through faith. To illustrate just how possible and just how near this righteousness was, he describes it as “in your mouth”  (accessible by confession) and “in your heart” (accessible by belief) (Romans 10:6-10). His intention with these statements though is not to indicate that belief, confession, or some combination of both is all that is entailed in calling on the name of the Lord. His intention is to affirm that active faith in Jesus, demonstrated in confession among other things, will never leave one with the shame that establishing one’s own righteousness brings (Romans 10:11). Instead, it will bring about the Lord’s rich blessings (Romans 10:12) as confirmed by Joel’s fulfilled prophecy, which Paul then quotes (Romans 10:13).

To demonstrate that even here calling is not simply confession, just keep reading; Paul says two further things about it. First, he says that calling is only made possible by receiving a preached message (Romans 10:14-15; he will later state that Israel has received this message). Second and importantly, He uses the concept synonymously with obedience: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel” (Romans 10:16).

Paul knew very well what calling on the name of the Lord meant and that there was more to the obedience it entailed than belief or confession. The phrase was spoken to him when he himself received the Gospel message. Ananias said to him, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). “Calling on the name of the Lord” is a participial phrase, a descriptive phrase rather than one that indicates an action. There are in fact three actions in this passage: “arise,” “be baptized,” and “wash away your sins.” Grammatically, in doing these three things, Paul would become a person who was “calling on the name of the Lord.” If he failed to do any of these things, most notably “be baptized,” he could not call upon the name of the Lord.

What we see in the account of Paul’s conversion mirrors what we see on the day of Pentecost which is tied to Joel’s prophecy. When it came time for people to call upon the name of the Lord, what did Peter tell them? They “said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” and what they were told agrees with what Paul was told: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38). To call upon the name of the Lord in fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy required them to repent and be baptized.

Though calling upon the Lord does not exclude prayer or confession (we see both in Paul’s conversion!), it is not summed up by these things. Romans 10:8-13 should never be read 1) apart from its context, 2) apart from its author’s personal experience, or 3) apart from the events of Pentecost which fulfilled a quote it uses. Sometimes, calling isn’t just speaking.

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org