Have You Called on the Name of the Lord?

© 2021 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

Most people understand they will eventually die unless God first takes them, alive, to Heaven.  What happens when we die?  Some believe death terminates a person’s existence.  However, God says,

“… it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27)

Scripture repeatedly teaches that this judgment will divide the saved from the lost.  The saved shall begin an eternity of blessing.  The lost shall experience eternal torment.  One such passage says:

“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.” (Daniel 12:2)

Those who believe this ask,

“… what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)

The Bible gives the answer.

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)

But who is this Lord on whose name we are to call?  The Lord revealed this to Moses on Mount Sinai.

“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.  And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.” (Exodus 34:5-9)

Notice that, in proclaiming His own name, God mentions both mercy and judgment.  Mercy is necessary because we are all sinners and have violated God’s commands in our thoughts and actions.  God has the authority to judge because He is the creator of all. (read Genesis 1:1-Genesis 2:1)

It is interesting to observe Moses’ reaction to God’s proclamation.

“And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” (Exodus 34:8)

This mercy is based on payment of sin’s penalty by Christ who is God the Son.  He paid this penalty for all who trust Him.  Payment was accomplished at Calvary by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Have you called upon the “name of the Lord”?

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