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Have you ever noticed that calling on the name of the Lord is mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible? God's people have called on His name for centuries. In fact, the first mention of this practice is in Genesis chapter 4.
But what does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?
Since this phrase is mentioned so frequently in God’s Word, surely it deserves our attention. In this post, we’ll use verses and notes from the New Testament Recovery Version to see what calling on the Lord means, and why it’s so important for our Christian life.
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament in Greek. These languages are very rich and sometimes convey more in a single word than English can. For instance, in Hebrew, the word translated as call in English means to call out to or to cry unto. And in Greek, it means to invoke a person, to call a person by name. So by definition, calling on the Lord is audible. It’s to say His name aloud, even to cry out unto Him.
For example, when a little boy falls off a swing, he immediately calls out, “Mommy!” When his mother hears his cry, she runs to him, wipes away his tears, and soothes him. Children cry out to their mothers and fathers when they’re hungry, tired, or scared; they call on their parents to get the help they need.
In the same way, we can cry out to the Lord when we’re spiritually hungry or thirsty, or when we need His care. We can call on Him in every kind of situation, and be assured that He will respond with exactly what we need.
As we mentioned, the practice of calling on the Lord began long ago, with the third generation of mankind. Genesis 4:26 says:
“And to Seth [Adam’s son] also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.”
Why did men begin to call on Jehovah’s name at that time?
The meaning of the name Enosh gives us a clue: it means frail, mortal man. Because of mankind’s fall away from God, man became frail and mortal. By the time Enosh was born, human beings realized they were vulnerable, even fragile, and that their life was limited. They were keenly aware of their mortality, and they recognized their need for God.
So they began to call upon Jehovah, the name of the Lord. Jehovah means I am that I am. This indicates that Jehovah is ever-existing; He alone is the eternal One. Frail, mortal human beings called upon Him because they knew they needed the eternal God.
Many Old Testament verses show us that calling on the name of the Lord continued after Enosh with Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David, and many others, including the psalmists and prophets.
Then in the New Testament, calling on the name of the Lord is first mentioned in Acts 2:21:
“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In the New Testament, the name of the Lord is Jesus, which means Jehovah the Savior. The early believers practiced audibly calling on the name of the Lord Jesus everywhere. In fact, Acts 9 tells us that Saul, before he believed in Jesus and became the apostle Paul, was zealous for the Jewish religion. He persecuted Christians and had the authority to imprison all who called upon the Lord’s name. Saul found believers to arrest by hearing them call on the name of Jesus. This shows how prevalent the practice of calling on the Lord was in those days.
After he was saved, Paul himself practiced calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, and he highlighted this practice throughout his epistles. For example, in 1 Corinthians 1:2 Paul addressed the believers in Corinth:
“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours.”
This verse shows us the early believers even called on the Lord in every place!
[[Free Study Bible]]
The practice of calling on the name of the Lord can greatly benefit us in many ways. Let's look at a few of these ways that are mentioned by Paul in Romans 10.
Romans 10:9 says:
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This verse speaks of both our heart and our mouth. The moment we first believed in Jesus with our heart and confessed His name with our mouth, we were saved eternally from God’s judgment. We were forgiven of our sins and born again with the divine life of God.
Paul then went on in Romans 10:12-13:
“For 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.’”
The Lord is certainly rich in who He is, but He also wants to be rich to us. Calling upon His name is the way we can experience His riches.
In the New Testament Recovery Version, note 1 on calls in verse 13 is very helpful. It tells us that calling on the name of the Lord Jesus is important not just when we’re first saved, but also afterwards:
“Calling on the name of the Lord is the secret not only to our salvation but also to our enjoyment of the Lord’s riches. Beginning with Enosh, the third generation of mankind, and continuing all the way down to the New Testament believers, God’s chosen and redeemed ones enjoyed Christ’s redemption and salvation and all His riches by means of this secret."
Christ is so rich in so many ways—as comfort, peace, love, hope, patience, kindness, endurance, long-suffering, strength, faith, and every positive thing in the universe. And simply calling on His name, “Oh, Lord Jesus!” is the secret to enjoying His riches every day of our life.
Again, Romans 10:13 assures us that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But saved from what?
When we first confessed Jesus as Lord, we were saved eternally. But we also need to be saved daily from many negative things, including anger, impatience, sadness, discouragement, and anxiety.
Calling “Oh, Lord Jesus!” isn’t the same as reciting inspiring words or positive affirmations to improve our mood. Instead, when we call on the name of Jesus, we contact the living, resurrected Lord who is dwelling in our spirit. As we call on His name, we experience Him, and He meets our need.
Actually, we’re saved from negative things by enjoying what the Lord is to us. Note 2 on saved in verse 13 explains:
“To be saved here means to be brought into the enjoyment of the riches of the Lord. The Lord is rich to both Jews and Greeks. All who call on the Lord’s name enjoy this rich Lord; as a result, they are filled with Him and express Him.”
So when we call on the Lord Jesus, we're saved by being brought into the enjoyment of His riches. As we enjoy Him, we experience Him and are even filled with Him. Then, instead of expressing ourselves in our anger or impatience, we express Him to those around us. And the secret is simply to call on His name, “Oh, Lord Jesus!”
Calling on the name of the Lord is an essential practice for our whole Christian life. Even though we’ve been saved from God's judgment, we’re still just as frail and mortal as those in Enosh’s time. Life is often confusing, overwhelming, and full of turmoil. We’re often reminded that we’re limited, both physically and psychologically. We need the Lord and all His riches to fill us.
Even if we don’t have a particular need, we can contact the Lord in our spirit by calling, “Oh, Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus, I love You!” And we can call on Him anywhere, anytime, in good times and bad. We can call loudly or softly, by ourselves or with other believers. When we do this, we'll be refreshed, satisfied, and strengthened. He’s so rich to all who call on Him!
You can learn more about this enjoyable practice in chapter 4 of Basic Elements of the Christian Life, vol. 1, a free e-book you can download from anywhere in the world here.
And if you live in the US, you can order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version here to read all the wonderful notes on the verses mentioned in this post.
Human beings need certain things to maintain our physical existence, including air, water, and food. We also need sunlight. Spending time in the sunlight boosts our body’s vitamin D supply, as well as our mood and mental health. And the plants and animals we need to consume for a healthy diet also depend on sunlight to grow.
In other words, we need light to thrive.
Our physical necessities can help illustrate what we need to sustain our Christian life. For instance, we need to spiritually breathe, drink, and eat daily in order to grow in the life of God. And for normal growth, we also need God’s light.
Today, we’ll use a few excerpts from the excellent book The Knowledge of Life by Witness Lee to see how we can experience God’s light.
First, we must realize that God’s light and God’s life always go together. In The Knowledge of Life, Lee speaks of this vital link on pages 204-205:
“Where light is, there is life. This is a great principle in the Bible. Psalm 36:9 says, ‘With thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.’ This also clearly speaks of the relationship between life and light. Life always follows light, and only light can bring forth life.”
We first experienced God’s light when we were saved. As we heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s light shined on us, and we were convicted of our condition. The shining of that light caused us to repent and turn to God. We believed in the resurrected Jesus and all He did for us, and we received Him as our Savior. This light also brought forth life in us: we were regenerated, or born again, in our spirit with the divine life of God.
But God wants us to continue to grow in His divine life until it fills every part of our being. This is His purpose for us. And for this to happen, we need His light.
So how do we practically experience the shining of God’s light?
[[Free Study Bible]]
Psalm 119:105 says,
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Genuine spiritual light is impossible to manufacture. The Word of God brings light to us and functions like a lamp that lights our way. But whether or not we receive light from the Word depends on how we approach it. Are we coming to the Bible just to get doctrines or teaching on how to live a good, moral life? Or are we coming to get spiritual light?
In the portion from The Knowledge of Life, Lee refers to John 6:63, which says:
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Lee explains on page 207:
“Since both life and spirit are within us, it is clear that the words which the Lord speaks of here must also refer to the words which are spoken within us, not the letters of the Bible without. All the words outside of us are mere knowledge, not light. Only the words which enter into our spirit are the living, shining words of God. If when we read the Bible we constantly exercise our spirit in fellowship to read and open our spirit to receive, the words of the Bible are spirit and life to us. They can enter into our spirit and become living words, bringing the light of life.”
So if we exercise and open our spirit when we read the Bible, God’s Word can become spirit and life within us, bringing to us the light of life.
So how do we exercise our spirit when we read the Bible?
One of the best ways to exercise our spirit is to pray. We can pray while we read the Bible, using the words we read to pray. These words then become spirit and life to us.
For example, let’s say in your Bible reading you come to Ephesians 5:15-16:
“Look therefore carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
You can use these verses to exercise your spirit and pray to the Lord, maybe something like this:
“Lord, I want to look carefully how I walk. I don’t want to be unwise in my walk, but wise. Lord, I realize the days are evil. I’ve wasted too much time. Lord, I repent. Help me redeem my time.”
As you receive God’s Word by praying over it, the Lord has a way to speak to you. Maybe He shines on the amount of time you spend on social media. In His light, you become aware of the negative effect this has had on you and are convicted about the time you’ve wasted.
You could ignore this shining and keep spending your time in the same way. Or you can respond to the Lord’s light by praying:
“Lord, You’re right. I don’t want to waste my time on so many things. Lord, help me redeem my time. Lord, I need You. Strengthen me to obey You in this.”
When you respond to the Lord’s shining concerning this matter, you receive more life, allowing the life of God to increase in you.
In addition to the Word of God, we also have the Lord Himself living within us to be light to us. John 1:4 says:
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
And John 8:12 says:
“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
On page 208, Lee speaks about the light of life and the light of men mentioned in these two verses:
“John 1:4 tells us that the life of God is in the Lord Jesus, and this life is the light of men. When we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, this life enters into us and becomes our ‘light of life’ (John 8:12). Therefore, strictly speaking, this light is not an objective light which enlightens us from without, but a subjective light which enlightens us from within.”
The Lord in us is our light of life. He lets us know how He feels about everything in our lives. We have a consciousness, a feeling, about what He approves or disapproves of, what makes Him happy or displeases Him. That inner feeling is the light of life shining in us. And this shining is subjective, enlightening us from within.
How can we experience this subjective shining of the light of life?
Let’s say a friend sends you a text message that rubs you the wrong way. Your first reaction is to respond angrily. As you type, you begin to feel uneasy and sense something within you saying, “Stop.” That feeling is the light of life enlightening you. As you yield to this shining, you may say, “Okay, Lord, I’ll stop. What do You want to write? How are You responding?” You delete what you wrote and spend time to open further to the Lord. As you do this, more life is imparted to you. You then write a reply to your friend, not in yourself but in Christ.
The way we communicate would probably undergo a big change if we started obeying the shining of the light of life in us! More importantly, imagine how much the life of God would grow in us as a result.
When God shines either through His Word or from within us, we should simply obey. It may sometimes be hard, but we should remember that we need God’s light in order to grow.
The alternative to receiving God’s light is to remain in darkness. But if we obey the shining of God’s light, His life will have a way to grow in us. As a result, we’ll be full of joy and peace and experience normal, healthy Christian growth.
In this post, we referenced chapter 14 on “Life and Light” from The Knowledge of Life. If you live in the US, we encourage you to order a free copy here and read more about knowing and experiencing God’s life. You can also download the e-book for free here from anywhere in the world.
People today have certain ideas about what the church is. These ideas have been shaped primarily by religion, history, tradition, and even society. Some think the church is a special building or place Christians go to worship on Sundays. Others think the church is an organization of people who agree with the teachings of Jesus. And others think it’s a group of people who carry out charitable works to benefit society.
But to find out what the church really is, we need to turn to the Word of God to see God’s thought concerning the church.
The church is a tremendous matter in the Bible that has many aspects; it simply can't be covered in a single post. Today, with help from notes in the New Testament Recovery Version, we’ll look at one aspect of what the church is according to God’s Word: the assembly of called-out ones.
When we read the Bible, it's a good principle to pay attention to the first time a significant matter is mentioned. This sets the stage for understanding its development in the rest of the Scriptures.
The first time the word church is mentioned in the entire Bible is in Matthew 16:18.
In Matthew 16, Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem, the religious center at that time, and came to Caesarea Philippi. There, Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was, and they relayed what some had said about Him. Then Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say that I am?”
In verse 16, we have Peter’s answer to this all-important question:
“And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
In response to Peter’s declaration, Jesus said in verses 17-18:
“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.”
Peter realized Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, because the Father revealed it to him. Then the Lord joined the revelation of who He is with the further revelation of the church.
Now let’s read note 1 on verse 18 in the New Testament Recovery Version:
“The Father’s revelation concerning Christ is only the first half of the great mystery, which is Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32). Hence, the Lord needed to reveal to Peter the second half also, which concerns the church.”
God’s will is a mystery. The apostle Paul speaks of this mystery throughout the book of Ephesians, and in 5:32 he tells us plainly:
“This mystery is great, but I speak with regard to Christ and the church.”
So Christ and the church together are the great mystery. Since Christ is the Son of the living God, the church must also be a living entity.
So what is the church? To answer this question, we first need to see the meaning of the word church in Matthew 16:18. Note 5 on church in this verse in the Recovery Version begins:
“Gk. ekklesia, meaning an out-calling. This word is used in reference to a called-out congregation.”
This note tells us that in Greek—the original language of the New Testament—the word for church, ekklesia, means out-calling. So the church is the congregation, or assembly, of all the people who have been called out of the world by God.
The second part of this same note says:
“My church indicates that the church is of the Lord, not of any other person or thing; it is not like the denominations, which are denominated according to some person’s name or according to some matter.”
When the Lord Jesus mentioned the church for the first time, He said My church. As the note explains, this means the church is something that’s of the Lord Himself, and not of anything or anyone else. Since the church is of the Lord, it can’t be something formed by human organization, much less a physical structure.
[[Free Study Bible]]
So now we've seen that the church, the ekklesia, is the congregation of all those who are called out by God. But who are these called-out ones who make up the church?
Let’s read 1 Corinthians 1:2:
“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints.”
Note 3 on this verse in the Recovery Version explains how the phrases the church of God and those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus are related:
“To the church of God equals to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus. This strongly indicates that the church is a composition of the saints and that the saints are the constituents of the church. The two should not be considered separate entities. Individually, we are the saints; corporately, we are the church.”
The phrase the church of God tells us Paul was addressing the ekklesia, the assembly of called-out people. The phrase those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus tells us something about those called-out people.
Now let's look at 1 Corinthians 1:2 again, focusing on the second half of the verse:
“To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints.”
Who are the sanctified ones that compose the church? To find out, let’s read note 4 on the word sanctified in this verse:
“I.e., made holy, separated unto God for the fulfillment of His purpose.”
The word saint is the noun form of the word for sanctify. So the believers are the called saints, that is, those who are made holy.
How were we believers sanctified, or made holy? We certainly didn’t make ourselves holy. The key is in the phrase sanctified in Christ Jesus. Note 5 explains what this means:
“In Christ means in the element and sphere of Christ. Christ is the element and sphere that separated us, made us holy, unto God when we believed into Him, that is, when we were brought into an organic union with Him through our faith in Him.”
When we believed in the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we were brought into a living, organic union with Him, just like a branch that’s been grafted into a vine. By being joined to Christ, we were sanctified, or set apart, unto God for His purpose and made the constituents of the church.
It may be very common to hear questions like, “What church do you go to?” or “What church do you belong to?” But today we’ve seen from these verses in Matthew 16 and 1 Corinthians 1 that the church isn’t a place we go to or something we join. The Bible shows us the church is the called-out ones who have believed in Jesus Christ, those who have been joined to Him and sanctified unto Him through faith.
We believers have been called out of the world and sanctified in Christ. We are part of this wonderful ekklesia that Christ treasures and that is part of the great mystery of God.
The church is a deep and great matter with many aspects, and we hope to have more posts on this tremendous and rich topic. In the meantime, we encourage you to order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version so you can read all the helpful notes on the verses mentioned in this post. If you live in the US, you can place your free order here. You can also download and read The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee from anywhere in the world here.
