Acts 2:21

My Notes

What Does Acts 2:21 Mean?

"Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Peter quotes Joel 2:32 in his Pentecost sermon, applying the prophet's words to the present moment. The scope is universal: whosoever. No ethnic restriction. No gender restriction. No social status restriction. Anyone who calls is saved.

The word "call" (epikaleomai) means to invoke, to appeal to, to call upon for help. It's the language of desperation — the cry of someone who needs rescue and calls on the only name that can provide it. The calling isn't casual or routine. It's the cry of someone who has no other hope.

The name of the Lord — in Joel's original context, YHWH — is now applied by Peter to Jesus. The name you call on for salvation is Jesus' name. The God of the Old Testament and the Jesus of the New Testament share the same saving name. Calling on Jesus is calling on the LORD.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you called on the name of the Lord with genuine desperation?
• 2.What does 'whosoever' mean for people you might otherwise exclude from salvation?
• 3.How does Peter's application of Joel's prophecy to Jesus change your understanding of who Jesus is?
• 4.What prevents you from calling — and what would the calling sound like?

Devotional

Whosoever. Anyone. No qualifications listed. No prerequisites checked. No committee consultation required. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Peter quotes Joel and applies it to the present: the universal offer of salvation is active right now, in Jerusalem, on Pentecost, for anyone who hears and calls. The scope hasn't narrowed since Joel wrote it. If anything, it's expanded — from Israel to the world, from one nation to every nation.

The word "call" is the cry of the desperate. Not the polite request of someone exploring options. Not the thoughtful inquiry of someone doing research. The call — the invocation, the desperate appeal — of someone who knows they need saving and has nowhere else to turn. The name works for everyone. But the calling requires knowing you need it.

The transfer of YHWH's name to Jesus is the most significant theological move in Peter's sermon. Joel said calling on the LORD's name saves. Peter says calling on Jesus' name saves. Either Peter is committing blasphemy by equating Jesus with YHWH, or Jesus IS the LORD whose name saves. The early church chose the second option and built everything on it.

Have you called? Not intellectually acknowledged. Not culturally affirmed. Called — with the desperation of someone who knows they're drowning and this is the only name that pulls them out?

Whosoever. That includes you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture