This afternoon I was reading an article found at an Assembly of God website entitled, “How Can I Be Saved?”
In answer to that article’s question, the author referenced three passages: Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32 and Acts 2:21 that all essentially say the same thing:
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
And this brought to my mind the passage at the end of Genesis 4.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. – Genesis 4:25-26 KJV
Challenging Religious Doctrine
In recent posts I have been challenging some of the notions I once held and heard others recently espouse, concerning what took place in the Garden of Eden with the Fall of Adam.
Having spent much of my youth in an Assemblies of God environment, I was taught that because of Adam’s sin, all of mankind became sinners by nature. And I was taught that Adam’s sin led to:
- physical death,
- a separation from God, and
- a ticket to Hell — for all of mankind, if we don’t confess that we are a sinner in need of salvation & ask for God’s forgiveness, believing & accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord & Savior, all before we physically die.
Reading through the aforementioned article to the end, it’s clear to me where those ideas of mine came from. Although, there is no mention of hell in the article; it just speaks about needing to be “fit for heaven”.
(That article was reprinted from the “Pentecostal Evangel” magazine, dated October 10, 1971, which I had gotten from my church & often read growing up.)
What Lord were those passages referring to?
Apparently, both Peter in the book of Acts and Paul in the book of Romans are referencing the words prophesied in Joel. And Joel is clearly not speaking of Jesus but rather of the LORD referenced all throughout the Old Testament.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. – Joel 2:32 KJV
And calling upon the name of the LORD in Genesis 4 is not a reference to “the Lord Jesus Christ” either. Clearly, it is a reference to “the LORD God” introduced in Genesis 2:4-5 at the onset of the Garden of Eden story.
4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. – Genesis 2:4-5 KJV
As for the deliverance (or salvation) being sought in the Joel passage, what is the prophet talking about? Salvation from sin, death or hell?
Going back to the entire passage in Joel, the answer is made clear: the Day of the LORD.
Keeping Everything in Order & in Their Proper Context
It is so important that we not take what is written out of context or seek to understand the Bible backwards — starting with the New Testament & then inserting Jesus, and/or applying what is written in there, into the text of the Old Testament.
Start at the Very Beginning <– a very good place to start
When starting at the beginning of the first book (Genesis) without all the religious indoctrination, it appears to me that:
- Adam’s transgression did not change his genetic make-up, but it did lead to a change of venue for him.
- Adam was not separated from the LORD God. Rather, his free access to the Tree of Life became restricted.
- Then, looking at the next chapter which tells the story about Adam & Eve’s sons: Cain & Abel, both sons apparently had access to the LORD God. Because we’re told they brought offerings to Him, and the LORD even spoke to Cain.
- After Cain slew Abel, despite having been instructed by the LORD to rule over the sin that was crouching at his door, Cain was to become a “fugitive and a vagabond” on the land that received his brother’s shed blood. And we’re told that Cain would be hidden from the LORD’s presence (according to Cain’s words) — not all of mankind.
- After more details are given concerning Cain’s offspring, the chapter concludes with the bringing forth of another son from Adam & Eve: Seth, and eventually a grandson, Enosh. It was at this time (in the third generation of Man), we’re told that men began to call upon the name of the LORD.
And that’s the last of any story given concerning the early generations of mankind.
Also, note while we’re told that men began to call upon the name of the LORD in the third generation of Man, there is no mention of anyone needing salvation.
So, this begs the question: why then were men beginning to call upon the name of the LORD at this point?
I have my own thoughts on the matter, but I’d like to hear yours, particularly if you are considering this from a non-indoctrinated view. Please share them in the comments below.
