I might add...
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Many who will follow that broad path to destruction (Matt. 7:13) will believe that all that is necessary for salvation is pray and accept Jesus into their heart, which they claim is calling on the name of the Lord. However, this is not what the Scriptures teach us.
Those who fail to study and rightly divide the Word forget that just a few verses before this verse that Paul expresses
part of what calling on the name of the Lord is...
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
We must confess with our mouth (before other men) that Jesus is Lord.
Remember the eunuch's confession in Acts 8, and how Jesus said in Matthew 10:32 that we must confess Him before men?
We must also believe. So here we have believing and confessing Jesus is Lord as part of calling on the name of the Lord. No prayer is mentioned in these verses.
Think about it... if Paul is somehow claiming that calling on the name of the Lord is nothing more than praying to God then he is contradicting himself in Romans chapter 6 where he explains baptism is necessary for salvation. We know that the Bible does not contradict itself. Preachers that are preaching this are just plain wrong and are trying to support a doctrine made up by men, not from God.
Consider carefully Acts chapter 2. This is the first time the gospel message was preached after the ascension of Jesus. Remember Jesus commanded the Great Commission "beginning in Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). Peter preached and made the similar statement, quoting Joel 2:32...
Here's Joel...
Joel 2:32(a) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:
Now Peter...
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Now remember that at the same time Peter was preaching this gospel message in Jerusalem that he obeyed what Jesus taught the apostles and preached exactly what Jesus commanded them to teach, which we learned in Luke was "repentance and remission of sins". Peter finished the gospel message and told the people what they needed to do to "call on the name of the Lord"...
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
You see... Peter told them exactly what calling on the name of the Lord is, and exactly what Jesus commanded the apostles to preach.
Let's see how Joel 2:32/Romans 10:13 harmonize with Acts 2:38 so well...
(And it shall come to pass) = (Then Peter said to them)
(that whosoever will) = (every one of you)
(call on) = (repent and be baptized)
(the name of the Lord) = (in the name of Jesus Christ)
(shall be saved) = (for the remission of sins)
Calling on the name of the Lord would include repentance and baptism for the remission of sins.
Of course as brother Steven has already shown... Acts 22:16 puts the lid on it.
