In 22:16 Ananias told Paul to rise up, be baptized, and wash away his sins. We have seen that “calling on His name” modifies both “be baptized” and “wash.” Calling is a condition both of being baptized and of washing away sins. Calling on the Lord’s name was a means for Paul to wash away his sins.
According to Ananias’ understanding, what were Paul’s sins that needed to be washed away? No doubt, the most serious sins, according to Ananias, were the sins of persecuting and arresting those who called on the name of Jesus. Paul’s going out to arrest those who called on the Lord’s name was his major sin. In this matter he was condemned not only by God but also by the believers, both in Jerusalem and elsewhere. All the believers condemned Paul as a persecutor. Paul regarded the calling on the name of the Lord as a sign of the believers. Therefore, wherever Paul went, he sought out those who called on the Lord’s name.
In 22:16 Ananias seemed to be saying, “Paul, in the eyes of the believers your most serious sin was persecuting and arresting those who called on the Lord. Now that you have repented and have had a turn, you need to wash away your sins. In particular, you need to wash away the sin of persecuting the saints. In order to wash away your sins, you need to call on the name of the Lord. If you call, ‘O Lord Jesus,’ a number of times, the saints will forgive you. Your calling will be the condition for the washing away of your sins. Paul, you cannot be a silent believer, a believer who does not audibly call on the Lord’s name. If you are silent, the believers will not recognize you as one of them, and they will not forgive you. Therefore, you must now practice the very thing that you condemned—calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Once you took this as a sign of those to be persecuted and arrested by you. Now it should be a sign that you have believed in the Lord Jesus and have been saved. Paul, rise up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name. When you do this, you will be forgiven by all those who love the Lord Jesus.”
Paul’s calling on the name of the Lord Jesus was the initial step of his transfer. He was transferred from condemning this calling to practicing it. Some may say that calling on the Lord’s name was a part of Paul’s conversion. Yes, but that was not only part of his conversion; it was also the beginning of his transfer from one realm into another.
It is difficult to understand why the Jews opposed the matter of calling on the Lord’s name. To the Jews the important matters were keeping the law and practicing circumcision and following the customs. Nevertheless, before his transfer, Paul particularly opposed the calling on the Lord’s name.
The principle is the same today among those who oppose the practice of calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Some condemn us for calling on the name of the Lord. Actually, they have no reason to oppose this practice. Nevertheless, some falsely say that it is mere shouting. But what is wrong with believers in the Lord calling on His name? This practice is strongly revealed in the Scriptures. It is better to call on the Lord’s name than to be silent, dead, and without any genuine contact with the Lord.
Some who oppose calling on the name of the Lord Jesus say, “Christianity has been on earth for nineteen hundred years, but we have never heard this teaching that believers should call on the Lord’s name.” To this we may reply, “Perhaps you have never heard this kind of teaching, but certainly you have heard believers call on the Lord’s name. In fact, it is likely that in the years you have been a Christian you have had at least some experience of calling on the name of Jesus yourself.”
There have been many cases of those who called on the Lord’s name without receiving any teaching concerning this practice. One particular person strongly opposed our calling on the Lord’s name. One day as he was riding his bicycle, he was hit by a car, and the bicycle was thrown into the air. While he was falling to the ground, he spontaneously called, “O Lord Jesus!”
I also know of a certain Christian husband who never prayed. One day his wife was involved in an accident. Do you know what he did? He called on the name of the Lord.
Do you know of any genuine Christian who can say that he has never called on the name of the Lord Jesus? Certainly every real believer in Christ has called upon His name at some time. That brother who was hit by a car while riding a bicycle spent some days in the hospital, and day by day he called, “O Lord Jesus.” No one taught him to call; he called automatically. Many of us can testify that when we call on the Lord Jesus, we truly contact Him.
Have you ever had the experience of falling asleep when you were trying to pray? This happened to me a number of times as I was praying silently, especially late at night. From experience we know that silent prayer often puts us to sleep. Furthermore, with that kind of prayer there may be little enjoyment of the Lord, if any. However, when we call on the name of the Lord, we enjoy Him. We may call quietly in order not to disturb others, but we still enjoy the Lord by calling on His name.