Romans 10:12-13

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

May 12, 1999

Introduction

Paul has been talking about God choosing people. He’s talked about Jews and Gentiles and how a Jew isn’t necessarily saved just because he is born a Jew, he must still meet the requirements for salvation.

And then Paul laid out the requirement for receiving the gift of salvation:

(Rom 10:9 KJV) 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.

: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.

difference – diastole – a distinction, difference

is rich – plouteo – to be rich, to have abundance; is affluent in resources so that he can give blessings of salvation to all

call upon – epikaleomai – to put a name upon; to call something to one; to invoke; to call upon for one's self, in one's behalf; to call upon by pronouncing the name of Jehovah; an expression finding its explanation in the fact that prayers addressed to God ordinarily began with an invocation of the divine name

It speaks of prayer.

But it’s not just a matter of anyone just praying any old thing, it’s in the context of someone who has believed that Jesus is Lord, and that He has been risen from the dead.

:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

or, "for all who should call on the name of the Lord will be saved"

Paul is quoting from Joel 2:32.

We talked quite a bit back in chapter 9 about God’s sovereignty. He calls. He chooses. He’s in control.

Here we see the other side of the coin. God chooses, but we must respond by calling on His name.

And it’s ALL who call on His name that are saved. Here there’s no sense of anyone being possibly excluded. The only thing that excludes you is if you don’t call on Him.

Lesson

Calling on the name of the Lord.

This is quite an interesting phrase, something that has a kind of special meaning to it. It speaks of calling on Yahweh, calling on His name for help, trusting in Him for deliverance.

I found at least 25 occurrences in the Bible.

The first time we read of people calling on God’s name occurs after Cain had killed his brother Abel:

(Gen 4:25-26 KJV) And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. {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.

Except for what David writes in the Psalms, Abraham is the person in the Bible who makes this his habit:

Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, [having] Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

When King Asa was being threatened by one million Ethiopian warriors:

2 Chronicles 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, [it is] nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou [art] our God; let not man prevail against thee.

He called on God’s name. He used God’s name at the beginning of his prayer.

When Elijah had his showdown on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal, he challenged them in order to see whose "god" was the real God.

1 Kings 18:24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

It speaks of prayer. It speaks of crying out for help. It speaks of putting our dependence upon Him and only Him.

We see it several times in the book of Acts, but an interesting passage is when Paul recounts having met Jesus on the Road to Damascus, and then Ananias is told by the Lord to come and pray for Paul, where he tells Paul:

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

See also (Gen. 13:4; 21:33; 26:25; Ex. 33:19; 34:5; Deut. 32:3; 2Ki. 5:11; 1Chr. 16:8; Ps. 99:6; 105:1; 116:4,13,17; Is. 12:4; Lam. 3:55; Joel 2:32; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9; Acts 2:21; 19:13)

Lesson

Pray.

Cry out to Him for help. Seek His face.

Psalms 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, [who is worthy] to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalms 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Psalms 55:16 ¶ As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Psalms 86:5 For thou, Lord, [art] good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Psalms 86:7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Psalms 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I [will be] with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

Psalms 145:18 The LORD [is] nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.