DOES ONE NEED ONLY TO ASK
THE LORD TO SAVE HIM TO BE SAVED?
(ROM. 10:13)
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans 16:16)
When I was a small child I attended a "Neighborhood
Vacation Bible School" conducted in the home of our neighbors who lived
down the
road. I was truly moved by the emotional appeals made at the close of
each
session to "come to Jesus." The neighbor lady, whom I knew to be kind
and
good, would ask us all to bow our heads and close our eyes while she
told
emotional stories that moved me to tears. Then she would ask all of
those
who wanted to "get saved" to raise their hands
while their heads were still bowed and their eyes
were still closed.
After a few days I raised my hand. She asked all of those who had
raised their hands to come into a back room after the other activities
were over. In that room we were invited to bow our heads and repeat the
"sinner's prayer" which went something like this: "Dear Jesus, please
come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. Amen." We were assured
that our sins had been forgiven. This act gained the approval of my
family and community, and it caused me to feel very good that I had
done what I believed to be the right thing.
If sentimental feelings could rightly be used to judge such matters,
then
I had certainly "gotten saved," and I would have never considered
exploring the Gospel plan of salvation with my rational mind.
No doubt millions of people living today are trapped in this
dilemma.
They have acted upon what they were taught by people who were "good and
kind." Their personal "experience" [what other kind of experience can
they have?] seemed so genuine and good. They have the social approval
of their loved ones and religious associates. They rebel against the
very notion that
they and their loved ones might have been mistaken.
When confronted with the Gospel plan of salvation, they are confused
and some proceed to probe the Scriptures in search of confirmation that
what
they have done is right and that it is enough. When their eyes fall
upon
Romans 10:13, their hearts feel assured and their conflict has passed:
“For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." As long
as
they are able to refrain from searching all that the Scriptures teach
concerning
the salvation that God offers and the means by which it is obtained,
they
remain satisfied that they and their loved ones have been in the right.
Those,
however, who find the humility to open the Scriptures with no other
goal
in mind than to ascertain the will of God soon find that calling upon
the
name of the Lord does not involve praying the "sinner's prayer."
Following are some facts that the thoughtful and noble Bible student
finds in his or her search for Truth. The Emphasis in Romans 10:13 is
the "whosoever." Paul is in the middle of a discussion of the
fact that all men and women
can be saved by Christ. He has just written: "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" (Rom. 10:12). In support of this point he cites the
prophecy
of Joel 2:28-32 in which Joel revealed in advance that all could be
saved,
in the Christian age, who would come to the Christ. Peter cited this
prophecy when he preached the inaugural sermon of the Lord's church
(Acts 2:16-21). To discover what one must do in calling upon the name
of the Lord for salvation, it is necessary to look at additional
statements in inspired Scripture.
In this verse (Rom. 10:13), however, Paul has shown us who can call
upon the Lord and be saved. We note that the majority of those who try
to make this verse into a comprehensive statement about that which one
must do in order to be saved ignore and repudiate the clearest
statement of the verse. Most of them are Calvinists who believe that
only the "elect" can be saved.
Consistent Calvinists (and they are few) cannot say to just anyone who
is lost, “You can be saved by the blood of Christ if you will call upon
the name of the Lord." Instead they say, in effect, “You might be among
the
chosen ones of God and, if you are, you will be saved whether you want
to
be or not. If you are not among the elect you cannot be saved no matter
how
long you call upon the name of the Lord." Jesus said, "And the Spirit
and
the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely"
(Rev. 22:17). The consistent Calvinist says, "Maybe you can come, but
your
will has nothing to do with it. God will save you if it is His will,
and
you will be unable to resist." They ignore the fact that God is "...not
willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet.
3:9).
It is a strange circumstance that members of the churches of Christ are
ridiculed for being too rigid, and we are falsely accused of barring
the door
of Heaven against those who would enter when faithful Christians are
the
only ones who can sincerely and consistently turn to any sinner at
random and say, “You can be saved if you will learn what it is to call
upon the name
of the Lord and if you will do it." While we are not in a
position to
open or bar the door of Heaven with our own hands, it is still true
that the
Gospel we preach leads all who would enter to the opened door of Heaven
(cf.
Rev. 3:8). How the Calvinists have come to label us as the
unloving and uncaring exclusivists is beyond me.
Those who call upon the name of the Lord must first hear and believe
the Gospel, and then obey it in order to be saved. The Holy
Spirit speaking through Paul asked, “How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom
they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher?... But they have not all
obeyed
the Gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So
then
faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:14,
16-17). Notice that failure to obey the Gospel, in this passage,
is equal to failure to believe the report. Saving faith comes by
hearing the Word of God, and it is the kind of faith that acts upon
what God's Word teaches (cf. Jam.
2:14-26; Mark 16:16).
"Calling upon the name of the Lord" obviously involves obedience to the
will of God. Jesus told Saul of Tarsus to go into the city of Damascus
where he would be told what he needed to do (Acts 22:10). When he
arrived, God's messenger said to him, "And now why tarriest thou?
arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of
the Lord" (v. 16). Prior
to that time, he had persecuted others who had called upon the Lord in
obeying the same Gospel (9:14, 21). After that time he wrote to the
church of God at Corinth which was composed of those who had been
sanctified, as are all Christians, by obediently calling upon the name
of the Lord (1 Cor. 1:2). He encouraged young Timothy to "follow
righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord
out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).
Our Lord was very explicit when He refuted the false doctrine that
all one need do to be saved is to ask the Lord to save him: “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).
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