Introduction
One of the great Reformed theologians of the past wasn’t simply a theologian. He was a husband, a father, and a pastor, but he was also a journalist, a newspaper editor, a teacher, a professor, a university founder, and eventually the prime minister of the Netherlands. This man’s name was Abraham Kuyper. And he was so productive in so many areas because he truly believed that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Lord of all people and of all areas of life.
He famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” And Kuyper sought to bring every square inch into submission to its Lord, King Jesus. And that’s exactly what we’re called to do.
In our passage today we see that Jesus is God, the faithful God who saves all who call upon Him. And the faithful God who is Lord of all. And Paul shows us this is not some new idea that begins in the New Testament. It is what God promised to Abraham… What God promised through Moses. It is what the prophets longed to see. It is what Joel foresaw. It is what Peter proclaimed at Pentecost. And it is what Paul now declares with unmistakable clarity: the same Lord is Lord of all.
And Paul tells us this so that we would believe it and live in light of it. So that we would call upon the Lord, and seek to bring every area of life into joyful submission to the Lord. So with that in mind, look with me at Romans 10:11-13.
Romans 10:11-13
Alright, let’s walk through this passage together. In verse 11 we read, “For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’” Here Paul is quoting Isaiah 28:16 as he did already in Romans 9:33. And basically what Paul has been stressing in the context leading up to our passage, and in our passage, primarily through the use of these Old Testament passages is that Christ is the Cornerstone upon which we stand or fall. This was true in the Old Testament, and it’s true for us today. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. If we will believe in our heart that Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and confess with our mouths and our lives that He is the Lord of all who rules, reigns, and intercedes, then we will be justified and counted righteous in Christ, and fully and finally saved—that is sanctified and glorified in Christ.
Everyone who believes in Jesus will not be put to shame. To believe here means to have the true faith Paul has been speaking of—to see Jesus with the eyes of the heart, and trust in Him with true conviction. As Hebrews 11:1 says, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It’s a trusting in and treasuring of Christ. For only when Christ is our hope and stay, only when all our convictions, and our life itself, are built upon Him will we not be put to shame.
And on the one hand, to not be put to shame here means to have been proven right, or to be on the right side of history. In Isaiah 28, the context is a national crisis where Judah had refused to trust the Lord. Instead they trusted political alliances, military might, and human wisdom. But God says that He’s laying a sure foundation that is actually worth trusting in.
It’s like what Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Those who build on Christ the Solid Rock—the Cornerstone—will not stumble or be put to shame. But those who build on the sinking sand of the world, the flesh, or the devil, will fall and be put to shame. All but Christ will finally prove to be sinking sand.
But on the other hand, when he speaks of not being put to shame, he means literally being rid of shame. But that is tied to this same idea. Shame is disappointment that comes when our hope proves empty, or we go to, do, or trust in the wrong thing. And so directly tied to this idea is guilt. Adam and Eve sinned against God and they were naked and ashamed. They were guilty and exposed. Or when Jesus loved us and gave Himself for us, Hebrews 12:2 says, “for the joy that was set before him [He] endured the cross, despising the shame…” “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And this is at the heart of Romans 10:11, that everyone who believes in Jesus will not be put to shame because He took our shame for us. As the Valley of Vision beautifully puts it in the prayer Love Lustres at Calvary, “Christ was all anguish that [we] might be all joy, cast off that [we] might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that [we] might be welcomed as [friends], surrendered to hell’s worst that [we] might attain heaven’s best, stripped that [we] might be clothed, wounded that [we] might be healed, athirst that [we] might drink, tormented that [we] might be comforted, made a shame that [we] might inherit glory, entered darkness that [we] might have eternal light. [Our] Savior wept that all tears might be wiped from [our] eyes, groaned that [we] might have endless song, endured all pain that [we] might have unfading health, bore a thorned crown that [we] might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that [we] might uplift [ours], experienced reproach that [we] might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that [we] might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that [we] might for ever live.”
You see, what Paul is saying is that everyone who entrusts himself to Christ will be vindicated by God. Our faith will never prove misplaced. Christ will never fail us, either in this age or at the final judgment. Instead of standing exposed, condemned, and dishonored, we will stand accepted, justified, and glorified because we are united to the Cornerstone.
As the missionary C. T. Studd famously said, “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” And that’s absolutely true. But I think we sometimes misunderstand what that means. Don’t think that only pastors, missionaries, or martyrs do things for Christ. For those who are united to Christ by faith, every act of covenant faithfulness is done for Christ. Every honest day’s work, every diaper changed, every meal prepared, every temptation resisted, every prayer offered, every child discipled, every word spoken in love, every act of obedience flowing from faith is done unto the Lord.
As Paul says in Romans 14:23, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” The implication is that the ordinary duties of life, when done in faith and unto Christ, become acts of covenant faithfulness that are pleasing to God. Therefore, doing the next faithful thing will never ultimately lead to shame. Sin always promises satisfaction, but it always delivers shame. Christ sometimes calls us to difficult obedience, but He always leads us into glory. Trusting Christ and obeying Christ will always prove worth it in the end, because Christ Himself is worth it.
Now notice what Paul says next in verse 12. “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” It doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from… It doesn’t matter how ashamed we are of our past. All who believe in Christ will not be put to shame. Not just Israel, but every tribe, tongue, nation, and generation—Jesus is Lord of all.
And consider the implications of that for a second. Paul isn’t simply saying that Gentiles can get saved too. He’s saying that Jesus is the covenant head, the prophet, priest, and King, the Lord of all… Lord of the nations, not just one particular nation. And this means that there is only one true covenant people, and it is those who are in Christ. And this has been Paul’s point.
In Romans 9:6 Paul told us that not all who are of Israel are actually truly a part of Israel. Not all who were circumcised, or ethnic Jews, or the like, were actually a part of true Israel, because true Israel is Jesus and those who are in Him by grace through faith. True Israel is Christ and His church, His bride, His faithful covenant people. And His church is a people made up of every nation and generation.
When Paul speaks of riches here he has in mind covenant value, like the covenant riches he said the Jews had but forsook when they rejected their Messiah. He said being a Jew and being circumcised had great value and advantage (Romans 3:1). But ultimately that was only fully and finally true in Christ. And Paul’s point here is that all in Christ get these great riches—Jew and Gentile alike.
Election. Adoption. Justification. Peace. The Spirit. Union with Christ. Inheritance. The resurrection. Glory. The Kingdom. Shame, guilt, and condemnation done away with. Every covenant blessing… God bestows His riches on us in Christ because Christ doesn’t merely give gifts. He gives Himself. And all these things are ours in Christ because all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him (2 Corinthians 1:20). And now we are co-heirs with Him, because of our faith in Him (Romans 8:17). Because we have called on Him by faith…
As Paul says in Galatians, “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Galatians 3:7-9).
And this is ultimately because Jesus is the true son of Abraham. Paul says, “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). So now, “in Christ Jesus [we] are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of [us] as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus. And if [we] are Christ’s, then [we] are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
So, “far be it from [us] to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to [us], and [us] to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:14-15). And of course Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation. So Paul says in Galatians 6:16, “as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.” And that’s who you are Christian. If you are in Christ—the true Israel—you are a part of the Israel of God.
And that’s a big part of the point Paul’s driving at here, and has been driving at since the end of Romans 8. Nothing can separate us from the love God in Christ Jesus, because all in Christ are His true covenant people—Israel—to whom He is always faithful. So Paul says in Romans 10:13, “For (or therefore) ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” God’s Word has not failed. His steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever. His promises can be taken to the bank, because all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. The Jews missed that. But true Israel—the Israel of God—banks everything on that.
And this is truly the faithfulness of God Paul is talking about here. Romans 10:13 is a quote from Joel 2:32 where God’s Word says that all who call on the name of Yahweh will be saved. And here Paul is telling us that Jesus is Yahweh—the God whom Jew and Gentile can call upon and be genuinely saved… Saved from sin. Saved from shame. Saved from Satan. Saved from the wrath of God and brought into the family of God, because the Son of God who is God in the flesh, satisfied the wrath of God to make the children of men children of God.
Now this quote from Joel was fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2 when the Spirit came down upon the people of God. But notice what the whole passage says. Joel says the Day of the Lord is coming when He will take pity on His people and remove their shame. And God says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. ‘And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls’” (Joel 2:28-32).
Notice the language of the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood. Regardless of what some crazy preacher in San Antonio says, this is not literal language. It’s symbolic language that’s talking about something that in one sense has already happened at Pentecost. In Isaiah 13:10 this same type of language is used to speak of the downfall of the political and covenantal order at the time, especially in judgment upon Babylon. In Ezekiel 32 the same language is used to refer to judgment upon Egypt. In Isaiah 34 the same language is used to refer to judgment upon Edom. So you see, Joel is using cosmic language to signal that history was reaching a covenantal turning point. The old order was passing away, and a new order was beginning.
In Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The Old was fulfilled and the New had come in Christ. This is why 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Jesus is the new true Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Israel. He is the true Melchizedekian Priest-King who is the Lord of lords and King of kings, who is now leading His Kingdom into blessing. And perhaps the greatest part of that blessing is His Spirit indwelling all His people (that’s what the language of columns or pillars of fire and smoke in Joel 2, as well as tongues of fire in Acts 2 symbolize—the very presence of God… We are now the temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in us.).
Think about what I was saying earlier about Abraham. In Christ we are sons of Abraham because Jesus is the true promised son of Abraham. God told Abraham that, by God’s grace, he would have a son that would bless the nations. But Abraham and Sarah tried to make that happen in their own strength by using their servant Hagar. And so, in part as a rebuke, and in part as assurance, God gave Abraham and his household the covenant sign of circumcision. On the 8th day after an Israelite boy was born he was to be circumcised, having part of the sinful flesh that sought to go against God’s plan cut away. And of course that cutting away of the sinful flesh was pointing forward to Jesus shedding His blood for sinful man—dying on the cross to save us from our sin. But the 8th day is also symbolic.
God created the world in 6 days, and on the 7th He rested. Well, Christ died for us on the 6th day, rested on the 7th, and rose again on the 8th Day. The 8th Day is the Lord’s Day, Resurrection Day, the Day that began a New Creation in Christ Jesus. The 8th Day is the new Sabbath. People often ask me if they should baptize their children on the 8th Day since the Israelites were circumcised on the 8th day after their birth. And my answer is, while I think you should baptize your children as soon as possible, if they’re baptized on a Sunday they’re baptized on the 8th Day. The first day of the week in the New Creation was the 8th Day in the old. But in Christ the old has passed away and the New has come. So just as we are sons of Abraham in Christ, so we are new creations in Christ. And again, that’s what this language in Joel is all about—a new creation.
Jesus is the true promised son who blesses the nations, because He is the King of a new Kingdom—a Kingdom made up of every nation and generation. As Revelation 11:15 says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Therefore, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God is pouring out His Spirit upon every nation and every generation—babies, sons and daughters, and people from every nation, all walks of life, and every part of the world…
As Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…” Or as Psalm 103:17-19 says, “the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” Every nation and every generation. Or as Peter says in Act 2:39 at Pentecost, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
This has been God’s plan all along—not simply to save individuals, or an individual nation, but to save households, and to save all nations. Even with Adam in the very beginning, he was called to fill the earth and subdue it. God always intended to save the world (household by household. Bill’s story)… So God’s Word has not failed. His steadfast love and faithfulness endure forever. His promises can be taken to the bank, because all the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ. Some of Israel missed that because not all who are of Israel are actually a part of true Israel. But true Israel banks everything on that.
God is truly faithful, and Jesus is truly the faithful God that saves all who call on Him. All who call upon His name will be saved. And His name is His renown, who He is, what He has done, is doing, and will do. Jesus is the One who “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [And] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:7-11).
That’s the name we must call upon in order to be saved. But He is mighty to save because of who He is, what He’s done, is doing, and will do. So no matter who you are or what you’ve done Jesus can save you from sin, from shame, from Satan, and from the very wrath of God… And He’s so mighty to save that He doesn’t merely save you, He saves you and brings you into the family of God… not as second class, but as a child of God in whom He is well pleased. All we have to do is call upon Him. Believe in Him. Trust in Him. For He is enough.
Conclusion
Beloved, if Jesus truly is Lord of all, then He is not merely Lord of Sunday morning. He is Lord of Monday morning as well. He is Lord of our homes, our marriages, our parenting, our businesses, our schools, our finances, our conversations, our entertainment, our thoughts, our worship, our joys, and our sufferings. There really is not one square inch of our lives over which King Jesus does not lovingly and rightfully say, “Mine!”
That means calling upon the name of Jesus isn’t merely about praying a prayer so that one day we can go to heaven. Calling upon the name of Jesus is not merely a moment in the past; it is the beginning of a whole new life under His gracious Lordship. It is about living for His name and renown. It’s about bowing the knee to the risen King now. It is about bringing every area of life into joyful submission to His gracious rule.
Every decision we make should be governed by the question, “What would honor my Lord?” Every relationship should reflect His Lordship. Every vocation should become an act of worship. Every home should become a little embassy of His Kingdom. Every church should proclaim His gospel. Every nation should be discipled to obey all that He has commanded. Every king and every elected official should kiss the Son lest He be angry. Every knee will one day bow before Him willingly or unwillingly. If He is Lord of all, then every part of life already belongs to Him. So we would do well to act like it.
But before we think about all that we are called to do, don’t miss what Paul emphasizes first. Before Christ commands us, He welcomes us. Before He sends us, He saves us. Before He calls us to take up our cross, He took up His. Before He removes our shame, He bore our shame.
And that’s the glory of this passage. Paul does not say that everyone who has a spotless past will be saved. He does not say everyone who has their life together will be saved. He does not say everyone from the right family, the right nation, or the right denomination will be saved. He says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
That means there is hope for the guilty. Hope for the ashamed. Hope for the wandering. Hope for the self-righteous. Hope for the broken. Hope for the addict. Hope for the religious. Hope for the pagan. Hope for the Jew. Hope for the Gentile. Hope for every sinner because there is one Lord who is rich toward all who call upon Him.
So, beloved, call upon Him. Trust Him. Build your life upon Him. Bring every area of your life under His gracious Lordship. Bank everything on His promises. He will never put you to shame. He will never cast you out. He will never fail you. His steadfast love endures forever because He is the faithful God who keeps covenant.
For the One who bore our shame is the One who now bears the Name above every name. The Man of Sorrows is the Lord of Glory. The crucified Savior is the risen King. The Lamb who was slain now reigns over heaven and earth. And everyone who calls upon His name will be saved. So, church, let us do what Paul calls us to do. Let us call upon His name. Let us trust Him. Let us bow before Him. Let us build our lives upon Him. Because the Lord of all who looks at our lives and says, “Mine!” Is the faithful God who says, “Call upon me and be saved.”