The Scripture behind the Scripture
Whosoever Shall Call on the Name of the Lord
Joel 2:32 promises that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered. Peter cites it at Pentecost in Acts 2:21, and Paul makes it a pillar of the gospel in Romans 10:13.
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.”Joel 2:32
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”Romans 10:13
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”Acts 2:21
In its own place
In its own place. This verse comes at the close of Joel's great prophecy of the outpouring of the Spirit and the day of the Lord. After foretelling cosmic signs, the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord, Joel declares, And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered, for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, among the remnant whom the Lord shall call. In its original setting this is a promise of salvation in the midst of judgment. The day of the Lord brings terror to the rebellious, but for those who call on the Lord, who turn to him and invoke his name in faith and repentance, there is deliverance and refuge. The verse identifies the way of escape on that dreadful day, calling on the name of the Lord, and locates deliverance among a remnant that God himself calls. It holds together human response, calling on God, and divine initiative, God calling the remnant. Within Joel's message to a people summoned to repent, it offers the assurance that no one who turns to the Lord and cries out to him will be turned away, even as judgment falls on the impenitent.
Where the New Testament takes it up
This is a direct quotation, used by both Peter and Paul to open salvation to all. Peter includes it in his Pentecost citation of Joel, ending in Acts 2:21 with And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It becomes the climactic invitation of his sermon, for after proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Christ, Peter calls the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, effectively telling them how to call on the Lord's name. Paul makes even fuller use of it in Romans 10:13, where he is arguing that there is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is rich unto all that call upon him, and then quotes, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Paul builds his case that salvation comes by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart, and he uses Joel to prove that this salvation is for everyone without distinction. Both follow the Greek text. Strikingly, the name of the Lord that Joel says one must call upon, which in Joel is the name of God himself, is applied by the apostles to Jesus, so that calling on the Lord means calling on Jesus. This is one of the profound ways the New Testament identifies Jesus with the Lord of the Old Testament.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Joel said that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and the New Testament reveals that the name to be called upon is the name of Jesus. Paul quotes the verse right after confessing that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So the Lord of Joel is identified with Jesus, a quiet but staggering testimony to his deity. The universal whosoever removes every barrier, for the same Lord is rich to all who call on him, Jew and Gentile alike. On the day of judgment, salvation belongs to those who have called on Jesus in faith. The remnant whom the Lord calls and those who call on the Lord meet in the gospel, as God calls sinners through the message of Christ and they respond by calling on his name. The way of deliverance Joel promised stands open to all in Jesus.
Questions people ask
Whose name must be called on?
In Joel it is the name of the Lord, that is, God himself. The apostles apply it to Jesus, so that calling on the name of the Lord means calling on Jesus. This is one of the ways the New Testament identifies Jesus with the Lord of the Old Testament.
What does the whosoever signify?
It removes every barrier of nation, status, or background. Paul uses the verse in Romans 10 to prove that salvation is for Jew and Gentile alike, since the same Lord is rich to all who call upon him. The way of deliverance is open to everyone who calls on Jesus in faith.