Whosoever Calls Upon Name of the Lord Shall Be Saved

 Joel 2:32

And it shall come to pass 

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord 

Shall be saved. 

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, 

As the Lord has said, 

Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

Act 2:21

'And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’

Romans 10:8-13

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): 9 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. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

I'm sure you're seeing a pattern here. What all these verses have in common. And of course, that is, "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!" 

Not maybe. Not could be. Not we hope so. But "shall be". Which is just a different way of saying "will be". Which means, for sure it's going to happen. 

Acts 4:10-12

let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

(I highly recommend reading verses 8 through 12.)

Calling upon the name of the Lord is different now, than it was in the Old Testament. Joel was a prophet. And while what he was saying applied to the people he was speaking to, it far more applies to us. I believe that is the reason both Paul and Peter quote it. Because the name that we call upon now, is the name of Jesus. When we call upon the Lord. Don't let that be confusing. Because it's not. 

In order to be saved, set free from our sins, what we read in Romans 10:8-12 is exactly what we must do. Furthermore, the entire world, both dead and alive, on earth, & in heaven and in hell, will at some point, bow their knees, and confess Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God. 

Philippians 2:9-10

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So yes, Jesus is the name above all names. The only one through which we must be saved. So those who call upon the name of the Lord now, are to call upon the name of Jesus for their salvation. For our salvation. Because Jesus died on the cross to bridge the gap between God and man. And that gap was/is, caused by sin. 

Isaiah 59:1-3

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

2 

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

3 

For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity.

I realize we've bounced a lot throughout Scripture here. But every single one of the Scriptures we have read is necessary to tell the story of how and why, "those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." God is so very good to us. And He doesn't want anyone to die in their sins and go to hell. So He has made a way for that not to happen. A 100% guaranteed way to be saved. And I guess a pertinent question here at the end of this would be, "Saved from what?" 

Saved from hell. And no I don't just mean eternal hell after you take your last breath on this earth. Although that is certainly a reason to call upon the name of the Lord. To be saved from that. Most definitely. But there's also the hell that we create for ourselves, right here on this earth, through following the flesh, and committing sin after sin after sin after sin. 

Sin is not like a bullet to the head or a knife to the heart. Oh no. It slowly kills you spiritually and physically. To the point that you're looking forward to death. Even though death means eternity in hell. I know this firsthand. And yet, I just couldn't stop. I knew better, but I didn't do better. Because I couldn't. Not without the help of the Lord. I had to call upon the name of the Lord in order to be saved from all of that. Same is true with you and everyone you know. 

There is no loophole. There is no other way to salvation except through Jesus (John 14:6). Here's the other thing. You're not saved because your parents are saved. God does not have any grandchildren. You are either His child, or you are not.

All right then. Y'all have a great rest your day and God bless. James