Saved!

Saved!

For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. Romans 10:13 AMPC

Context:

Paul writes to the church in Rome, emphasising the importance of faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, and the need for man to take a step and respond to this finished work. He speaks about redemption, faith, salvation, righteousness, grace and man's part in the scheme of all these. What has God done? What things has he settled and what things has he left for me to decide how I will handle? Are there consequences to whatever decision I take? Today's extract will strive to provide answers to those questions. 

Message and Response:

Everyone: it does not matter who you were, or who you are now. The invitation is for everyone. It does not matter what the past looks like, or what the uncertainties around today are; what matters is that whatever help is available is also for me. Race, colour, creed or tribe has nothing to do with what God offers. He gives it free of charge to all who come to him. It is everyone, not just a select few, or some Jews, or some Gentiles. It is for everyone. The verse before today's extract is quite instructive: for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 

Calls: I realise my need for help and I take steps to seek the help. It is totally pointless to admit helplessness and then do nothing at all, folding my arms and waiting for the manna to fall from the sky and straight into my mouth. Between the manna falling free from heaven and me being able to put it in my mouth, there is a daily going out to pack it up, prepare and process it for eating, and then being able to eat it. All of God's grace will be in vain if there was no one capable of responding to it or accepting it. 

It matters that the word 'call' is used here, not silent treatment or assumptions. A good definition of call is: a cry made as a summons or to attract someone's attention. Relate that to today's context. Would I know I really need help and then be afraid or too ashamed to call out for help? Would I keep quiet, hoping and praying that God knows I need help and would come to help me, even when I refuse to open my mouth? The calling out is important: it means that I acknowledge my state, recognise the only one who can save me, and I consciously seek him out. Until I realise that this is indeed a matter of life and death, I may not take it seriously. 

The Name of the Lord: it matters who or what you call out to or on. The fallen man has made gods out of anything: power, position, privilege, possession, personality. We have sought to replace the unseen God with what our senses can process, but as long as the eternal question remains unanswered, man will continue to struggle for relevance and impact. Throughout history, men like myself have made themselves out as something, but death has always proved to be the ultimate leveller. For Jesus, indeed he died, but death could not hold him down, and had to give him up, and that same power is what is at work, together with that name, to work wonders in the lives of all who call on that name.

No other name works quite like the name of the Lord. The Word of God calls the name of the Lord a strong tower, where the righteous run into and are safe. We also agree that names are powerful and prophetic; we speak here of the Lord whose name is eternal. If he is eternal, imagine then all that he is able to give all who come to him.

Why you call his name also matters; am I calling him simply because of what I can get out of him, or the things that apply only to the earth here? He is called the Lord because he has power, authority and dominion over all my eyes can see. When I call him, I had better know why. He is Lord, Master and Ruler. He brooks no opposition, even though he gives me freewill. He is not your usual buddy buddy that I can disrespect; he is the Lord, who seeks men to make the approach and to worship him in spirit and in truth. If I will get all of him, I must worship him as who he is, not what I wish him to be.

Saved: that is the ultimate benefit of the name. No matter what else you get from the name, don't let go until you have received salvation. That is what qualifies a man for eternity with God. Everything you get from this earth belongs to the earth. Everything you get from the earth will stay with the earth when you have to go: power, position, possession, privilege and pleasure. The one thing that salvation gives you, which is the presence of God, is the one thing you will get to take with you when this earthly phase ends. 

Don't settle for the world's best and ignore God's best. The world's best works for those who belong to it. God's best is for all men everywhere, but only those who embrace it to the end will enjoy what he offers. And the end of salvation is eternal life. It will not end down here; real life starts when the earthly phase is over. I must make sure I am preparing for the real thing. Nothing must stand in my way; nothing must hold my heart so much that it distracts me from that which is truly important. God made it clear what his priority was when he paid such a high price to establish the prize of salvation for the world. It would amount to a colossal mistake if I were to ignore or reject that prize. My reaction to that prize is a personal decision; one I will have to live with for the whole of eternity. His time of favour is here.