Romans Chapter 10 Vs. 13

The Message of Salvation to All

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Rom 10:13

whosoever shall call... Quoted from Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21. Believing on Christ and calling upon Him are in effect the same thing (Rom. 10:9-13). Calling upon God presupposes faith in Him, and if one has faith he will call upon God in all times of need.

Paul uses the Greek: Kurios, for the Hebrew Jehovah of Joel 2:32, proving that Jesus of Rom. 10:9 is called Jehovah. Thus there was more than one Jehovah in the Old Testament (Gen. 19:24). Compare Psm. 110:1 with Mat. 22:44; Acts 2:34 where the same Greek word is used of both God and Christ in the Septuagint and the New Testament. It is translated "Lord" 667 times as the equivalent of the Old Testament Jehovah.

Paul here quotes (Joel 2:32), to further emphasize that salvation is available for people of all nations and races.

This familiar Old Testament expression does not refer to some desperate cry to just any deity but to the one true God as He has revealed Himself. A revelation which now includes recognition of Jesus as Lord and of the One who raised up Jesus from the dead.

As chapter 9 stressed divine sovereignty in salvation, this passage stresses human responsibility. Scripture does not view these two principles as paradoxical or contradictory, but as mutually compatible truths.

shall be saved... Is speaking of salvation which is the most common biblical expression used to identify the subjective changes in people’s lives, when by faith they have received the benefit of Christ’s death and resurrection. The term implies deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. It occurs in three phases. First, the Christian has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin. Second, the Christian is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin in this life. Finally, when the Lord returns, the Christian will be saved from all the physical results of sin and of God’s curse on the world.

In these verses Paul stated the content of that message concerning faith. Confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord is mentioned first to conform to the order of the quotation from Deut. 30:14 in Rom. 10:8.