In Acts chapter 2, Peter delivers his sermon at Pentecost, which culminates in the establishment of the church of Christ. Through signs, scripture, and reasoning, Peter makes the case that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah (v. 36).
In verses 16 through 21, Peter quotes what the prophet Joel foretold about this day. In this passage, we see a phrase that appears many times in the Bible. It says, “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v. 21).
Peter wants us to know that calling on the name of the Lord is directly tied to salvation in the New Covenant. But, what does it mean? Does it mean crying out with the mouth to God for salvation? Is it a declaration of faith in God? Or, is it some kind of religious act? If the answer is the method by which we are saved from sin, then we better get the answer right!
The first time we read about someone calling on the name of the Lord is all the way back in Genesis 4:26. The verse says, “And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” Here, we see the fact that the act was done, but there is no explanation of what it was.
The next two times the phrase is used is in reference to Abraham. In Genesis 12:8 and 13:4, when he calls on the name of the Lord, we are told that he builds an altar first. This practice is repeated in Genesis 26:25, when Isaac also builds his own altar and calls on the name of the Lord. This tells us that at the very least, calling on the name of the Lord is involved in worship to God. It is a religious act.
So, what is calling on the name of the Lord in the New Testament? We see the phrase used four times: in Acts 2:21, Acts 22:16, Romans 10:13, and 1 Corinthians 1:2. In all four passages, we see that those who call on the name of the Lord are those who are saved. In two of these passages, we see a religious act tied to the command. In Acts 22:16, Ananias tells Peter, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” And in Acts 2:38, right after quoting Joel 2, Peter answers the question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” by saying, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…”
If you wanted to call on the name of the Lord in the Old Testament, you had to build an altar. Stones were stacked and covered in blood so men could commune with God. In the New Testament, we cannot call on the name of the Lord, unless we are covered in the blood of Jesus in baptism.