CALLING UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD
Today I’m covering 2 aspects of a topic …
… mainly whether VERBAL CONFESSION of your FAITH is a REQUIREMENT for Salvation …
… & we’ll also touch upon a little bit, whether you have to AUDIBLY HEAR the GOSPEL in order to be saved.
Because there are people who place an emphasis on both AUDIBLY HEARING THE GOSPEL …
… & VERBALLY PROFESSING what you believe …
… as yet another PRE-REQUISITE of SALVATION.
& So we’re going to be looking at CALLING UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD.
Let’s begin w/ Romans 10:8-13:
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 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.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is one of the Bible passages we use frequently when we preach the Gospel …
… But there’s some confusion about this passage by Christian who have become LEGALIST …
… & they’ve taken something as simple as CALLING UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD …
… & introduced both CONFUSION & WORKS into the simplicity of the Gospel.
We all agree that SALVATION is by GRACE THROUGH FAITH.
You get saved when you place your faith on the Jesus of the Bible & trust in Him for your salvation.
But there are 2 EXTREMES when it comes to CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD from ROMANS 10 …
(1) 1 extreme says that unless you VERBALIZE YOUR FAITH or PRAY THE SINNER’S PRAYER …
… that you can’t be saved.
Even if you believe that Jesus is God …
… even if you believe in your heart that Jesus died & rose again to cleanse you of your sins …
Even if you believe and place your trust in the right Gospel …
…. they EQUIVOCATE CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD with CONFESSING WITH THE MOUTH …
… and they make either verbalizing your faith or praying the sinner’s prayer …
yet another PREREQUISITE for SALVATION.
THE FIRST THING that should pop into your mind, aside from this being an obvious form of works …
… is what about the DUMB or the MUTE?
Are they not able to be saved? Or does God just make an exception for them?
You know, I once had someone tell me that, well, they can use SIGN LANGUAGE to confess their faith …
… and that unless they do that, they can’t be saved.
But God is not a respecter of persons and the rules aren’t different for anyone.
Either your SALVATION hinges on your VERBAL CONFESSION and whether you PRAYED THE SINNER’S PRAYER …
… or it hinges on what the BIBLE TEACHES: which is whether or not you have put your faith & trust in the Lord Jesus Christ …
The idea that you HAVE TO profess some words like a magical incantation to be saved …
… is not only a HIDDEN WORK …
But it also can lead some to mindlessly repeat a profession of faith which they don’t actually believe …
… & give themselves a false assurance of salvation.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the SINNER’S PRAYER.
And I think it’s perfectly natural to confess your faith verbally when you get saved.
That’s how it happens for the vast majority of people, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
& I think the SINNER’S PRAYER can be a useful tool in evangelism …
… as it lays out the fundamental principles of the Gospel in a very easy to understand sort of way.
But when people make a point of saying that BELIEF & TRUSTH in Jesus is not enough …
… that you have to SAY CERTAINS WORDS or make certain types of confessions to be saved …
… that’s when they abandon the simplicity of the Gospel and exchange it for a subtle, HIDDEN WORKS HERESY.
So that’s EXAMPLE #1 … that’s 1 extreme.
2. The other extreme of Romans 10 says that it’s WRONG to PRAY the SINNER’S PRAY …
… & that it’s WRONG to ASK Jesus to save you …
… because they say, if you are asking, you already believe, so then you are adding HIDDEN WORKS to the Gospel.
Now, I agree with them IF you’re saying it’s a REQUIREMENT for SALVATION …
… like our 1ST EXAMPLE …
… if you’re adding PROFESSING WORDS to SIMPLY BELIEVING THE GOSPEL as a REQUIREMENT OF SALVATION …
… then yeah, that’s WORKS.
… or if someone is praying the sinner’s prayer without actually believing the Gospel …
But it’s perfectly natural for a man to understand his sinful condition …
… and to call out to Jesus or to ask Jesus to save him …
… that’s a good thing!
I think for most people belief & verbal profession happens simultaneously …
… and for some verbal profession happens immediately after belief.
Either way, it’s very close together and usually happens in an instance of faith.
… you believe in your heart & call out verbally or perhaps call out to Him in your heart to save you.
That’s just the natural progression of events, & how it usually works.
And Paul is describing that NATURAL PROGRESSION of EVENTS in Romans 10.
Simply put, without looking at these verses with a magnifying glass …
… and stripping it of its natural reading …
… that’s what Romans 10 is saying …
… That when you believe in Jesus in your heart, it’s natural that you then confess Him with your mouth.
But confession with the mouth is not what saves …
… it’s BELIEVING & TRUSTING IN THE LORD that saves.
It’s astonishing that we even have to cover such things …
… because we take such simple truths for granted …
… until we’re confronted with someone who adds confusion & error to the simplicity we have in Christ.
BUT THE TRUTH IS:
We’re saved the MOMENT we BELIEVE IN OUR HEARTS that JESUS IS LORD, that he died, was buried, and resurrected …
… & RELY ON HIM for SALVATION.
We’re saved the moment we WILLINGLY RECEIVE HIM …
That’s the CALLING UPON …
… it’s BELIEVING & CHOOSING TO RECEIVE HIM as Savior …
That’s what separates us from the Calvinist who says we have no choice in the matter.
We have to CHOOSE to RECEIVE CHRIST as SAVIOR.
We have to want to enter into covenant w/ Him and worship Him as the Lord & Savior.
ON THE OTHER EXTREME …
I’ve actually had people tell me that I’m preaching works because I say it’s OK to ask Jesus to save you ….
… & I sometimes use the SINNER’S PRAYER when soul winning.
You’d think that would be a safe thing to say: “Ask Jesus to save you”.
It’s a perfectly natural thing to do when you find out you’re a sinner on your way to Hell.
When Jesus was speaking to the SAMARITAN WOMAN at the WELL …
… Jesus said to her in John 4:10: “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”
It’s perfectly OK to ASK JESUS for SALVATION …
… it’s exactly what Jesus told the Samaritan Woman to do.
The LEGALISTIC ERROR comes in when you say you MUST ASK …
… that’s where people interpret the Bible with a LETTER-OF-THE-LAW approach, instead of reading it in Spirit AND in TRUTH.
In another example, we have Acts 16, where the Bible plainly tells us that just BELIEVING IS ENOUGH …
This is one of the most famous soul winning passages that we have …
Acts 16:30-31:
30 … Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
There’s no asking there.
There’s sinner’s prayer …
There’s no confessing with the mouth …
It’s just BELIEVE on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and THOU SHALT be saved.
* But then people point to the ETHIOPIAN EUNECH in Acts 8:36-38:
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
And they say, see, the EUNECH VERBALLY CONFESSED.
But 1. Does that mean that ALL have to verbally confess or that they can’t be saved?
Or does it mean that the eunuch confessed because he already believed?
#2 – Notice that when the Eunuch asks Philip what is hindering him to be baptized …
… Philip doesn’t say BELIEVE & CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH …
… he just says: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.”
The eunuch’s verbal confession was for Philip’s benefit, because Philip was essentially asking the Eunuch if he believed, so that he could baptized him …
… and the Eunuch confesses to PHILIP (NOT TO GOD) that he does …
WHAT HAPPENS is that when we BELIEVE that JESUS IS LORD …
… WE CONFESS with our MOUTH WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY BELIEVE in our HEART.
Luke 6:45 says: “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”
& we see the exact same thing in Romans 10.
Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
People stop there & then they skip to v. 13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
And they equate CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD w/ VERBAL CONFESSION or w/ PRAYING.
When, in fact, CALLING ON THE NAME OF THE LORD isn’t even talking about PRAYER.
How many examples do we have of people praying the SINNER’S PRAYER in the Bible?
It doesn’t say, “Whosoever shall PRAY to the Lord will be saved”.
It’s say whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved …
… What is CALLING UPON HIM?
It’s believing in Him & trusting & receiving Him as your Savior.
It’s RELYING on HIM for salvation, whether that takes on a VERBAL FORM or NOT.
It’s whether you CHOOSE to worship Him as your GOD.
So people just read v. 9 & 13 & skip everything in between and say, see, you have to call out or you’re not saved.
But why don’t we read everything in between?
Romans 10:9-13:
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For [Notice the “FOR” – the Bible’s about to expand on v. 9 & explain it. It’s like saying, “because” …] FOR with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
[It says that WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH UNTO RIGHTEOUSNESS].
Who’s RIGHTEOUSNESS?
It’s talking about THE IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS of JESUS CHRIST given unto us.
There it is – that’s when SALVATION OCCURS.
The moment you believe in your heart that Jesus died for you, was buried, and rose again …
& receive Him as Lord & Savior …
… you are SAVED – you RECEIVE CHRIST’S IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS.
… whether you’ve verbalized it or not isn’t the point.
And to say otherwise, is simply being LEGALISTIC about SALVATION …
… and adding a SUBTLE & HIDDEN work the Gospel that makes salvation about YOUR CONFESSION …
… rather than about JESUS’ BLOOD SACRIFICE.
& NOTICE ALSO in v. 11 that follows, it says: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
Does it say that whosoever believes in Him & makes verbal confession & pray’s the sinner’s pray will not be ashamed?
No, Romans 10:11 (the passage in between that usually skipped on soul winning tracts) …
… says that it’s about FAITH …
… whosoever BELIEVETH ON HIM shall not be ashamed.
You can frame this question this way:
DOES BELIEVING IN JESUS save you?
Or does professing what you believe save you?
It’s either one or the other …
… BUT ONE GUY …
& I’ve only heard this from one GUY …
… a NOVICE PREACHER, named TYLER BAKER, who’s about to start a new church in JACKSONVILLE, FL …
& not only does he teach that you have to PRAYER THE SINNER’S PRAYER & confess with your mouth to be saved …
… but he takes this to a new level …
… & says that if you’re ASHAMED of JESUS or ASHAMED to PROFESS your FAITH …
… then you can’t be saved!
He thinks that where Romans says that “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed” means that if you’re really saved, you won’t be ashamed …
… to confess Him publicly …
He’s adding WORKS to the GOSPEL.
& why am I calling out TYLER BAKER?
Well, for 1 thing, Paul calls out FALSE TEACHERS in the Bible to warn TRUE BELIEVERS to stay away from them …
… & this guy is leading A LOT OF PEOPLE astray with his WORKS heresy …
… and to be honest, I hadn’t even HEARD THIS GUY PREACH ….
… I didn’t know a thing about him …
… but he decided to draw my attention without any provocation …
… by calling me unsaved & spewing lies about me from the pulpit …
… & so now TYLER BAKER has my attention … well done Tyler.
& people started sending me a couple of his sermons …
… & I checked him out …
& this guy outright says that you CAN’T BE ashamed of Jesus as a REQUIREMENT for SALVATION.
If that that isn’t works … then I don’t know what it is …
This guy even teaches that you can’t GO SOUL WINNING …
… without permission from your local church …
… that you can’t even go out independently and PREACH THE GOSPEL to the LOST …
That’s a CULT …
& I’ll post the links in this video so you can see for yourself.
& so Tyler is a prime example of what I’m talking about …
He’s one of those guys that MAKES PROFESSING with the MOUTH & PRAYING THE SINNER’S PRAYER …
… a REQUIREMENT of salvation …
But what ever happened to: “… Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved …”?
What about Genesis 15:6 about Abraham: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Abraham BELIEVED IN THE LORD & God “counted it to him for righteousness”.
That’s a parallel to Romans 10:10: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness …”
Again that’s Christ’s imputed righteouness … that’s when SALVATION OCCURS.
There’s an avalanche of Biblical evidence that simply says, BELIEVE & you’re saved …
… but they PICK 1 passage in Romans 10 & confuse everybody with their letter of the law misinterpretation of the passage.
Luke 8:12: “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
Is there anything about confession there?
John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
So it’s about receiving Him & believing on Him …
John 3:15: “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
… the vast majority of verses are clearly talking about BELIEF …
… about being FULLY PERSUADED about the Gospel.
Speaking of Abraham, Romans 4:20-22 says:
20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
It was because Abraham BELIEVED, not because He PRAYED the SINNER’S PRAYER.
The SINNER’S PRAYER is an AFTER-THOUGHT to SALVATION …
… because that person has already believed …
… and so he prays the sinner’s prayer as a reflection of what’s already taken place in his heart.
John 6:47: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 11:25: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
Acts 10:43: “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
There are so many verses on BELIEF in Christ being the only condition for salvation …
But some people, like TYLER BAKER & others like him …
say that the BELIEVING IS NOT ENOUGH …
And I have to use him as an example, because he’s leading people astray into WORKS SALVATION …
He says that IF YOU REALLY BELIEVE in JESUS you WILL NOT BE ASHAMED to PROFESS HIM PUBLICLY.
He takes ROMANS 10:11: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
& He interprets this to mean that if you’re ashamed of Jesus …
… then you can’t be saved.
He says, and I QUOTE: “So the bible plainly tells you that a person who believes on Jesus Christ will not be ashamed. They won’t be ashamed to profess their salvation, to confess Jesus Christ as their Savior.”
That’s WORKS-SALVATION.
He’s saying that if you ARE ASHAMED OF JESUS …
… that if you feel embarrassed or afraid to profess Christ …
… or FEEL SHAME about your FAITH …
that you can’t be saved …
So it’s not just faith alone to be saved according to this guy …
You have to have FAITH + NOT BEING ASHAMED.
You have to have FAITH + NOT BEING AFRAID.
You have to have FAITH + NOT BEING EMBARRASSED.
You have to have FAITH + BEING BOLD.
And what’s FAITH + anything else?
What happens when you add SOMETHING to FREE GRACE?
It’s no longer FREE.
Now, of course, you SHOULDN’T BE ASHAMED …
… you shouldn’t FEAR professing CHRIST …
… you SHOULDN’T be EMBARRASSED …
… but when you change SHOULD NOT to MUST NOT …
… you change the Gospel of FREE GRACE to a GOSPEL of WORKS.
Let’s get the CORRECT INTERPRETATION of ROMANS 10:11.
Romans 10:11: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
BAKER says that this means you won’t be ashamed of CHRIST if you really believe.
But Romans 10:11 is saying that those who believe on Jesus will not be ashamed …
… as in they won’t be CONDEMNED TO HELL @ the JUDGMENT …
… they won’t be EMBARRASSED & ASHAMED @ the JUDGMENT because of their DEAD WORKS …
… in other words, they wont’ feel SHAME about their filthy rags, when they stand before GOD in all His holiness.
They won’t experience the FEELING OF SHAME at the JUDGMENT.
And there’s a lot of Scripture to back this up.
But let me first read you the definition of “ASHAMED” from the NOAH WEBSTER 1828 dictionary …
I understand, the 1828 DICTIONARY is not authoritative. It’s not the Bible.
Use discernment when referring to it.
But Here’s what it says:
ASHAMED: Affected by shame; abashed or confused by guilt or a conviction of some criminal action or indecorous conduct, or by the exposure of some gross errors or misconduct, which the person is conscious must be wrong, and which tends to impair his honor or reputation.
In other words, people become ASHAMED when their condition of GUILT is EXPOSED.
That’s what ROMANS 10:11 is talking about …
It’s saying you won’t be ashamed – you won’t feel the condemnation of your sin being exposed …
& It has nothing to do with not “NOT BEING ASHAMED” to profess your faith.
That’s just a novice, probably unsaved, understanding of Romans 10.
Noah Webster quotes Bible verses to back up his claim.
God speaking to Israel in Exodus 16:1 says: “Thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed.”
In Hosea 10:6, He says: “Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.”
& Isaiah 42:17, He says: “They shall be greatly ashamed that trust in images.”
& there are many more passages which tell us what ASHAMED means in the Bible.
Isaiah 49:23: “… and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”
Psalm 25:2-3:
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
Isaiah 45:17: “But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.”
Psalm 37:
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20 But the wicked shall perish …
Speaking of the Tribulation, Daniel 12:1-2 says:
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation [even] to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.
To say that you have to VERBALIZE your FAITH …
… or that you can’t be ASHAMED of the GOSPEL as a PRE-REQUISITE FOR SALVATION …
… is putting your faith in your ACTIONS and your own CONFESSION & your own CHARACTER & ABILITIES …
… instead of on the atoning blood of Jesus by grace through faith alone …
… & receiving His free gift of salvation.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 12, the Bible even gives us an example of people who believed ON Jesus …
… but who were afraid to confess Him publicly.
Public confession, while good, doesn’t save you …
… the blood of Jesus applied by faith alone does.
John 12:37-43:
37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:
38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?
39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,
40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Ironically, some use this passage to say that the Pharisees were not saved because they didn’t confess Christ …
… when the Bible says just the opposite …
They WERE SAVED because they BELIEVED ON Christ …
… but they were stunted in their spiritual growth …
… because they were not at the point where they could be bold about their faith.
To say that you have to be BOLD to be saved, IS A WORK.
Notice that this passage reveals 2 things:
1. That some of the CHIEF RULERS believed ON Jesus.
… Believing ON Him implies that they had put their faith & trust ON JESUS for salvation.
They had to freely receive Jesus as Savior …
We see the same concept applied in Acts 16:31: “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
(2) The second thing to notice is that in v. 37, this passage talks about a different group of Pharisees who did not believe. we
… it says that some did not believe ON Jesus, although Jesus performed many miracles;
v. 37: “… yet they believed not on him:”
But then in v. 42-43, it says:
42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him;
[The Bible is contrasting the saved but fearful Pharisees w/ the unsaved ones who did not believe] …
… but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The bottom line is that people who say you have to have FAITH + SOMETHING ELSE …
… whether it’s verbal confession or not being ashamed …
… are preaching WORKS & it’s DAMNABLE HERESY.
They are interpreting Romans 10 w/ a letter of the law interpretation …
THEY’RE INTERPRETING ROMANS 10 about believing in your HEART AND MAKING CONFESSION with your MOUTH …
& stumbling on the word, “AND”.
… They’re READING it the way that ROMAN CATHOLICS …
… or someone who believes that WATER BAPTISM is required for salvation reads MARK 16:16.
Mark 16:16 says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
When you read Mark 16:16, do you believe that you have to be WATER BAPTIZED in order to be saved?
Well, first of all, I believe the BAPTISM in MARK 16:16 is talking about the BAPTISM of the HOLY SPIRIT …
… it’s the baptism that every believer receives when they believe ON Jesus.
But even if it’s talking about WATER BAPTISM …
… it’s not saying that you have to be water baptized to be saved …
… Much like Romans 10, it’s saying that WATER BAPTISM is the NATURAL CONSEQUENCE of being SAVED.
It’s what believers do after they’re saved …
… just like verbal confession is what most believers do after they believe in the heart …
But verbal confession doesn’t save anymore than water baptism does.
Notice that there are 2 COMPONENTS to MARK 16:16 separated by a SEMI-COLON.
On the left side of the verse, it says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;”
[semi-colon]
and then on the right side of the verse, it says: “but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
It’s doesn’t say he that believed not and is not baptized shall be damned.
It’s, again, ALL ABOUT BELIEF.
Those who do not BELIEVE will be DAMNED …
WATER BAPTISM has nothing to do with it.
We see the same pattern in Romans 10:10-11:
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
But then notice in VERSE 11: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
Do you see the parallel here with Mark 16:16?
Again, the Bible is telling us that those who don’t believe are damned.
The focus is faith.
We also see that the BIBLE interchanges the words, “BELIEVETH” w/ “CALLING” in Romans 10.
Look again @ Romans 10, VERSE 11: “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
& VERSE 13: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
So CALLING IS BELIEVING.
The irony here is that the very passage in which Paul is saying that salvation is not of the works of the LAW …
… is the very passage is being used legalistically to add yet another PREREQUISITE to SALVATION.
IT COMES DOWN TO LEGALISM.
I’ll end w/ this:
The same people who say you have to verbally confess …
… are the same people who say you have to AUDIBLY HEAR the Gospel …
… or you can’t be saved.
And both teachings are false.
I’ve had several people tell me that you can’t get saved just reading the Bible …
… that someone has to audibly preach the Bible to you …
… or that you have to audibly hear the Bible, or it has NO POWER TO SAVE.
Romans 10:14-18:
14 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?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Again, they take a LEGALISTIC approach to this passage and say that if HAVE TO AUDIBLY Hear the Gospel to be saved.
Now, again, yes, MOST PEOPLE audibly HEAR THE GOSPEL at some point in their life.
And although that’s usually the case, HEARING Biblically does not always mean AUDIBLY HEARING …
it means receiving a truth …
Let me ask you: when you READ the Bible, do you HEAR the NARRATIVE VOICE?
Biblical HEARING is an inner spiritual hearing and receiving of the TRUTH …
Jesus, when speaking of John the Baptist coming in the spirit of Elijah, said this in Matthew 11:13-15:
13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
HEARING here means UNDERSTANDING or having the ABILITY to UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL TRUTHS internally.
Jesus says the same thing in Mark 4:22-24:
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Do you really think Jesus was referring to physical or audible hearing?
Then why would you apply audible hearing to the preaching of the Gospel …
… & shifting the focus from spiritually receiving the Gospel to physically hearing it …
… in order to be saved?
Again, this another way to take the focus off the GOSPEL …
… & to make it about something inconsequential & LEGALISTIC …
… as though there’s some magical power in AUDIBLY HEARING vs.
… INTERNALLY RECEIVING AND UNDERSTANDING the TRUTH.
Jesus said this to the Pharisees in John 8:43: “Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.”
Here we have an example of the Pharisees AUDIBLY HEARING Jesus’ words, but not receiving it.
& Jesus says to them “Ye cannot HEAR my word”.
Jesus was obviously not talking about audible hearing, but spiritual hearing.
And that’s what Romans 10:14 is about too.
I’ve actually had people say to me that you can’t be saved by reading the Bible.
That unless someone is there speaking the Bible to you and explaining it, that you can’t be saved.
But it’s the POWER of GOD’S WORD that saves.
Again, the same group of people have become LEGALISTIC and start limiting the POWER OF GOD to save.
James 1:18 says: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
1 Peter 1:23 also says: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Of course you can get saved READING GOD’S WORD as the HOLY SPIRIT works in your soul.
Romans 1:14 is simply stating that we ought to go out and preach the Gospel …
You have to understand also that at the time that ROMANS was written …
… the NEW TESTAMENT did not yet exist.
The Bible was being written at that time.
But now we have the written WORD OF GOD available to us abundantly …
YES – the sound of preaching of the WORD went out into all the earth, as Romans 10:18 says …
… but to take that and to say YOU HAVE TO AUDIBLY HEARD THE WORD or you can’t be saved is more LEGALISM.
So they’re literally saying YOU HAVE TO VERBALLY CONFESS …
… and you have to AUDIBLE HEAR …
… or you can’t be saved.
It’s the HEIGHT of LEGALISTIC THINKING but people who are either UNSAVED THEMSELVES …
… or who have been LED ASTRAY by FALSE TEACHING.
1 Corinthians 14:20-21 says:
20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
Let’s not get caught up in the LEGALISM of HOW YOU PROFESS CHRIST …
… or WHAT WORDS YOU SAY or DON’T SAY …
Otherwise you’re adding to the GOSPEL OF GRACE.
… Let’s be sure, instead, that we have the genuine Jesus of the Bible as our Savior.
