Name of the Lord
“For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13
Name of the Lord – Now it’s obvious, isn’t it? After we discover that “His name’s sake” (yesterday: Acts 9:16) is really a question about who is the king, then it becomes quite clear that calling on the name of the Lord is not a momentary traumatic utterance or a declaration of spiritual enlightenment. Calling on the name of the Lord is an affirmation of submission to the rule and reign of a King. It is the declaration that I serve my King only, regardless of the consequences. When I call on the name of the Lord, I am saved because I align my life with His rule and I adopt His values. My life changes. It has to. I cannot continue to live under the old king and claim that I am calling on the name of the Lord. It’s not a salvation salve or a magical forgiveness cream. It’s a transformation.
This requirement is not a New Testament invention. Paul quotes Joel 2:32. Of course, it’s a bit older than that. Genesis 4:26, 1 Kings 18:24 and 2 Kings 5:11 are just a few examples of the history. God has been in the reign and rule business for a long time and His invitation to join Him has never changed. Jesus didn’t come to institute a new kingdom. He came to make it possible for us to serve in the Kingdom established before the foundations of the world.
Are you calling on the name of the Lord? Are you deliberately putting your life under His reign and behaving according to His perspective? That means confronting the patterns of this world, standing against what doesn’t belong in God’s house. And it’s not always obvious to us. We have been conditioned as a result of living in a different environment. We have been breathing the pollution so long that when we get pure air, we choke until we adapt. Just one example: In God’s kingdom, I learn through obedience, not through information. That means that God presents me with a small request, something simple. He asks for a tiny step in His direction. But that step will require that I put some of my own agenda on the altar, that I give up my right to call the shots. It won’t seem like much at first. Maybe it’s only complete honesty on some issue with my spouse. Maybe it’s an overdue apology or a chance to straighten out some hurt feelings. Maybe it’s turning aside from a habit that I know interferes with my relationship to Him. Nothing big. But that small step of obedience contains the entire process of drawing closer to God. God looks for deep motivation. And He will keep bringing back the small step, over and over, until it is resolved before He will go to the next step. Obedience always comes before revelation. Information is useless in this arena. I don’t need facts. I need submission.
Call on His name. Make a declaration about your King.
