For
there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and
richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved.” Romans
10:12-13
Paul is quoting the minor prophet Joel when he
says that all who call on the name of God will be saved. Does that mean what so many people seem to
think it means, that anyone who utters the name of the Lord will go to heaven? Not at all.
Too many people think that as long as they believe in the existence of
God they are bound for heaven. They are
wrong.
First of all, this verse is referring to the Jews and the
Gentiles. The Jews were God’s chosen
people, but they rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah therefore God allowed
the Gentiles to become grafted into His family.
A gentile is any non-Jew.
Secondly, a person must not perform surgery on scripture, pulling
out of context that which suits them.
Scripture should be taken in context and in its entirety. If you don’t understand something, ask the
Lord to reveal its meaning.
There are far too many verses in scripture that address the
whole issue of leaving your old life behind and embarking on a new life to
honestly belief that simply speaking the name of the Lord garners for you
entrance into God’s heaven. A changed
life is expected. Those who think they can live as they choose are technically
correct due to the free will God has allowed us, but adherence to God’s
precepts is necessary for a person to truly win entrance into heaven. Sin cannot abide with the Lord. If that were true why on earth would Christ
have had to die a horrific death on a cross, shamed and separated from His
Father? It would not be so that man
could continue on with a clean slate only to sin again. Change must take place. If it never does, it is fair to say the
individual has not had a born-again
experience.
Scripture speaks of being born twice and only dying
once. What are we dying to? Our old life; “Behold all things become new”
(2 Corinthians 5:13). Do not fool
yourself into thinking you can merely utter the name of Christ and be safe from
the wrath of God. Embrace the new life
God has awaiting you by faith and trust God to guide you the rest of the way to
your eternal home. Until next time, walk
with the King and be a blessing!
