What saith the word?
An Abuse of Acts 2:216/26/2016 Acts 2:21 (KJV) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stated: “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). In view of this statement, some have has asked: Why do you insist that the sinner’s prayer is not scriptural when Peter plainly teaches it. First, we cannot assume that calling upon the Lord’s name, and being baptized, are mutually exclusive obligations. The two expressions complement one another, yet have nothing to do with the “sinners Prayer”. Just calling “Lord, Lord” is not enough. The scriptures make it clear that merely “calling” on the name of Christ is not sufficient to give salvation since Jesus Himself declared in Matthew 7:21 (KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Clearly, therefore, “calling” on Christ involves more than a mere prayer. Calling on the Name of the Lord Includes Repentance and Baptism. In Acts 2, the same apostle who promised salvation to all who “call on the name of the Lord,” also commanded: “Repent ye, and be immersed each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ to obtain the forgiveness of your sins” (2:38). Since the “shall be saved” in Acts 2:21 is equivalent to the “forgiveness of sins” in Acts 2:38, it mandates that “calling on the name of the Lord” includes both repentance and baptism. One cannot just pick their favorite verse to support their own method of salvation. “Calling on his name” is clearly Defined. Later writings from the New Testament authors make it apparent that the person who submits to baptism in order to receive forgiveness is calling on the name of the Lord. Notice Acts 22:16. Ananias instructed Saul (Paul) as follows: “And now why do you tarry? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” We can then understand that all who wish to enjoy the remission of past sins will call on the name of the Lord by obeying the gospel plan of redemption. In no other way is one promised the forgiveness of sins. Furthermore, if calling on the name of the Lord could be the “sinner’s prayer”, why is there not one Biblical illustration of how to pray this prayer? Further support is found in the fact that every conversion account in the Scriptures includes Baptism as the final act of becoming a Christian?
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