What does it mean to call on the name of the Lord?

Is it enough to ask Jesus for help and say that I trust in Him? To call on His name? Will I be saved — is it really that simple?

Such questions come to us, or are told to us, after reading the following verse or similar ones to the one below.

For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."

( Romans 10:13 )

The meaning for the above verse is a bit different and can be misinterpreted if taken out of context. This verse is written by the apostle Paul to emphasize that salvation is available to anyone — Jew or Gentile — who sincerely calls on Jesus Christ for help and trusts in Him.

There is a warning to avoid empty words which are not coming from the beliefs of your hearts.

"Not everyone who calls out to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, 'Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.' But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.'

( Matthew 7:21-23 )

We may live our whole lives as ‘Christians’ and still be rejected by Jesus. So what does it truly mean to believe in Him and not be rejected? what does it actually mean to love, follow, or trust in Jesus? In everyday life, we’re unlikely to fully trust someone if we know only their name and nothing more.

Let's start with truly understanding who Jesus is, what it means to believe He is the Messiah, and what it means to follow Him in a real, living way.

Many of us have our own personal image of Jesus — shaped by what we’ve heard, seen, or imagined. Some picture a graceful, almost otherworldly figure from church icons; others think of a vague or abstract person simply named Jesus; still others envision the man nailed to the cross — or something else entirely.

For Jewish people, recognizing Jesus as the Messiah carries deep meaning because they know the history, the prophecies, and the expectations surrounding the Messiah’s role in their lives and in the world. For someone who isn’t strong in theology, however, saying “I believe in Jesus” or “I believe He is the Messiah” can sometimes become little more than empty words — said without grasping what those words truly mean.

It’s easy to claim belief without understanding, but real faith calls us to go deeper — to know Jesus as He truly is, not just as an image or idea.

Jesus Himself tells us what it truly means to follow Him and to serve Him. We are called to recognize that Jesus is love — and to see His presence in our daily lives, even at this very moment. We are invited to see Jesus in the people around us, to love them as we would love Him, and to help them as we would desire to help Him.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

( John 13:34-35 )

"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

( John 15:9 )

Following Jesus means thinking less of ourselves and more of others and their needs. It’s not about outward appearances — not even about attending Sunday church services alone. Jesus warns us against offering mere lip service to God, honoring Him with our words while our hearts remain far away.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?' "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

( Matthew 25:35-40 )

Let us not be like those who crucified Jesus. They knew the Scriptures far better than most of us do; they studied them deeply. Yet they missed the heart of it all — they did not understand that eternal life does not come simply from knowing the Scriptures, but from knowing the One to whom the Scriptures point: Jesus, the Messiah.

"You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

( John 5:39-40 )

What It Means to Follow and Love Jesus

To follow Jesus is not just to admire Him from a distance; it is to walk the path He walked, with a heart shaped by His own. To love Jesus is to mirror His spirit — to be humble, to serve others, and to love even when it costs us.

Jesus humbled Himself beyond imagination. Though He is the King of kings, He knelt to wash His disciples’ feet. He showed us that greatness in the Kingdom of God is not about being exalted, but about lowering ourselves to lift others up.

To follow Him means to lay down pride and selfish ambition, and to pick up the towel of service, just as He did.

And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

( John 13:14-15 )

But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

( Matthew 20:26-28 )

To love Jesus also means to love others — not only those who are easy to love, but also those who hurt, betray, or misunderstand us. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, asking his Father to forgive them. If we truly love Him, we must extend that same mercy and forgiveness to those around us.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

( Luke 23:34 )

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

( John 13:34 )

Understanding who Jesus is

Believing in Jesus is not merely believing that He once lived on Earth. It is recognizing the full glory of who He is:

• Jesus existed before the world began. He is the eternal Word of God, through whom all things were created.
• The world was made through Him. Every mountain, every ocean, every breath we take bears His fingerprints.
• He came down from heaven, clothed Himself in human flesh, and lived among us — fully God and fully man — to walk with us, to teach us, and ultimately to rescue us.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

( John 1:1-3 )

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see-- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

( Colossians 1:16-17 )

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son.

( John 1:14 )

Though Jesus never sinned, He willingly went to the cross to bear the punishment for our sins. He suffered and died in our place, so that we, who are guilty, could be forgiven and have eternal life with Him.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

( 2 Corinthians 5:21 )

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

( 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 )

But death could not hold Him. Jesus rose again, not as a spirit or a memory, but in His physical, glorified body. His resurrection shattered the chains of death and crushed the power of Satan.

I am the living one. I died, but look-- I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

( Revelation 1:18 )

Because God's children are human beings-- made of flesh and blood-- the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.

( Hebrews 2:14 )

Because He lives, we too will live. His victory is now our hope, our inheritance, and our future. To follow Jesus is to believe this with all your heart — and to live in the light of it every day.