Amsterdam New York USA
City of Glory
March 9, 2010
For this essay we are going to try and shed some light on a paradox relating to salvation. And our method is to keep in mind that words in the bible, as in plain language can have multiple meanings.
One of these is believe. It can mean simply agreement with or mental assent. Or you can use a deeper meaning of it to where it means trust and obedience. And let’s take a quick example here. The devils believe there is one God, and tremble.
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
But can we say that the devils trust and obey God? I don’t think so! The difference can be illustrated in Romans 10:9 quoted here. One meaning of believe is covered by the phrase confess with thy mouth and the deeper meaning is expressed by the saying believe in thine heart. And the whole process is summed up in verse 13 namely calling on the name of the Lord.
Romans 10:9-13
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord
over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Here in Acts 4 is another mention of calling upon the name of the Lord. It not only mentions salvation but also healing.
Acts 4:10-13
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they
were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of
them, that they had been with Jesus.
The other word is Name.
This paradox we spoke of comes when people concentrate on the literal meaning of what is written in regard to the name of Jesus, and neglect to seek for a deeper meaning. If I were to ask you ‘what is the name of Jesus’ you might find yourself wondering what planet I was from.
What I’m getting at is there are examples of people being saved right in the new testament without using the name of Jesus. Here they are.
The thief on the cross. All he said was Lord remember me.
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
The publican in the temple who prayed to God but never used the name of Jesus. Yet he was justified [saved].
Luke 18:10-14
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a
publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I
am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this
publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other:
for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
And then there was this guy named Saul of Tarsus who had a revelation of the Lord on the road to Damascus one day. This revelation was so powerful that he immediately know it was the Lord and he also immediately became obedient. Yet he had to ask in Acts 9:5 Who art thou, Lord. This was not calling on the name of Jesus either. Or was it?
Acts 9:3-6
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And
the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee
what thou must do.
Look again at Romans 10.
Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Calling upon the Lord is the same for Jews and Greeks. In fact people called upon the Lord before there even were any Jews or Greeks. Mankind knew about God long before Moses transcribed the Torah. And they did not use the name of Jesus either. Or did they?
Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Men called upon the name of the Lord from the time of Seth and Enos. How did they get saved in Old Testament times if they had never heard of Jesus?
Ok what’s the catch?
Well somebody’s name can be what it says on their drivers license. That is a word they will answer to if you call it out. If Jesus had a drivers license it might say Jesus of Nazareth and so on. [I don’t think he has a drivers license, but if he needed one, it wouldn’t be a problem for him, for sure.]
The deeper meaning of a name is who you are, in the sense of what you are. With the case of the Lord, it’s his nature, character and authority. And what exactly is that you ask? His nature is love, his character includes justice, mercy and meekness; and his authority includes the power to forgive sin.
The doctrine of Christ, which is the same as Messiah, according to Hebrews 6 is this.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Faith and Repentance, these are what God is looking for. You can use the words Jesus help me, or call upon the Lord God in Heaven, or Messiah, or Jehovah or any language that refers to him in his character as a merciful God who forgives sins.
Summary:
Exactly what does it mean to call upon the Name of the Lord? In the bible God has many names given. Each of these reveal something about his nature, character or authority. This is what is meant by the Name of the Lord: His nature, character and authority. What is his nature: Love. What is his character: it includes mercy, justice, meekness, healing, salvation, deliverance etc. What is his authority: it includes the power to forgive sins. He is love, he is merciful, and he forgives sin. That is the name of the Lord that can save you. Jesus being the revelation of the father has that exact same name.
There is one other point we have to comment on. In Romans 10:9 we read this.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
So in the old testament times people had no idea that God had raised Jesus from the dead. What’s the catch here? Here it is. Romans 10 is giving an example of calling on the Name of the Lord. It is not giving us a full definition, just one of many ways to call upon the Lord.
Afterword:
He wants us to be like him. If we follow the wording of Micah 6:8 we will also be moving in mercy, justice and meekness. That’s an example of partaking in the divine nature.
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?