# Romans 10.13 **Book:** [Romans](/codex/romans/) · NASB95 ## Verse > for 'WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.' (Romans 10:13, NASB95) ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **NASB95** ([NASB95](/codex/nasb95/)) > 11. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.' > > 12. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; > > **13. for 'Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'** > > 14. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? > > 15. How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!' (Romans 10:11-15, NASB95) ## Setting - **Speaker:** Paul the Apostle. - **Audience:** the church at Rome, a mixed Jewish-Gentile congregation. Romans 9-11 is Paul's extended treatment of God's faithfulness to Israel and the inclusion of the Gentiles. - **Location:** Paul writing from Corinth. - **Time period:** c. AD 56-57. ## Theological reading The verse is one of the **strongest single applications of an OT YHWH-passage to Christ** in the NT, a critical Christological proof-text. Three claims: 1. **Universal scope.** *Pas*, "everyone / whoever." No distinction Jew or Greek (Romans 10:12). Salvation is offered universally to those who call. 2. **The means, calling on the name of the Lord.** *Hos an epikalesētai to onoma kyriou*, to "call upon the name of the Lord" is the OT formula for invoking YHWH in worship and need (Genesis 4:26; Joel 2:32; Psalm 116:13; Zechariah 13:9). Paul cites Joel 2:32 explicitly. 3. **The result, *sōzō* (saved).** Future passive: *sōthēsetai*. The act of calling produces the salvation; God grants it as response to the call. **The OT citation, Joel 2:32:** The verse is a direct quotation from Joel 2:32 (LXX 3:5): > *kai pas hos an epikalesētai to onoma kyriou sōthēsetai* In Joel's original context, "*kyrios*" renders **YHWH**, the Tetragrammaton. The LXX-pre-Christian Jewish translation choice locked *kyrios* as the Greek for YHWH. Joel's prophecy is about calling on **YHWH**. Paul applies this verse, without revision, without qualification, to **Jesus**. Romans 10:9 establishes the antecedent of "the Lord" two verses earlier: "*if you confess with your mouth Jesus as kyrios*", Jesus *is* the kyrios on whom one calls. Then Paul cites Joel 2:32 as the warrant: calling on Jesus = calling on YHWH = salvation. This is one of the most direct **YHWH-Jesus identifications** in the NT. Paul treats Joel's *YHWH-text* and Jesus-confession as *the same act*. The OT call-on-YHWH is fulfilled in NT call-on-Jesus. ## Apologetic significance The verse is foundational to Christian-Unitarian and Christian-Jewish apologetics: 1. **Against Jehovah's Witness / Watchtower theology** that distinguishes Jesus (a created being) from YHWH: Romans 10:13 collapses the distinction. Paul applies Joel's YHWH-passage to Jesus directly. The NWT cannot avoid this without rewriting Romans 10:9 as well (which it does, partially). 2. **Against unitarian Jewish responses**: the very structure of Pauline soteriology requires Jesus to occupy the position OT prophets reserved for YHWH alone. Larry Hurtado (*Lord Jesus Christ*, 2003), Richard Bauckham (*Jesus and the God of Israel*, 2008), and Gordon Fee (*Pauline Christology*, 2007) develop the *kyrios* Christology argument grounded in this and similar OT-citation passages. ## Romans Road context The verse is **Step 4** in the canonical Romans Road evangelistic schema: 1. **Romans 3:23**, universal sinfulness ("all have sinned") 2. **Romans 6:23**, sin's wages and God's gift 3. **Romans 5:8**, God's love demonstrated in Christ 4. **Romans 10:9-10/13**, confession and salvation These four verses form the canonical evangelistic outline used since the Reformation in personal evangelism. **Romans 10:9 / 10:13 distinction:** - **Romans 10:9**, "*if you confess… and believe… you will be saved* (the means) - **Romans 10:13**, "*whoever calls… will be saved* (the universal offer) The two work together: the offer is universal (v. 13), the response is confession + faith (v. 9). **Patristic.** Justin Martyr (*Dialogue with Trypho*) and Tertullian use Joel 2:32 / Romans 10:13 in early Christian apologetic. The verse anchors the development of *kyrios* Christology, that *kyrios* applied to Jesus is the LXX-rendering of YHWH, hence Jesus as YHWH. **Reformation.** Calvin (*Romans* commentary, ad loc.; *Institutes* III.20.5-6): "the calling on the name of the Lord" is the soul's reliance on Christ as both Savior and Lord; faith and salvation are inseparable. Luther (*Lectures on Romans*, 1515-1516) reads the verse as the Pauline foundation of the *sola fide* / *sola Christo* gospel. **Modern conservative.** Douglas Moo (*Romans* NICNT), Thomas Schreiner (*Romans* BECNT), and the Reformed evangelical tradition treat this verse as one of the four-corner-stone Pauline soteriology texts (alongside Romans 1:17, 3:23-26, 5:8, and Ephesians 2:8-9). ## Key words - [G2962 - kyrios](/codex/g2962-kyrios/), *kyrios* (Lord), the LXX rendering of YHWH; the verse's pivot - [G3686 - onoma](/codex/g3686-onoma/), *onoma* (name), "the name of the Lord" - [G4982 - sozo](/codex/g4982-sozo/), *sōzō* (save), *sōthēsetai*, future passive - [G4991 - soteria](/codex/g4991-soteria/), *sōtēria*, the corresponding noun - [G4102 - pistis](/codex/g4102-pistis/), *pistis* (faith), implied; explicit in v. 9 - [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/), the Hebrew name behind LXX *kyrios* ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Cumulative Case for the Deity of Christ](/codex/cumulative-case-for-the-deity-of-christ/) - [Gentiles Cannot Be Saved Objection Defeater](/codex/gentiles-cannot-be-saved-objection-defeater/), via [Romans 10.12-13](/codex/romans-10-12-13/) - [Jesus Never Claimed to Be God Objection Defeater](/codex/jesus-never-claimed-to-be-god-objection-defeater/) - [Necessity of the Incarnation](/codex/necessity-of-the-incarnation/), via [Romans 10.9-13](/codex/romans-10-9-13/) - [Sacred Name Yahawah Yahawashi Required for Salvation Objection Defeater](/codex/sacred-name-yahawah-yahawashi-required-for-salvation-objection-defeater/) - [Trinity Invented at Nicaea Objection Defeater](/codex/trinity-invented-at-nicaea-objection-defeater/) - [Unitarian Oneness Binitarian Objection Defeater](/codex/unitarian-oneness-binitarian-objection-defeater/) **Concepts:** - [Christ is God](/codex/christ-is-god/) - [Christianity](/codex/christianity/) - [Christology](/codex/christology/), via [Romans 10.9-13](/codex/romans-10-9-13/) - [Christs Deity](/codex/christs-deity/) - [Free Will and Determinism](/codex/free-will-and-determinism/) - [Hell and Eternal Punishment](/codex/hell-and-eternal-punishment/) - [Lesson 2.4, Christology in One Lesson](/codex/lesson-2-4-christology-in-one-lesson/) - [Names of Jehovah](/codex/names-of-jehovah/) - [Old Testament Witness to the Deity of Christ](/codex/old-testament-witness-to-the-deity-of-christ/) - [Redemption](/codex/g0629-apolytrosis/) - [Salvation Exclusivity](/codex/salvation-exclusivity/) - [The Hebrew Israelite Defense](/codex/the-hebrew-israelite-defense/) - [Trinity](/codex/trinity/) - [Two Powers in Heaven](/codex/two-powers-in-heaven/) **Lexicon:** - [G2424 - Iesous](/codex/g2424-iesous/) - [G2588 - kardia](/codex/g2588-kardia/) - [G2962 - kyrios](/codex/g2962-kyrios/) - [G3670 - homologeo](/codex/g3670-homologeo/) - [G3686 - onoma](/codex/g3686-onoma/) - [G3956 - pas](/codex/g3956-pas/) - [G4100 - pisteuo](/codex/g4100-pisteuo/) - [G4982 - sozo](/codex/g4982-sozo/) - [G4991 - soteria](/codex/g4991-soteria/) - [G5547 - christos](/codex/g5547-christos/) - [H0136 - adonai](/codex/h0136-adonai/) - [H3068 - YHWH](/codex/h3068-yhwh/) - [H3467 - yasha](/codex/h3467-yasha/) - [H8034 - shem](/codex/h8034-shem/) **Passages:** - [Acts 2.38](/codex/acts-2-38/) - [Galatians 3.28](/codex/galatians-3-28/) - [Isaiah 45.22-23](/codex/isaiah-45-22-23/) - [Joel 2.32](/codex/joel-2-32/) - [Malachi 3.1](/codex/malachi-3-1/) - [Romans 10.9](/codex/romans-10-9/) - [Romans 3.23](/codex/romans-3-23/) - [Romans 9.1-29](/codex/romans-9-1-29/) --- _Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_