In the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord was first mentioned by Peter in Acts 2:21 on the day of Pentecost when he declared, “It shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  The Greek word for call on, ἐπικαλέω (ep-ee-kal-eh’-om-ahee), is composed of “on” and “call (by name)”; thus, it is to call out audibly, even loudly, as Stephen did (7:59-60). Peter’s declaration on the day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God’s chosen people could participate in His New Testament jubilee (Joel 2:32). Joel’s prophecy and its fulfillment concerning God’s New Testament jubilee have two aspects: on God’s side, He poured out His Spirit in the ascension of the resurrected Christ; on our side, we call on the name of the ascended Lord, who has accomplished all, attained unto all, and obtained all. Calling on the Lord’s name is vitally necessary in order for us, the believers in Christ, to participate in and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ with all He has accomplished, attained, and obtained (1 Cor. 1:2).

Calling upon the name of the Lord is a major practice in God’s New Testament economy that enables us to enjoy the Triune God for our full salvation (Rom. 10:10-13). The early believers practiced calling upon the name to the Lord in every place (1 Cor. 1:2), and to the unbelievers, especially the persecutors, it became a popular sign that designated people as believers in Christ (9:14, 21). When Stephen suffered persecution, he practiced this (7:59), and his practice surely impressed Saul, one of his persecutors (7:58-60; 22:20). Later, the unbelieving Saul persecuted the callers and was given authority from the chief priests to bind all who called upon the Lord’s name (9:14, 21). In other words, when Saul came into a city all he had to do in order to determine who were Christians was to listen for those who were audibly calling upon the name of the Lord. Immediately after Saul was caught by the Lord, Ananias, who brought Saul into the fellowship of the Body of Christ, charged him to be baptized, calling on the name of the Lord, to show others that he too had become such a caller. By his word to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22, Paul indicated that in the early days all the Lord’s seekers practiced such calling. Undoubtedly, he was one who practiced this, since he charged his young co-worker Timothy to do this so that Timothy might enjoy the Lord as he did.

Calling on the name of the Lord is not only a New Testament practice. Rather, it began with Enosh, the third generation of mankind: “To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Jehovah” (Gen. 4:26). It was continued by Job (Job 12:4; 27:10), Abraham (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 21:33), Isaac (Gen. 26:25), Moses and the children of Israel (Deut. 4:7), Samson (Judg. 15:18; 16:28), Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18; Psa. 99:6), David (2 Sam. 22:4, 7; 1 Chron. 16:8; 21:26; Psa. 14:4; 17:6; 18:3, 6; 31:17; 55:16; 86:5, 7; 105:1; 116:4, 13, 17; 118:5; 145:18), the psalmist Asaph (Psa. 80:18), the psalmist Heman (Psa. 88:9), Elijah (1 Kings 18:24), Isaiah (Isa. 12:4), Jeremiah (Lam. 3:55, 57), and others (Psa. 99:6), all of whom practiced this in the Old Testament age. Isaiah charged the seekers of God to call upon Him (Isa. 55:6). Even the Gentiles knew that the prophets of Israel had the habit of calling on the name of God (Jonah 1:6; 2 Kings 5:11). The Gentile raised up by God from the north also called upon His name (Isa. 41:25). Additionally, it is God’s commandment (Psa. 50:15; Jer. 29:12) and desire (Psa. 91:15; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 13:9) that His people call on Him. Calling is the joyful way to drink from the fountain of God’s salvation (Isa. 12:3-4) and the enjoyable way to delight oneself in God (Job 27:10), that is, to enjoy Him. Hence, God’s people must call upon Him daily (Psa. 88:9).

Paul seems to echo Peter’s word when he writes in Romans 10:12-13, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Believing in our heart and confessing His name with our mouth are not only vital for our initial salvation, but also calling upon the name of the Lord may be said to be the secret of the Christian life. By calling upon the name of the Lord, one may instantly and richly enjoy the Lord and experience Christ on a daily basis. Just as one might call the name of a friend to engage the full person represented by that name; so by calling upon the name of the Lord, one may contact the living person of Jesus Christ, including all that He is and has obtained.  Essentially, calling upon the name of the Lord is a simple way to turn our heart to Him and remove anything that veils us so that we may behold Him face-to-face (2 Cor. 3:16-18). Furthermore, because the Lord Jesus dwells in our regenerated spirit and is even one with our spirit (John 3:6; Rom. 8:17; 1 Cor. 6:17; 2 Tim 4:22), turning to Him by calling upon His name is equivalent to setting our mind on our spirit according to Romans 8:6 to enjoy life and peace. So, by calling upon the name of the Lord, we turn to the Lord Jesus, who is the life-giving Spirit dwelling in our spirit deep within us (2 Cor. 15:45b) and enjoy drinking of Him as the fountain of living water within us that is springing up into eternal life (John 4:14; 7:37-39). 

The Lord Jesus as the indwelling, life-giving Spirit is so near and available that we may touch Him simply by calling on His name–O Lord Jesus! Sometimes we may need to call loudly to be saved from a dire situation; at other times we may need to call softly and quietly, as when taking an exam. Sometimes a single call may usher us into a sweet fellowship with the Lord in our spirit; at other times we may need to call repeatedly, like pumping an old fashion water well in a dry land. After calling upon the Lord’s name, we may begin to fellowship with Him in a simple and real way. We may say, “O Lord Jesus, I love You,” begin to open our heart to Him, confess our sins (1 John 1:9), and even cast our anxieties upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7). He is the Wonderful Counselor who is always available when we call on Him (Isa. 9:6). To have such fellowship is to drink Christ as the new wine that is full of joy and vigor (Matt. 9:17).

Gleanings from the Bible is a series of articles contributed by a local Christian home meeting group that loves the Lord Jesus, believes that the Bible is God’s Word, and cares for the oneness of the Body of Christ. For more information please visit our website at www.fromhouse2house.org or email us at info@fromhouse2house.org.  This article is based in part on footnote 211 in chapter 2 of Acts from the Holy Bible Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry.