Call on the Name of the Lord is the Bible’s simple act of turning to God for salvation, help, and worship.
Joel promised that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter preached that promise at Pentecost. Paul wrote that the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him.
To call on the name is to cry out to the Lord as He has made Himself known—and in this age that name is Jesus.
In Genesis, people began to call on the name of the Lord in the days of Seth and Enosh. The phrase then marks the life of the patriarchs: Abraham built altars and called on the name of the Lord. Elijah repaired the altar and prayed that the Lord would answer, that the people would know He is God. The psalms are full of this cry: I called on the Lord in my distress, and He answered me. Joel joined the cry to the last days. After the Spirit is poured out, and before the great and awesome day, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Peter said that word was being fulfilled. Paul asked how they would call on Him in whom they had not believed, and how they would believe without hearing. The church at Corinth was described as those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Calling is not a charm. It is faith opening the mouth. It is the helpless addressing the only Savior by the name He has given.
- Calling on the name of the Lord is as old as the worship of Seth’s line and as present as the gospel.
- The promise is wide: everyone who calls shall be saved.
- No one calls on a Lord they have not heard; the word must be preached.
- In the New Testament the name that is called upon is the name of the Lord Jesus.
- Calling is more than repeating syllables. It is trust that looks to Him for mercy.
- The same name is a strong tower for the righteous in trouble.
- Those who belong to Christ are already known as people who call on His name.
- Worship – From Enosh onward, to call on the name is to seek the Lord in public faith.
- Salvation – Joel, Peter, and Paul bind the cry to being saved.
- Hearing First – Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
- The Name of Jesus – There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
- Distress – The psalms teach a people to call when they are at the end of themselves.
- Everywhere – The church in every place calls on the same Lord.
- Not Empty Words – Not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” enters the kingdom; the call is joined to doing the will of the Father.
- Joel 2:32 – “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.”
- Acts 2:21 – “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
- Romans 10:12-14 – “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
- Genesis 4:26 – “To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.”
- Genesis 12:8 – “From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent… And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.”
- Genesis 21:33 – “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.”
- 1 Kings 18:24, 36-37 – “And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord… ‘Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God…’”
- Psalm 116:3-4, 13 – “The snares of death encompassed me… Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!’… I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.”
- Psalm 18:3, 6 – “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies… In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.”
- Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
- Zephaniah 3:9 – “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.”
- Acts 2:38 – “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
- Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- Acts 9:14, 21 – Saul had authority to bind “all who call on your name”; the astonished church asked, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?”
- Acts 22:16 – “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 – “…together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.”
- 2 Timothy 2:22 – “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
- Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
- John 16:23-24 – “Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
- Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
- Name of the Lord
- Name of Jesus
- Joel
- Pentecost
- Faith Comes by Hearing
- Salvation
- Everyone
- Strong Tower
- Confess
- Ask Jesus to Save You
- Lord
- Pure Heart
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
That is Joel’s word, Peter’s sermon, and Paul’s gospel.
You cannot call on a Lord you have never heard. Hear the word of Christ. Believe in your heart. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.
The name is a strong tower. Run into it.
Do not make the cry a charm. Call from a pure heart. Call in distress. Call with the church in every place.
There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Rise. Call on His name.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.