call on/upon - the deeper meaning
The depth of Romans chapter 10 is quite astounding when you come to understand the historical context within which it was written. On a surface level, a new or new-ish reader will likely be tempted to adopt a shallow takeaway, which can lead to powerless living and preaching. But when someone comes to embrace the significance of citizenship in Jesus' Kingdom, strongholds dissolve, doors open, and their words can become swords of victorious freedom and truth.
The majority of "churchianity" has ignorantly adopted versions of salvation that are hand-me-downs from the "Sinner's Prayer," a relatively recent development in Christian history, emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this sense, scriptures like "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13) have become a one-size-fits-all ticket to eternal life for any person who proclaims Jesus. But is that what the author (Paul) of this scripture meant by it?
The answer can be more easily digested when comparing Romans 10:13 with Paul's statement in Acts 25:11, "I appeal unto Caesar." The word appeal (epikaleomai or epikaloumai) in Acts 25:11 is the exact same word translated to "call" (or "calling") in Romans 10:13. This also holds true for Acts 2:21 and Acts 22:16. Paul was not simply saying, "I'm calling on Caesar to save me." Paul's "calling" to Caesar involved several key foundations:
Paul's confidence that he was legally a Roman citizen and therefore had the right to appeal to Caesar for his judgment upon Paul's case. In other words, Paul knew that his case qualified for jurisdiction under the Roman court system.
Paul's preparedness to do whatever would be required of him to be able to stand before Caesar and receive judgment. This involved much travel (including treacherous portions) under Roman guard, waiting under guard in Rome for his case to be called, etc.
Paul's willingness to accept Caesar's judgment in submission to Caesar's ordained (albeit earthly) authority.
Consider these foundations for a moment. Paul was not automatically "saved" from his life-threatening circumstances simply because he invoked the name of Caesar. Rather, he was using his nationality to claim the right to be judged by the ultimate authority of his birthplace.
Similarly, "calling on or upon" Jesus is not a mere verbal recognition of Jesus, or a verbal petition to Him. In order to obtain salvation (favorable judgment by Jesus, including deliverance from sin and death), a person must enter into the jurisdiction of Jesus' Kingdom and exercise ongoing submission to the Lord's righteous authority. Scripture tells us that the "Father himself judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22).
Now, unlike Paul, who was born into Roman citizenship, a person can only gain citizenship within Jesus' Kingdom by being born again. Effectively, they undergo a nationalization process to be able to claim the rights Jesus offers as their new and only King. By being born again (John 3:5, Acts 2:38-40), they become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a new home (Hebrews 13:14, 2 Corinthians 5:1, John 14:2). Then, by choosing to abide in Jesus' Kingdom, including seeking to live according to His ways as they grow (read John chapter 15), they remain within the boundaries of Jesus' blessed jurisdiction.
Another way to look at it is that a person pledges allegiance to Jesus in the waters of baptism, where they are released from sin and from any claim the enemy has upon them, then Jesus grants them citizenship by anointing them with the Holy Spirit, at which point they become part of Jesus' Kingdom on this Earth. Of course, they still have to live in this world for now, but Jesus becomes their highest authority.
Born-again believers constitute the temple of Jesus – His presence on Earth. It is these people Paul is referring to in Romans 10:13, for the book is Paul's letter to the born-again believers in Rome. Then, as more and more people have come to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' Kingdom on Earth has expanded, one soul at a time.
It's important to discern that the Book of Romans is not a letter by Paul telling unbelievers how to become saved and stay saved. Rather, Paul is reminding his brothers and sisters in Christ of the privileged claim they are able to make through Jesus as long as they continue in their relationship with Him. Plus, Paul is emphasizing the opportunity for anyone – Jew or Gentile (non-Jew) – to come to Jesus and enjoy the same rights and ultimate inheritance, providing that they, too, recognize and submit to Jesus' authority and power over all things (including death) as the Son of God.
Take a moment to ponder how profound it was for someone to reach this point of submission to Jesus. To help you, I will use this quote (that we came across on social media) from The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, which would have been very relevant to the Christian church located in Rome:
"When Christianity" (not the "churchianity" many are familiar with today) "first arose in the world, it was not called religion. It was the non-religion. Imagine the neighbors of early Christians" (who were first called "the people of The Way" – following the way of Jesus) "asking them about their faith. "Where is your temple?" they'd ask. The Christians would reply that they didn't have a temple. "But how could that be? Where do your priests labor?" The Christians would have replied that they didn't have any priests. "But...but," the neighbors would have sputtered, "where are the sacrifices made to please your gods?" The Christians would have responded that they do not make sacrifices anymore. Jesus himself was the temple to end all temples, the priest to end all priests, and the sacrifice to end all sacrifices."
That quote is very relevant to the born-again Gentiles of the day. For the Jews, most had a hard time believing that Jesus was the promised Messiah prominently prophesied in their Scripture that was read out every week in their synagogues. The coming of their Messiah was their eager hope and expectation, but when He came, He was not what they had imagined He would be. Nor did Jesus do what they imagined their deliverer would do – save them from the oppression of the Romans. They could not see beyond that; they were blind to Jesus' purpose to deliver them from their greater enemies – the devil, bondage to sin, and death. The Jews' vision was earthly and not spiritual.
So, in his letter to his brethren in Rome, Paul was, on the one hand, commending them for their faith in Jesus. He was rejoicing in their hope of salvation because they, like him, could depend upon their relationship with Jesus and citizenship rights, for Jesus is a righteous judge and God is a faithful God. On the other hand, within this lay an inherent warning, a warning that is more apparent when you consider the Book of Romans in its entirety – to remain faithful to their God and their King, Jesus.
The other definitions you might notice for the Greek word "epikaleomai or epikaloumai" is "be one's surname" and "surnamed." At first, this might seem confusing, but yet again, historical knowledge and context make things clear. During the time of Jesus, people often identified themselves by their town of origin, rather than using a modern surname. For example, Jesus was known as "Jesus of Nazareth," and Saul of Tarsus was later known as Paul of Tarsus. This practice, along with identifying someone by their parentage (like "Jesus, son of Joseph") or occupation, helped distinguish individuals in a society without inherited family names.
So, in light of this, let's again address Romans 10:13, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). In Acts 25:11, Paul knew he was surnamed after a Roman place of origin, thereby falling under that jurisdiction. Likewise, those who have been born again into a new place of origin (the Kingdom of Jesus) can have confidence that they belong to Jesus and fall under His heavenly courts. They carry Jesus' name and can therefore hope in salvation (Jesus' favorable judgment when they die).
It might take two or three read-throughs of this article to fully digest the information and appreciate its significance relative to what most congregations are told from church building stages and pulpits today. The bottom line is that the author of the Book of Romans (Paul) never intended to imply that a person can be "saved" and inherit eternal life simply by proclaiming Jesus (even if they have made a verbal repentance of their sins). He did mean to convey that a person can have confidence in salvation by coming to (and remaining with) God on His terms.