Romans 10:9 is often quoted as the “sinner’s prayer” passage: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” At first glance, it seems simple—believe and confess, and you are saved. But context matters.
Paul is writing to Christians, not nonbelievers, and the surrounding verses emphasize the universality of the gospel: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Then Paul asks practical questions in verses 14: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”
After being taught, a person must hear and then believe in order to call on the name of the Lord. Each step is distinct and necessary, but what does “calling on the name of the Lord” actually mean?
Paul himself provides the answer—not only by writing Romans but also by reporting his own conversion in Acts 22:16. He was told: “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The same phrase appears in both places, and the context makes the meaning clear: To call on the name of the Lord is to submit to His authority, obey Him in faith, and be baptized to have sins washed away. Salvation does not come simply by a prayer we recite; it comes by an obedient faith.
Understanding Romans 10 in light of Scripture shows that salvation is a sequence of teaching, hearing, believing, and obeying Christ.
If you want to study with us how the Bible teaches the steps of salvation and how to call on the name of the Lord the way God intended, we would love to open God’s Word with you.
