What Is Calling on the Name of the Lord?
One Sunday, a visitor who was looking for some benevolent help from the church took me aside. After we talked about his situation for a while, he changed the topic of conversation based on something he had seen. The congregation I was working with at that time had a poster in the lobby that had caught his eye; it connected the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus with the response of faith that’s demonstrated in baptism. He told me that he had a blog he used to talk about Jesus and was troubled because he had been sharing a different way of finding salvation than the one pictured on the poster based on what he had seen in Romans. He was alluding to these verses:
His assumption about these verses is shared by many: aren’t belief in and confession of Jesus as Lord what connects us with Him and brings about salvation? Isn’t it enough to simply call “on the name of the Lord”?
Those who are familiar with the book of Acts and the stories of salvation presented there might be tempted to run to Acts 22:16 to explain what’s at work in Romans 10. While this passage is helpful in this discussion, two things should be noted. One, people who present a plan of salvation based on Romans 10 are likely aware of Acts 22:16 and clearly haven’t been persuaded that it presents anything different than what they are saying about belief and confession. Two, it is always a good practice to stay in the context where a text is found when explaining it. Remote context (i.e., the rest of the Bible) really should only be considered when a text and its immediate context are fully understood. We’ll look at Acts 22:16 later, but for now, let’s reflect on Romans 10.
One of the things you might have noticed about this reading is that almost every verse begins with either a “for” or a “but.” That is, every thought that follows the initial statement (Romans 10:1) is either connected (“for”) or contrasting (“but”). Really, these connecting words continue right through the end of chapter (along with “so” and “and”), and this chapter itself is part of a broader discussion involving chapters 9 and 11 as well. For the sake of this discussion though, let’s consider the point that Paul is making in the key verses under consideration – Romans 10:9-10 and 10:13 – in light of their connection to the thoughts that precede them.
As the chapter begins, Paul expresses his prayerful desire that physical Israel – ethnic Jews – would be saved (Romans 10:1). Why weren’t they saved? It clearly wasn’t for lack of trying; Paul witnessed firsthand the zealous hearts of many Jews. Importantly though, this zeal was “not according to knowledge,” a shorthand way of referencing the Gospel truth that reflected true knowledge (Romans 10:2). Instead of submitting themselves to “the righteousness of God” revealed in the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17), they attempted to establish their own righteousness by pursuing a path other than the one revealed in the Gospel (Romans 10:3).
Let’s consider a couple of things before we move on. First, note that while the heart is important, neither the heart nor its enthusiasm, even when both are directed towards God, can bring about salvation. Zeal is related etymologically to the verb “to boil”; colloquially, you might say that the Jews were “on fire” for God but were still not saved. Second, it’s important to consider how the Jews sought to establish their own righteousness. The word “law” is mentioned in the two verses that follow. When some read this word, they immediately see the word legalism, but this is not what Paul said. He was speaking of a law that Moses could and did write about according to Romans 10:5. They weren’t seeking to establish their righteousness through legalism; they were attempting to establish it through the Law of Moses.
With this second thought in mind, we can better understand Romans 10:4. Christ is not the end of the concept of law; in fact, He has His own Law that we are responsible to fulfil (Galatians 6:2) which Paul earlier called “the Law of faith” (Romans 3:27). Instead, Jesus is the telos, the conclusion or goal, of the Law of Moses. Remember, verses 2 through 4 are all connected to the thought of verse 1 through the word “for.” Try substituting the word “for” with the word “because” (which the Greek word can also mean). The flow of thought is as follows: 1) Paul desires the Jews’ salvation (Romans 10:1), because 2) their zeal was unfruitful (Romans 10:2), because 3) they wrongly pursued righteousness (Romans 10:3), because 4) the Law of Moses naturally led to Jesus (Romans 10:4). This effectively presents the same truth as Galatians 3:24-25. Romans says that the Law led people to Christ for righteousness; Galatians says that the Law led people to Christ for justification. Both passages speak of the importance of faith in Jesus and moving from the Law of Moses to Him.
Why couldn’t the Jews pursue righteousness through the Law of Moses? Note the next “for” in Romans 10:5: it was because, as Moses said, to be righteous under the Law you had to do what it said – all of it. However, as Paul had already established, “Jews… are all under sin” having “sinned and [fallen] short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:9, 23). Even the most zealous pursuit of righteousness under the Law of Moses was derailed by human imperfection. Mankind, whether Jew or Gentile, needed a Savior.
Thankfully, Romans 10:6 presents a contrast: “but.” Human righteousness has never been about perfectly keeping God’s Law but about faithfully pursuing God. It didn’t require man to reach impossible heights (Romans 10:6) or impossible depths (Romans 10:7) but to accept the truth that was near (Romans 10:8). Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30:11-14; a text in which Moses uses these thoughts to demonstrate to the Jews that when it comes to God’s “commandment,” to put it simply, “you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11, 14). However, both Moses and God were very aware that though God asked no impossible thing, the Jews hadn’t done it; they hadn’t obeyed God. As Paul demonstrates by comparing the thoughts from Deuteronomy with the realities of the Gospel, they needed Jesus, and thankfully, God provided Him. Jesus did the humanly impossible things man was never asked to do; He came down from heaven, descended into Hades, and arose from the dead. This was at the heart of the message Paul preached. The Jews hadn’t obeyed God, but now they could if they allowed faith to connect them to Jesus.
This ought to prompt an important question: were “in your mouth and in your heart” in Deuteronomy 30:14 presented as aims or goals by Moses? In other words, were Old Testament Jews merely asked to believe and confess that belief? No, and in fact, no one reading Deuteronomy 30:11-14 would think that. “In your mouth and in your heart” were meant to convey proximity, forming a contrast with “in heaven” and “beyond the sea” (or Paul’s adaptation, “into the abyss”) of Deuteronomy 30:12-13. Proximity was meant to demonstrate possibility. Again, Moses’ purpose with these statements was to illustrate, “you may do it,” not, “once you have believed and confessed, you’ve done all there is to do.” Should we conclude then that this is what Paul means when he quotes these statements?
Some might argue that while it may not be natural to view the quotations this way, this seems to be how they are used in light of Romans 10:9, which very clearly ties salvation with confession and belief. As we have already established though, the aim of the text is not to inform non-Christians about obtaining salvation or even to inform Christians about the salvation they’ve received. The text laments the lost state of a group of people who zealously pursued God the wrong way, when “the word of faith which we preach” (Romans 10:8) was right there in front of them. This perfectly parallels what Moses was trying to say in Deuteronomy! To demonstrate that this is not a “plan of salvation” text, consider the order of Romans 10:9: could a person confess Jesus as Lord first and then, sometime later, believe and find salvation? That’s the order in which they are found in the text, and yet one would rightfully conclude that confession without belief would be meaningless and vain.
Let’s move forward in the text honoring the connection between its thoughts as we have earlier. You’ll note that each verse in Romans 10:10-13 begins with the word “for.” Let’s again substitute in the word “because” and see what we can learn. Paul says 1) “that if you confess… and believe… you will be saved” (Romans 10:9), because 2) “the heart… believes unto righteousness, and… the mouth [confesses]… unto salvation” (Romans 10:10), because 3) as the Old Testament also teaches, believers won’t be put to shame (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16), because 4) God is impartially rich “to all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:12), and because 5) in keeping with prophecy, God promised to save those who call upon Him (Romans 10:13; cf. Joel 2:32). Sometimes people assume that “calling on the name of the Lord” is synonymous with confessing Him, but this point stands as a separate thought within the chain, speaking to the prophesied reality that faith can be effective.
So, to summarize the reading: 1) the Jews zealously sought righteousness but didn’t find it because they ignored the goal of the Law of Moses, i.e., Jesus (Romans 10:1-5). However, 2) Jesus has now made righteousness available and easily accessible through “the word of faith” (Romans 10:6-8). So, 3) if they would only believe and express their faith they could be saved (Romans 10:9-10), 4) just as all believers who call upon God can be saved (Romans 10:11-13). Though it discusses salvation and important concepts tied with salvation, Romans 10:1-13 is not a formula or a plan for salvation.
Before we move on to consider what light Acts 22:16 can shed upon the idea of calling upon the name of the Lord, let’s note one other thing that needs to be considered from this text about salvation. Sometimes people balk at plain statements in Scripture like “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21 NASB), because they think these statements in isolation aren’t true. They’re right to do so; it isn’t any one thing alone that saves us but the harmony of many things working together. So, if people know it isn’t only one thing that saves, why do they use Romans 10 to try to prove it is only two things (i.e., belief and confession) and eliminate all other things from consideration? The Bible is happy to say any number of things equal salvation. It forces us in doing so not to think of these things in isolation but to discover the harmony between them. Even in this text we are forced not to see things in isolation. It says belief results in righteousness and confession results in salvation; yet no one would ever try to separate belief from confession or vice versa. Neither should they separate these two thoughts from all the New Testament says about our salvation.
With all this in mind, let’s consider Acts 22:16. In this retelling of Paul’s conversion to Christianity, Paul chooses to highlight these words Ananias spoke 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). It’s important to note at this time that Acts 22:10 demonstrates that three things have already taken place for Paul, then called Saul: 1) he believed in Jesus; 2) he had repented of his sins and desired to live differently, and 3) he confessed Jesus as Lord. As important as these things were in his story of salvation, they still left him with sins that needed to be washed away. Ananias therefore gives him three commands – 1) arise, 2) be baptized, 3) wash away your sins – and explains these three commands with one very important participial phrase: “calling on the name of the Lord.” What is calling on the name of the Lord? It’s not a verbal confession of Jesus as Lord (Paul already had done that), but a description given to the person who responds to the Lord’s instructions for salvation.
Acts 22:16 does not contradict Romans 10:13 in any way. Remember, Romans 10:1-13 isn’t attempting to present a plan of salvation to the lost; it’s explaining why some devout people are lost in spite of their efforts but why they could be saved. The passage which does present a plan of salvation to the lost – Acts 22:16 – reveals that there is more to the story of salvation than simply believing and confessing. Belief and confession are vitally important. Without belief, one would never do anything in response to God, and without confession, one would never commit to externalizing that internal belief. However, as Acts 22:16 reveals, there is clearly more one must do.
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:1-13).
His assumption about these verses is shared by many: aren’t belief in and confession of Jesus as Lord what connects us with Him and brings about salvation? Isn’t it enough to simply call “on the name of the Lord”?
Those who are familiar with the book of Acts and the stories of salvation presented there might be tempted to run to Acts 22:16 to explain what’s at work in Romans 10. While this passage is helpful in this discussion, two things should be noted. One, people who present a plan of salvation based on Romans 10 are likely aware of Acts 22:16 and clearly haven’t been persuaded that it presents anything different than what they are saying about belief and confession. Two, it is always a good practice to stay in the context where a text is found when explaining it. Remote context (i.e., the rest of the Bible) really should only be considered when a text and its immediate context are fully understood. We’ll look at Acts 22:16 later, but for now, let’s reflect on Romans 10.
One of the things you might have noticed about this reading is that almost every verse begins with either a “for” or a “but.” That is, every thought that follows the initial statement (Romans 10:1) is either connected (“for”) or contrasting (“but”). Really, these connecting words continue right through the end of chapter (along with “so” and “and”), and this chapter itself is part of a broader discussion involving chapters 9 and 11 as well. For the sake of this discussion though, let’s consider the point that Paul is making in the key verses under consideration – Romans 10:9-10 and 10:13 – in light of their connection to the thoughts that precede them.
As the chapter begins, Paul expresses his prayerful desire that physical Israel – ethnic Jews – would be saved (Romans 10:1). Why weren’t they saved? It clearly wasn’t for lack of trying; Paul witnessed firsthand the zealous hearts of many Jews. Importantly though, this zeal was “not according to knowledge,” a shorthand way of referencing the Gospel truth that reflected true knowledge (Romans 10:2). Instead of submitting themselves to “the righteousness of God” revealed in the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17), they attempted to establish their own righteousness by pursuing a path other than the one revealed in the Gospel (Romans 10:3).
Let’s consider a couple of things before we move on. First, note that while the heart is important, neither the heart nor its enthusiasm, even when both are directed towards God, can bring about salvation. Zeal is related etymologically to the verb “to boil”; colloquially, you might say that the Jews were “on fire” for God but were still not saved. Second, it’s important to consider how the Jews sought to establish their own righteousness. The word “law” is mentioned in the two verses that follow. When some read this word, they immediately see the word legalism, but this is not what Paul said. He was speaking of a law that Moses could and did write about according to Romans 10:5. They weren’t seeking to establish their righteousness through legalism; they were attempting to establish it through the Law of Moses.
With this second thought in mind, we can better understand Romans 10:4. Christ is not the end of the concept of law; in fact, He has His own Law that we are responsible to fulfil (Galatians 6:2) which Paul earlier called “the Law of faith” (Romans 3:27). Instead, Jesus is the telos, the conclusion or goal, of the Law of Moses. Remember, verses 2 through 4 are all connected to the thought of verse 1 through the word “for.” Try substituting the word “for” with the word “because” (which the Greek word can also mean). The flow of thought is as follows: 1) Paul desires the Jews’ salvation (Romans 10:1), because 2) their zeal was unfruitful (Romans 10:2), because 3) they wrongly pursued righteousness (Romans 10:3), because 4) the Law of Moses naturally led to Jesus (Romans 10:4). This effectively presents the same truth as Galatians 3:24-25. Romans says that the Law led people to Christ for righteousness; Galatians says that the Law led people to Christ for justification. Both passages speak of the importance of faith in Jesus and moving from the Law of Moses to Him.
Why couldn’t the Jews pursue righteousness through the Law of Moses? Note the next “for” in Romans 10:5: it was because, as Moses said, to be righteous under the Law you had to do what it said – all of it. However, as Paul had already established, “Jews… are all under sin” having “sinned and [fallen] short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:9, 23). Even the most zealous pursuit of righteousness under the Law of Moses was derailed by human imperfection. Mankind, whether Jew or Gentile, needed a Savior.
Thankfully, Romans 10:6 presents a contrast: “but.” Human righteousness has never been about perfectly keeping God’s Law but about faithfully pursuing God. It didn’t require man to reach impossible heights (Romans 10:6) or impossible depths (Romans 10:7) but to accept the truth that was near (Romans 10:8). Paul quotes Deuteronomy 30:11-14; a text in which Moses uses these thoughts to demonstrate to the Jews that when it comes to God’s “commandment,” to put it simply, “you may do it” (Deuteronomy 30:11, 14). However, both Moses and God were very aware that though God asked no impossible thing, the Jews hadn’t done it; they hadn’t obeyed God. As Paul demonstrates by comparing the thoughts from Deuteronomy with the realities of the Gospel, they needed Jesus, and thankfully, God provided Him. Jesus did the humanly impossible things man was never asked to do; He came down from heaven, descended into Hades, and arose from the dead. This was at the heart of the message Paul preached. The Jews hadn’t obeyed God, but now they could if they allowed faith to connect them to Jesus.
This ought to prompt an important question: were “in your mouth and in your heart” in Deuteronomy 30:14 presented as aims or goals by Moses? In other words, were Old Testament Jews merely asked to believe and confess that belief? No, and in fact, no one reading Deuteronomy 30:11-14 would think that. “In your mouth and in your heart” were meant to convey proximity, forming a contrast with “in heaven” and “beyond the sea” (or Paul’s adaptation, “into the abyss”) of Deuteronomy 30:12-13. Proximity was meant to demonstrate possibility. Again, Moses’ purpose with these statements was to illustrate, “you may do it,” not, “once you have believed and confessed, you’ve done all there is to do.” Should we conclude then that this is what Paul means when he quotes these statements?
Some might argue that while it may not be natural to view the quotations this way, this seems to be how they are used in light of Romans 10:9, which very clearly ties salvation with confession and belief. As we have already established though, the aim of the text is not to inform non-Christians about obtaining salvation or even to inform Christians about the salvation they’ve received. The text laments the lost state of a group of people who zealously pursued God the wrong way, when “the word of faith which we preach” (Romans 10:8) was right there in front of them. This perfectly parallels what Moses was trying to say in Deuteronomy! To demonstrate that this is not a “plan of salvation” text, consider the order of Romans 10:9: could a person confess Jesus as Lord first and then, sometime later, believe and find salvation? That’s the order in which they are found in the text, and yet one would rightfully conclude that confession without belief would be meaningless and vain.
Let’s move forward in the text honoring the connection between its thoughts as we have earlier. You’ll note that each verse in Romans 10:10-13 begins with the word “for.” Let’s again substitute in the word “because” and see what we can learn. Paul says 1) “that if you confess… and believe… you will be saved” (Romans 10:9), because 2) “the heart… believes unto righteousness, and… the mouth [confesses]… unto salvation” (Romans 10:10), because 3) as the Old Testament also teaches, believers won’t be put to shame (Romans 10:11; cf. Isaiah 28:16), because 4) God is impartially rich “to all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:12), and because 5) in keeping with prophecy, God promised to save those who call upon Him (Romans 10:13; cf. Joel 2:32). Sometimes people assume that “calling on the name of the Lord” is synonymous with confessing Him, but this point stands as a separate thought within the chain, speaking to the prophesied reality that faith can be effective.
So, to summarize the reading: 1) the Jews zealously sought righteousness but didn’t find it because they ignored the goal of the Law of Moses, i.e., Jesus (Romans 10:1-5). However, 2) Jesus has now made righteousness available and easily accessible through “the word of faith” (Romans 10:6-8). So, 3) if they would only believe and express their faith they could be saved (Romans 10:9-10), 4) just as all believers who call upon God can be saved (Romans 10:11-13). Though it discusses salvation and important concepts tied with salvation, Romans 10:1-13 is not a formula or a plan for salvation.
Before we move on to consider what light Acts 22:16 can shed upon the idea of calling upon the name of the Lord, let’s note one other thing that needs to be considered from this text about salvation. Sometimes people balk at plain statements in Scripture like “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21 NASB), because they think these statements in isolation aren’t true. They’re right to do so; it isn’t any one thing alone that saves us but the harmony of many things working together. So, if people know it isn’t only one thing that saves, why do they use Romans 10 to try to prove it is only two things (i.e., belief and confession) and eliminate all other things from consideration? The Bible is happy to say any number of things equal salvation. It forces us in doing so not to think of these things in isolation but to discover the harmony between them. Even in this text we are forced not to see things in isolation. It says belief results in righteousness and confession results in salvation; yet no one would ever try to separate belief from confession or vice versa. Neither should they separate these two thoughts from all the New Testament says about our salvation.
With all this in mind, let’s consider Acts 22:16. In this retelling of Paul’s conversion to Christianity, Paul chooses to highlight these words Ananias spoke 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). It’s important to note at this time that Acts 22:10 demonstrates that three things have already taken place for Paul, then called Saul: 1) he believed in Jesus; 2) he had repented of his sins and desired to live differently, and 3) he confessed Jesus as Lord. As important as these things were in his story of salvation, they still left him with sins that needed to be washed away. Ananias therefore gives him three commands – 1) arise, 2) be baptized, 3) wash away your sins – and explains these three commands with one very important participial phrase: “calling on the name of the Lord.” What is calling on the name of the Lord? It’s not a verbal confession of Jesus as Lord (Paul already had done that), but a description given to the person who responds to the Lord’s instructions for salvation.
Acts 22:16 does not contradict Romans 10:13 in any way. Remember, Romans 10:1-13 isn’t attempting to present a plan of salvation to the lost; it’s explaining why some devout people are lost in spite of their efforts but why they could be saved. The passage which does present a plan of salvation to the lost – Acts 22:16 – reveals that there is more to the story of salvation than simply believing and confessing. Belief and confession are vitally important. Without belief, one would never do anything in response to God, and without confession, one would never commit to externalizing that internal belief. However, as Acts 22:16 reveals, there is clearly more one must do.
-Patrick Swayne
patrick@tftw.org
patrick@tftw.org
Posted in Bible Study
Posted in Romans 10:1-13, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13, Acts 22:16, Calling on the Name of the Lord, Salvation, Plan of Salvation, Gospel, Romans
Posted in Romans 10:1-13, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13, Acts 22:16, Calling on the Name of the Lord, Salvation, Plan of Salvation, Gospel, Romans
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