The Scriptures plainly teach that calling on the name of the Lord results in salvation. Nowhere is this affirmed more plainly than in Romans 10:13 – “For ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” I would imagine that the vast majority of professing Christians believe that we must call on the name of the Lord in order to be saved. The point in which we have controversy is how we call on His name.
Many believe this calling is done verbally. They may say we are to invite Jesus into our heart. Others speak of praying a “sinner’s prayer.” Inviting Jesus into one’s heart is usually part of the “sinner’s prayer.” While there is no “official sinner’s prayer,” there are certain components that most who advocate the practice agree must be included: an acknowledgment of faith, confession of past sins, willingness to trust in the Lord, and inviting Jesus into our heart and accepting Him as our Savior. This is the idea many have when they think of calling on the name of the Lord.
But what does the word of God teach? Again, it is clear that “whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). The question is how we do this. Paul had opportunity to make a defense before the Jewish people. In this defense he told of his conversion. When the Lord appeared to Paul, He told him to go to Damascus where he would receive further instruction. When Ananias came to Paul, he told him, “Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name” (Acts 22:16). This is what Paul wrote about in Romans 10:13 – calling on the name of the Lord. Paul did not specifically explain how we call on the name of the Lord in the book of Romans, but he did in recounting his conversion. We call on the name of the Lord when we arise and are baptized to wash away our sins.
Some may wonder how being baptized for the remission of sins constitutes calling on the name of the Lord. Peter explained the connection. In making a parallel with Noah and the ark, Peter said, “Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). When we are immersed in water following our belief and repentance, we are appealing to God for a good conscience. That is, we are calling upon Him to take away our guilt of sin. While it is true that we are the ones who submit to baptism, He is the one who does the work of salvation in baptism (Colossians 2:12). God forgives us of our sins, thus removing our guilt and providing us with a clean conscience, when we are baptized into Christ.
This is certainly not the common understanding in the religious world. Most will tell you we call on the name of the Lord by inviting Him into our heart, praying the sinner’s prayer, or something of that sort. We have seen the Scriptures define calling on the name of the Lord as submitting to His will in baptism. Who will we believe?
Nowhere in the New Testament do we find preachers commanding people to invite Jesus into their heart or pray a sinner’s prayer. Instead, we find a message consistent with the passages we have already noticed. People were instructed to believe in Christ, repent of their sins, and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:37-41; 9:3-18; 16:30-34).
“Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Salvation is a gift from God. He can save whomever He chooses. This verse tells us that He will save those that call on His name. Will we allow men to define what it means to call on the name of the Lord, or will we accept God’s definition that He has revealed in Scripture? Our salvation is too important for us to put our trust in man in this matter. God is the one who offers salvation to us. Let us listen to Him when He tells us how to receive it.
