Calling On the Name of the Lord (2)

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Matt. 7:21-23).

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21).

One of our readers writes, "Please explain fully the apparent inconsistency between [these two passages]." The word "fully" was emphasized in the original letter, so I shall provide a detailed answer.

In the last News, we described what the Lord meant in Matthew 7 by people who do wonders in His name, but do not the will of God. We also explained what Jesus means by the name "Lord." This time we shall consider what calling on the name of the Lord means in Acts 2:21.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit records the amazing sermon Peter preached at Pentecost. Prior to the outpouring of the Spirit the disciples had no clear conception of the meaning and significance of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. They were constantly thinking in terms of an earthly kingdom, as is evident from the question they put to Jesus just prior to His ascension: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).

But after the Spirit was given to them, they not only understood the work of Christ, but they could see also that what Christ did was in fulfillment of prophecy. This remarkable change in their understanding, worked by the Holy Spirit, led them to see, although somewhat dimly, the great work which the ascended Lord would perform here on earth in the gathering of the church for which He died.

In the Old Testament, before the Spirit was poured out, God limited His work of salvation to the Jewish nation. In fact, if any heathen were brought in (such as Ruth the Moabitess; Rahab, Jericho’s famous harlot; Araunah the Jebusite; Uriah the Hittite and many others) they had to become Israelites (for men this included the rite of circumcision). Only natural Jews and Gentiles who became Jews could be saved, for salvation was of the Jews (John 4:22).

But in the New Testament era, all this changes. The nation of Israel was rejected by God for its sin of crucifying Christ. The suffering, death and resurrection of Christ set aside the nation of Israel as a nation (for individuals and families of Jews are still saved) so that the gospel could be brought to the whole world and a church gathered from all nations and tribes and tongues.

Peter proclaims, in a nutshell, the marvelous doctrine of the salvation of a catholic church. No longer, says Peter, is it necessary to be a Jew to be saved. No longer must one be circumcised. (Note Paul’s controversy with the Judaizers in the Galatian churches, who insisted on circumcision for salvation.) The only characteristic of those who are saved is that they call on the name of the Lord.

They confess that the suffering, dead, and risen Christ is Lord. They confess that He ascended into heaven, sits at God’s right hand, and is Lord of all, ruling over all by His sovereign power. This is the one characteristic of the saved.

Whosoever he may be—Chinese, Korean, Nigerian, English, French, Russian; no matter who he may be—king, citizen, artisan, doctor, garbage collector; no matter who he may be—hobo, harlot, murderer, adulterer; no matter who he may be—rich, destitute, covetous, greedy, philanthropic for the praise of men, miserly; it makes no difference. If anyone at all, man or woman or child, calls upon the name of the Lord, such an one will be saved.

This marvelous truth shows the infinite riches of the mercy and grace of God who gathers a church from all kinds of people that He may be glorified in a diverse throng of unworthy people who are made saints, the bride of Christ.

The text emphasizes the responsibility and calling of those who hear the gospel. The "whosoever" is pointed and sharp. Peter himself makes that plain in the same sermon: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Behind that call to repentance is the eternal decree of God who, through the work of the Spirit of the ascended Christ, gathers, defends and preserves unto Himself a church chosen unto everlasting life.

And, to return for a moment to Matthew 7:21-23, those who call upon the name of the Lord are not the loud boasters of their good works, but are the sorrowful who confess their sins, the meek, the lowly, those who flee to the cross to find their salvation only in the perfect sacrifice of Christ. They are those assured of salvation through faith in the Savior. They are those who joyfully and eagerly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And confessing that Christ is Lord, they gladly do the will of their Father in heaven (as Christ their Saviour commanded them), for they love Him and seek His approval. All the while, they know that their good works are the fruit of His Spirit in them and therefore a great privilege of grace.