Sermon | Romans 10:11–13 | 2026 May 10
Title: Sermon | Romans 10:11–13 | 2026 May 10
Scripture: Romans 10:11–13 (ESV, reference only)
Date: 2026 May 10
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)
Scripture: Romans 10:11–13.
Title: Calling upon the Name of the Lord (2026 May 10)
Theme Statement: We must call upon the name of the Lord in our lives, so that we may receive precious salvation.
Question Statement: How are Christians saved?
Transition Statement: We can be saved through the following ways.
Key Word: Ways (what)
Introduction: We continue our study of the book of Romans.
The manifestation of the way by which the elect are saved.
In this passage of Scripture, the apostle Paul makes an equivalent shift between those who believe in God and those who call upon the name of the Lord. That is to say, those who trust in God are those who call upon the name of the Lord. This has the same meaning as confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart in the preceding text.
Therefore, what Paul is reiterating here is that through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way by which the elect are saved has already been manifested. It is trusting in the Lord and calling upon the name of the Lord. This is of one piece with the preceding confession with the mouth and belief in the heart. It is simply expressed from another angle, namely, calling upon the name of the Lord.
Then Paul says that this change in the way of salvation is not his new invention, but was already foretold long ago by the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah and Joel both foretold this matter.
Paul is always citing the authority of the Old Testament. Paul never establishes another authority, but continually cites the Old Testament, telling the Israelites: what I proclaim has never gone beyond the revelation of the Old Testament Scriptures. I have only made known the revelation hidden in the Old Testament; I have not invented a new revelation. The matter that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved was foretold by the prophet Joel.
Very well, then, what exactly is “calling upon the name of the Lord”? Calling upon the name of the Lord, in its literal meaning, is a kind of crying out, a kind of appeal. This person acknowledges Jesus as Lord, acknowledges that all help comes from Him, and also trusts in Him, making Him the only help in his own life.
This situation is somewhat similar to the Chinese saying, “When poor, one cries to Heaven; when in pain, one cries to one’s parents.” This comes from Sima Qian’s “Biography of Qu Yuan.” However, the Chinese saying “when poor, one cries to Heaven; when in pain, one cries to one’s parents” is not truly calling upon, but merely an emotional expression.
However, the calling upon the name of the Lord that we speak of today is completely different from the above saying, “when poor, one cries to Heaven.” This is a declaration of faith. We declare that the root of everything we have comes from God. We call upon the name of the Lord to show that we acknowledge there is a Savior, and that we also wholly depend upon this Savior.
In tribulation, are we truly crying out for God’s help? This is the way our faith is tested. Which Redeemer do we actually believe in? In real life, God seems invisible; He seems as if He does not exist at all. Some people oppose Him and curse Him, and He does not respond. Who would call upon such a God?
This requires the revelation of Scripture and our faith. Calling upon the name of the Lord and confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart have the same meaning. This God can only be seen by faith.
The expansion of the scope of the elect’s salvation.
Paul then emphasizes that salvation is no longer limited only to the Jews, but has already been extended to the Gentiles. Because the method of salvation has already been manifested, namely, justification by faith. Since all are justified by faith, righteousness has therefore also stepped beyond the ethnic group of the Jews and has been manifested to all humanity. And this expansion of the scope of salvation is not something that exists only in the New Testament; it was already the mission when God called Abraham. Genesis 12:3: all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you.
Therefore, God’s purpose in calling Abraham and in calling the nation of Israel was to bring salvation to all nations and peoples. Salvation was never the exclusive possession of the Jews. God used them as an instrument, making them a blessing to all nations. Of course, in this process, they also enjoyed God’s blessing.
With the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, the scope of salvation was fully manifested, namely, all humanity, every people group. Because there is only one Lord, He is not only the Lord of the Jews, but also the Lord of all humanity.
There is also only one way by which this Lord saves people, namely, causing those who call upon His name to be saved. Confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart means complete trust; calling upon the name of the Lord has the same meaning. We cannot both call upon the name of the Lord and call upon the name of Satan.
Since the Lord is one, and the way of salvation is one, then the scope must necessarily extend throughout all humanity. The Israelites are only a type and symbol. God is willing to richly bless all who call upon His name.
The reason for the change in the life of the elect.
Calling upon the name of the Lord will bring all abundance, because the Lord is pleased to richly bestow upon us in Christ. Then why is it that when we trust in this Savior, we can receive all this life?
Because this Savior has already completed everything for us. He has both paid off the debt of our sin and fulfilled the law for us. As long as we trust in Him, then all His grace and steadfast love will be given to us. What grace this is.
The Lord Jesus became incarnate for His own glory, continually humbling Himself, and also for His own glory He was exalted, seated at the right hand of God the Father, and will come again in the future. Therefore, as long as we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we too may enter into this abundant glory.
This Savior purchased all His elect with His own life. This is the only reason why those who call upon Him can receive help. The righteous Lord will certainly not be unrighteous; therefore, in order to redeem the lives of us, His people, He had to lay down His life.
Christians must continually meditate upon this Savior: how He became incarnate, and how, in one person and in two natures, divine and human, He continually manifested His own glory and His love for us.
Therefore, in such love, our hearts are moved by grace. We can only continually look to Him and meditate upon His attributes, person, work, and offices; then we will increasingly long for and increasingly love this Savior. We must love this Savior who gave up His life for us. And all that God does is for the purpose of manifesting His steadfast love and faithfulness to us.
The manifestation of the effect of the elect’s salvation.
Calling upon the name of the Lord means not calling upon another name. In every difficult circumstance, we trust only in Him and receive help only from Him. This trust does not mean that we do not need to do anything. On the contrary, those who call upon the name of the Lord continue to do what God wants us to do, only we place the result in God’s hands. If God accomplishes it, we thank God; if God does not accomplish it, we also thank God. In every situation, we focus only on the requirement of the law, reject man’s cleverness, and receive strength in the Lord to obey the law. The change of one’s own life. The expression of faith.
Such a person of faith is the one who truly calls upon the name of the Lord.
To call upon the name of the Lord means that one cannot call upon another name. Calling upon is exclusive. One cannot both call upon God and call upon the devil. Calling upon is complete dependence; one must never be double-minded.
The problem for Christians is that, on the one hand, we are calling upon the name of the Lord, while on the other hand, we are calling upon the name of the world. It is as though the Lord and the world are two sources: the Lord is only in charge of the life to come, while the world is in charge of this life. This is an extremely dangerous condition. The Lord is the only source of this world; all other things are means used by God. Moreover, in order to test whether we truly call only upon His name, God will place us in certain trials, as though He did not exist. This is something Christians especially need to be careful about, and they must earnestly obey the law of God.
Even if our lives encounter extremely great trials, we must rely on the Lord to overcome, and we must not be afraid or terrified. Matthew 10:28–31: what exactly should we fear? Are we afraid of losing our job, or are we afraid of provoking the wrath of God?
Those who call upon the name of the Lord will surely receive a rich reward. Dear brothers and sisters, do not be afraid. Calling upon the name of the Lord carries the richest reward. Sometimes this reward is material abundance; sometimes it is spiritual abundance. In any case, do not be timid.
In the Lord, the Lord has long ago prepared abundant grace for us to receive. We must not be afraid, nor be of little faith, but must be firmly convinced that the promises in God’s Scripture are all Amen. He has determined to richly bless His people.
Closing Sentence: May God lead us, as we call upon the name of the Lord, to receive true joy and experience true trials.
Questions:
What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?
How do we call upon the name of the Lord in our lives?
What benefit will those who call upon the name of the Lord receive?
Third part of the sermon note: 三、The Reason for the Transformation of the Elect's Lives The reason we are able to call upon the Lord at all is because there is a Savior who died for us. Paul has been drawing a consistent distinction throughout: justification by faith versus justification by wo... Read more
Third part of the sermon note:
三、The Reason for the Transformation of the Elect's Lives
The reason we are able to call upon the Lord at all is because there is a Savior who died for us. Paul has been drawing a consistent distinction throughout: justification by faith versus justification by works. Justification by faith requires no works whatsoever. Simply by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior through faith, one obtains salvation. In a certain sense, faith is straightforward — believe, and you are saved. The reason we can receive salvation freely is that a Savior has fulfilled the law on our behalf, entirely out of His mercy.
Let me give two illustrations.
Imagine a village with two boys who grow up together. One is bright and studious; the other is not academically gifted and can only farm at home. The clever one goes on to build a company — like a Bill Gates — and drives a Mercedes. The other grows up unremarkably, gets married, his children turn out similarly ordinary, and he ends up sweeping streets. You might sigh: how differently two lives can turn out. But here is the one difference that matters: the street sweeper believes in Jesus, while the wealthy man believes in himself. If you were an observer, how should you really assess these two lives? Consider what it would look like as each of them stands at the gate of heaven or hell. What does it mean to not be put to shame? Perhaps the street sweeper's children are also sweeping streets, while the entrepreneur has been through three or four wives. Which life do you actually want? If you do not grasp this, you do not yet understand what Jesus Christ has truly done for us. Which matters more — not being put to shame before God, or earthly wealth?
Now imagine a man who grew up alongside Zhu Yuanzhang — and let us suppose this man believes in Jesus. Zhu Yuanzhang goes on to possess an entire empire, to reshape history, to stand at the pinnacle of humanity. The man who believes in Jesus dies in the chaos of war. Standing at the gate of heaven or hell — which life would you choose? We rarely think about this, and that is precisely where repentance is needed.
Why is it that the moment you call upon Jesus Christ, you can be saved? Because this Savior died for you on the cross. When we rarely contemplate eternity, our answer to this question remains vague. What we tend to seek is still earthly benefit — we have not placed our lives in the hands of Jesus Christ. If we do not stand at the gate of heaven and hell in our thinking, we slip into a thoroughly worldly state, and our spiritual lives become very weak.
Every wealthy boss you know is on their way to hell, while those sitting here with you will one day sit at the banquet table with God. If there were no heaven and no hell, then by all means pursue the pleasures of this world. "This church is too strict — I want a more relaxed one." "I still have so much to accomplish; I still have so many dreams." But what we as Christians are to long for is that the very next moment we go to be with the Lord. What God has not called us to do — it does not matter, because it holds no ultimate value. Trusting in Jesus is your greatest security.
一、The Revelation of How the Elect Are Saved In the preceding passage, Paul spoke twice about confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart — that salvation comes only through faith. The Apostle Paul continues by citing Old Testament scriptures, showing that this is not his own invention, b... Read more
一、The Revelation of How the Elect Are Saved
In the preceding passage, Paul spoke twice about confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart — that salvation comes only through faith. The Apostle Paul continues by citing Old Testament scriptures, showing that this is not his own invention, but a way that was prophesied in the Old Testament long ago.
Paul equates those who believe in God with those who call upon the name of the Lord. Justification, not being put to shame — these all point to the same reality. To call upon the name of the Lord is to believe in the heart and confess with the mouth.
Paul is reaffirming that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the way of salvation has been revealed to the elect. It is no longer through the law. This change in the way of salvation is not Paul's new invention. It is not the case that the Old Testament taught salvation by works of the law while the New Testament teaches justification by faith. The problem lies in how the Jews interpreted the Old Testament. This way of salvation was always what the Old Testament revealed. It was the Jews who assumed Moses was teaching justification by works of the law. Moses also taught confession with the mouth and belief in the heart. Therefore, Paul was not establishing a new authority — justification by faith was proclaimed by the prophet Joel. The Jews failed to recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah because they were not reading the Old Testament under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
In theology, the word "new" is perhaps the most dangerous word. Reformed Christians tend to call themselves "Reformed" rather than "Protestant," precisely because "new" carries the scent of heresy. A theology professor once said: "I have been teaching for thirty years and have never gone beyond the bounds of the Westminster Standards." The apostles constantly quoted from the Old Testament — there was nothing new.
What exactly does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord? Calling upon the name of the Lord is equivalent to confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart; it is equivalent to trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what distinctive features does calling upon the name of the Lord carry?
To "call upon" means to cry out for help. There is an old Chinese saying: *In poverty, one cries to Heaven; in pain, one cries for one's parents.* When people are in agony, they cry out "Oh God!" or "Oh Mama!" — this is one sense of calling upon. But there are two further dimensions: thanksgiving and prayer. Thanksgiving looks back to what God has done in the past; prayer looks forward to what God will do in the future. These are two distinct orientations.
Reflect for a moment — have you thanked the Lord for your own life experiences? This is an area where calling upon the name of the Lord calls us to repentance. We rarely express gratitude to God for leading us through difficult seasons. A person who does not know how to give thanks will not look back on past grace. God wants you to remember how He led you through past hardships. Then, when the next difficulty comes, you will know that God will lead you through again. We so seldom give thanks, yet God calls us to thanksgiving precisely so that we may receive strength to face the trials ahead. The more we meditate on God's past help, the more confident we become about the future. When Assyria and Babylon were about to invade, the prophets would calmly remind the people: remember how God led you out of Egypt, how He defeated your enemies. God wants you to have a thankful heart. In giving thanks, you remember God's past faithfulness and build your trust in Him.
We bring the things of the future to God in prayer, placing them in His hands. I follow Paul's example and regularly send out prayer requests. When we face difficulties, we ought to pray — this is a great privilege of the Christian. Not to pray is to forfeit an enormous blessing.
What does the name of the Lord mean? The name of the Lord encompasses all of God's glory — His works, His power. A person's name represents their deeds. When we mention *Zhu Yuanzhang*, we immediately think of the founding of the Ming Dynasty and the building of Nanjing as its capital. A person's deeds and character are contained in their name. *Qin Shi Huang* evokes the unification of the six kingdoms, tyranny, and the standardization of writing. When we speak of God's name, it encompasses all of His works — and especially salvation: the precious blood of the Lord, the work of redemption — all of this is contained in His name. When we call upon His name, we are drawing upon the glory of heaven — and above all, upon His salvation. This is what it means to call upon the name of the Lord.
二、The Expansion of the Scope of the Elect's Salvation
This scope encompasses all of humanity — not meaning that every individual person will be saved, but that it spans every people group, and within every people group there are those who will be saved. Our church has international brothers and sisters — from Kenya, from Nigeria. We are saved in one and the same way, because we are all descendants of Noah. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek. Paul carries a universal vision as he proclaims the faith.
In former times, every nation worshipped its own gods. When ancient Near Eastern nations went to war, it was understood as a battle between each nation's gods. The Greeks likewise had their pantheon. But Paul declares: there is only one God, and this God is the Savior of all humanity. There is only one way of salvation for all humanity, and that is Jesus Christ — for there is only one Lord over all people.
Today we hear voices saying that many religions lead to heaven, that Buddhism and Christianity alike can bring one there. This is error. There is only one way of salvation for humanity, because there is only one God. There is only one way to please God, and that is to call upon His name. This scope has now expanded from the Jewish people to the whole world, because there is one Lord over all — the sovereign over all humanity. The Romans thought the God of the Jews was a minor deity, incapable of ruling Rome. But Paul declares: one Lord, one faith, one baptism — one God, one faith. Today in China there are those who say that Eastern peoples have their own Eastern gods, that different cultures have different deities. This is Satan's scheme, to draw every nation into idolatry. Paul says: Jews and Greeks share the same way of salvation — trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The scope of salvation has been expanded — it is all of humanity. Paul argues that even Abraham was justified by faith; the Jews still sought righteousness through Abrahamic bloodline, and this was simply wrong. Abraham also called upon the name of the Lord. Therefore all of humanity stands on the same footing — we too must call upon the name of the Lord.
四、The Manifestation of the Fruit of the Elect's Salvation
For a justified person, sanctification is the evidence of their justification. A person who is never sanctified demonstrates that they were never justified. Faith is not works, and works are not faith — yet they are inseparable. James says: faith without works is dead. Living faith will necessarily produce works.
Works are the expression of calling upon the name of the Lord: you can only call upon this one Lord — you cannot exalt any other. Yet so often we are calling upon the name of money. Our sense of peace may come from money. For a government official, peace comes from calling upon the name of power. Others call upon the name of affirmation, of praise, of physical comfort, of sin. We call upon many names, hoping to find satisfaction in them. We crave more money; we do not crave Jesus. To call upon the name of Jesus means He alone is your refuge — He is your only Savior.
Why did God send prophets to warn Judah whenever she sought help from the Gentile nations? Judah was a strategic land bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe — other nations needed Judah's territory to check rival empires. Judah was militarily and demographically weak, and could only survive by leaning on great powers. Yet God deliberately placed Judah in that very position. The land also frequently suffered drought: if the people obeyed, God would bless them with rain; if they disobeyed, He would withhold it. When Assyria threatened to destroy Judah, Judah had nowhere to turn but Egypt. And God rebuked them for trusting in Egypt's horses rather than in Him.
To call upon the name of the Lord does not mean your circumstances will necessarily become easier. When Israel was advancing against Canaan, God made sure Israel got a good look at the land — and what they saw frightened them. The inhabitants were powerful, and their courage failed. Yet it is in trials that faith is strengthened. If you have no faith, God will discipline you.
Trusting in Jesus depends on no works — yet this living faith must produce a life of obedience to the law. Is it not justification by faith? Yes — and God will test you: how is your faith? God placed Israel in Canaan precisely to test whether they would call upon His name. Baal worship offered rain, harvest, and sexual indulgence. Faith must be tested. Faith that has not been tried by fire cannot be proven genuine. Your entire life is to be lived in obedience to the law. When you feel the struggle and the pressure of obeying — that is exactly right.
Jesus Christ is the author and perfecter of our faith; He has already granted us faith. But it begins as a seed, growing within you into a great tree. You must live a life that is utterly different from the world's.
To call upon the name of the Lord means you cannot call upon the name of Caesar. Call upon Caesar's name and life goes smoothly; call upon the name of the Lord and you face death in the arena. Where is the "not being put to shame" in that? Yet this is precisely what God desires — that you walk by faith and not by sight. God particularly abhors it when you walk out of church and begin calling upon the name of other gods. Do you trust in the name of God, or in the name of money, or in the name of the state? These names cannot save! At the gate of heaven and hell, consider who stands at those gates — this is what you must think upon.
Earthly trials are of little ultimate account. You must be committed to the church; you must walk in faithful obedience in every area of life — this is the mark of a person of faith. No sexual immorality, no stealing — this is what it looks like to call upon the name of the Lord. Calling upon His name is not a symbol of outward blessing; it means you yourself are to become the embodiment of His name. People come to know that God's name is holy because there is a people who walk in His name. When you continually compromise with the world in your daily life, you are bringing shame upon the name of the Lord.
The one who gains everything and possesses this world will one day be cast into the lake of fire. The street sweeper will be saved. How real is this to you?
Discipline yourself; bring your body into subjection. Call upon my name, and I will deal bountifully with all who call upon my name. In the name of the Lord is every blessing — all things are His instruments, and in Him there is no lack of anything. This name is our assurance of entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
Let us live out the name of the Lord, and not bring shame upon it. To dishonor the name of the Lord is to greatly offend God. Every son is disciplined — God will discipline you, until you confess that the name of the Lord is the only name.
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