Calling Upon the Lord in Truth.

     The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
                                              Psalm 145:18 NASB

     In my last post I focused on the free provision of the gospel made available to all. In this post I would like to look at the fact that while the gospel is offered to whosoever may call on the name of the Lord, calling on the name of the Lord means far more than many of us may understand.
     First off, it may help our understanding if we can see that the name of the Lord reflects His character.  There are many scriptures that tell of God's righteousness, but I will use this one here. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 97:2b). You see, God is right and just in all He does. It can be no other way; it is who God is. His rule over man is done in righteousness, and He requires it of us as well. For a righteous ruler to not require righteousness and justice from his subjects would mean that ruler was corrupt. What kind of ruler would allow injustice and anarchy to reign among his subjects, while declaring he, himself was righteous and just?
     The work of Jesus is to save us from this life of lawlessness and rebellion to the righteous rule of God. We read that He was to be named Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21) We also read that He gave Himself for our sins, to rescue us from this present evil age (Gal 1:4). The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. That is, sin. Therefore one who is born of God no longer practices sin (1 John 3:8-9). This was what God purposed to do for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His intent was to bring us out from our lawless rebellion, to submission to His rule and reign in our lives.
     Now what does it mean for us to call upon the name of the Lord in truth?

     "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.'
     "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me the sinner!'
     "I tell you this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
                                                                Luke 18:10-14 NASB

     The Apostle Paul writes of a godly sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation (2 Cor 7:10-11). We see so many people who are shallow in their apologies and confessions to people that they have wronged. A man may have offended his wife, and after a few days of the silent treatment, and a few nights on the couch, he desires to get things back to "normal" in his home. He may come with flowers and an insincere "I'm sorry," but more than likely he has no concept of the pain he has caused, and does not realize or care that what he did was horrible- he is only concerned with himself and the inconveniences he is now suffering through. 
     It is the same way with God, and the sin that has offended Him. A person may desire forgiveness to avoid hell; may desire a "relationship" with Jesus for the sake of a better life, but this is selfish! A truly sorrowful person grieves over the fact that they have offended God. They know and understand that they are wicked at heart, and like the tax collector, they take the responsibility for their actions, in calling themselves sinners. A true confession of sin takes the whole blame; it does not make excuses. One who has been convicted by the Holy Ghost can see the deplorable ugliness of their rebellious heart, and the first step is admitting to it.
     Therefore, one who calls upon the name of the Lord in truth, is calling not only for forgiveness, but to be changed, to be saved from sin. For someone to recognize how horrible they are at heart; how deeply offensive their actions are to God and others, and not give them up, but tightly cling to their right to live however they wish-how can their confession be sincere?
     To believe in Christ is to believe not only in His willingness to forgive, but also in His willingness and power to change the individual. It is to "dethrone" oneself, and place Him upon the throne as Lord of all.
     Paul, writing to the Roman's, asks how can someone who died to sin still live in it (Romans 6:2). Repentance (dying to sin) is basic to salvation! This was something that these believers understood. When they made their baptismal profession, they were in effect giving up sin, and choosing, by faith, to follow Christ in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4). Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters (Matt 6:24). The world with all of it's wicked ways is going in the opposite direction of Christ. To repent, is to turn back from the world, and go after Christ. There is no calling upon the name of the Lord in lip service only, it involves a deep sorrow over our sin, and a renunciation of it, for the sake of Christ.