"Call On His Name And Be Saved"

Romans 10: 11-15

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.

14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things

W

e have already established that most will do almost anything to appear saved—all, that is, but what is actually necessary to be saved.

At best, most of us attempt to avoid condemnation by asserting that “Well, at least I’m doing better than I used to.” Not only is “doing better” not enough, but also being closer to being saved will not help, either.

No matter what topic we are considering, the Lord keeps bringing us back to the same place—that the only “thing” that will help is that we change. However, throughout Christendom, Man looks for all sorts of other things to use as a substitution for belonging to God.

Here’s what we really do not “deal” with: If one is saved, he will have had to have changed. Therefore, it is unlikely that one without change is, in fact, saved.

This is not a comforting thought, but we must consider that the reason that many do not care to change even after salvation is because they were not necessarily that “unhappy” with their fleshly life. Because of the “warped” nature of the human mind, man finds himself compromising to try and “fix up” his miserable, human life—even though unhappy.

The tragic reality of the life lived in the flesh is that the one living it is incapable of pleasing God and anyone who has been granted even a glimpse of Him cannot help but to be filled with longing.

The influence of the flesh can never be underestimated. You see, though the scriptures are God’s Word, when that Word involves what we can and cannot do, the flesh has a problem. More than the fact that we are exhibiting a childish reaction, what of the fact that we esteem the Lord so lightly that the One Whom has given us life can ask us something that we think “too much?”

In this world of “instant gratification” and self-promotion, those who will be true to God find themselves having to walk a walk of self-denial. Many find this hard to do simply because it makes them “stand out.” Before one makes the decision to join himself with a “pariah” (an outcast), he needs to make sure that he is willing to accept that “oneness.”

Largely, salvation has become something that God never intended it to be: a social “fad.” To this fad, a name has been added and that is the name of Jesus. For the Apostolic, that name is the most precious ever uttered because of all that the name represents. More important than the what of that which is represented is the Who. The name of Jesus was given that the person might be identified. Once that identification is made, honor must follow.

Every utterance of the name of Jesus should reinforce the acknowledgment of the personality identified with the name. And the most important aspect of that personality is the life that He lived. Because of this, in order for one to be said to have “accepted Jesus,” he must first accept His life.

Accepting that life is the essence of salvation, for that life was a life lived in the Spirit rather than the flesh. Jesus died in order to teach the significance of His life to the World, as well as to those who would believe on Him.

Not only has the name of Jesus become a “substitution” for a life lived for Jesus, but the utterance of tongues, the singing of songs and the “exercise” of dancing (both in the Spirit and “out”) have become substitutions.

The proliferation of preachers, today, means that God can “tune in” to any number of opinions, doctrines and viewpoints—and hear absolutely nothing representative of Him. With Truth so hard to find, how do we, the called of God, think that we will be able to avoid agreeing upon it?

If we will be saved through the name of Jesus, the “summoning” of Him will have to lead to more than just our “wish list” being fulfilled. You see, from the time that Jesus came, He was ready to save us. This means not only those of us who are saved already, but also, all those who would come after us.

The Lord stands ready to “stand up” for all of those who will call on His name in faith. Rather than chanting His name as a “mantra,” this means that the man who utters that name has power as he utters “The Name,” bringing to bear on that utterance all of the lessons learned through the tests and trials endured with Him.

Calling on the name of Jesus always implies a call for help. However, if one refuses to heed the One offering the help, the “calling” is for naught. So, if one is serious about getting help and being saved, he will need to be prepared to read the Word and stand on whatever it says. The time for disputing with the Lord is over. If He says it, this is what we need to “confess.” Doing so implies “agreement” with God—and can only bless us.