Return to New Testame=
nt
Phrases
I. The Idiom Meaning To Appeal
II. To Literally Call Upo=
n in
the New Testament
III. Keys to the Study of the Di=
fficult
Verses
The
Listing of Uses for epikaleo kurios
I. Epikaleo Kuri=
os: the legal idiom: “appealing to the
Lord”
A. Old Testament Uses with Jehovah
B. Of=
Jesus
Christ via a revelation vision
II.
To literally call on, or invoke, the name of the=
LORD
In the New Testament, whe= n the Greek verb, epikaleo, which means to call upon is used in the middle voice, it means, by way of an idiom, to appeal to a higher legal authority concerning a conviction of guilt. However, wh= en epikaleo is not being used idiomatically, as in II Corinthians 1:23 below, epikaleomai in the middle voice simply means <= i>to invoke.
Below are the five New Te= stament uses between Acts 25 to 26 that set the meaning of this ancient idiom as an appeal of guilt to a higher court:
Acts 25:11 For if I be an o= ffender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if th= ere be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal (epikaleomai) unto Caesar.
Acts 25:12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the co= uncil, answered, Hast thou appealed (epikaleomai) unto Caesar= ? unto Caesar shalt thou go.
The New Testament uses of epikaleo as part of a legal
idiom of ancient
Notice that Paul did not literally call upon Caesar. = Paul certainly recognized that whether or not Caesar literally heard his call had nothing to do with the success of his appeal. This lack of literal meaning = is why the uses of call upon, epikaleo, in the middle voi= ce, when meaning to appeal, is an idiom. This idiomatic use of to cal= l upon has certain clear and irrevocable properties in each and every = one of its Biblical occurrences. The irrevocable nature of making such a legal appeal is shown in Acts 25:21, 25 and in Acts 26:32 below:
But when Paul had appealed (epikaleom= ai) to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept til= l I might send him to Caesar.
But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of = death, and that he himself hath appealed (epikaleomai) to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been s= et at liberty, if he had not appealed (epikaleomai) unto Cae= sar.
This is exactly the use of epikaleomai = that the Father uses in the foundational epistle of Romans, in Romans 10:12, to explain the relationship of our savior to the Gentiles and the Jews who app= eal to the king of kings and the lord of lords:
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gre= ek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon (<= i>epikaleomai—present participle, appealing to him) him.
Although the King James translators give epikaleo its literal meaning in, “to call upon him,” Romans 10:12 should be translated as: “all those appealing to him.” This is certainly = the idiomatic use of epikaleo because those to whom the Lord is rich are= not being asked to speak directly to our Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 tells us exactly what the Bible means when it says we appeal to him:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jes= us, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, th= ou shalt be saved.
To appeal to the Lord of all we are to confess Jesus,=
the
one whom God has raised from the dead, as lord, lord of all. We are to place
ourselves under his dominion. We are to make him our lord and subject ourse=
lves
to the will of his eternal judgments. Here epikaleo means to accept
Christ Jesus as lord, to place ourselves under his authority as the one whom
God has made lord of all. Neither Romans 10:9 nor Romans 10:12 is about
literally speaking to our Lord. It is about receiving salvation by accepting
his lordship. This is the idiomatic Greek use of epikaleo meaning
God’s salvation is the richness that Romans 10:= 12 speaks about. The Greek in I Corinthians 1:2 also uses<= /span> epikaleo to mean idiomatically to appeal:
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them th= at are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with (sun- b= ound as one with) all that in every place call upon (epikaleoma= i— present participle, who are calling upon) the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
In I Corinthians 1:2 the believe= rs are appealing to the name of Jesus Christ. The divided Corinthian church was exhorted to recognize that every one of its members were obligated to accept the great authority of the name of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to = whom all appeal for salvation, and by way of each saints power of attorney, in w= hom they continue to live by believing.
There are many figurative and idiomatic uses of the w= ord name throughout the Old and the New Testament, especially in reference to the Jehovah God of the Old Testament. However, only one of these idioms is used with epikaleo and the name of Jesus Christ in either Acts or in the church epistles. This is the use of appealing a sentence of guilt (we were = dead in trespasses and sin) by appealing to (or in) the name of Jesus Chr= ist who is lord of lords. Our Lord’s present position is revealed in Philippians 2:9-11:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given = him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that ever= y tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is= Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In Romans 10:12, because epikaleo is in a pres=
ent
participle form, all that call upon, might be better
translated as all those who are calling upon. Likewise, I
Corinthians 1:2 also calls attention to the use =
of the
present participle form of to call upon the Lordship of Christ. This=
is
because a believer’s appeal to Christ Jesus as Lord contiues by believing in a believer’s dai=
ly
life. Consider 1 John 1:7 and 9:<=
/span>
But if we walk in the light, as he [God] is in = [in should be omitted] the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth (present tense) us fr= om all sin.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgiv= e us our sins, and to cleanse us from a= ll unrighteousness.
As we walk the word of God, our sin nature from Adam is set aside, and we have a full sharing relationship with the heavenly Father as citizens in His kingdom. This is in the present tense. We have appea= led to Jesus Christ as our Lord, and we live within this appeal. We live by fai= th in the name of the Son of God. We utilize our God given power of attorney a= nd live in His great grace to us. We have been given citizenship in heaven thr= ough the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we live today as citizens of heaven,= as sons of God, as more than conquerors. This is the sentence we have received from the highest court when we appealed to Christ. In h= is court and through his name we have been redeemed and made God’s own righteousness (II Corinthians 5:20). These realities are our Lord’s riches to all who call on him in Romans 10:12:
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gre= ek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon (<= span class=3DSpellE>epikaleomai—present participle, appealing to him) him.
Here again are some of the great truths of a believer’s daily, present tense, appeal to= the savior as Lord:
I Corinthians 12:3: Wherefore I give you to understand= , that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost
Colossians 2:6=
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, <=
i>so walk
ye in him:
Colossians 3:1=
7 And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jes=
us,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The ongoing appeal to Jesus Christ our Lord is not to liter= ally call upon him or to speak in prayer directly to him. Rather, we come direct= ly to the Father by our power of attorney in the name of Jesus Christ. Our salvation, the richness he shows to all who appeal to him, is that through = him we all have access by one spirit to the Father. We can come to the Father directly as we daily walk within the results of our legal appeal to Christ = and as we walk in our recognition of his Lordship.
The believer's ongoing walk in the results of his app= eal to the Lord, the practice of right believing, involves a continual recognition= of the lordship of Christ. In each of the following verses, the verb epikal= eomai, meaning to call upon, is given in the present participle midd= le tense.
Acts 9:14 And here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on (
Acts 9:21 But =
all that
heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed
Understanding a believer’s life under the lordship of Christ as an ongoing “calling upon” or appeal to him is even mo= re remarkable in the context of this persecution. If the phrase "calling upon" wasn't used as a description of the daily walk, then the persecu= tors wouldn't have had a clear idea of whom to persecute. Only standing believers living boldly for Christ, like Stephen, could be targeted for persecution. = In the courts of the Pharisees the believer was condemned, but in the courts of heaven the verdict is righteous in Christ, authority in Christ, peace in Christ, and sonship in Christ.
The verb epikaleo is a compound Greek verb. Its first part is epi, upon, and the second part is kaleo,= to call. The idea of calling upon someone is a little unclear to speakers of modern English. The Latin verb that is used in both the Old and= the New Testament to translate the Hebrew and the Greek is invocare. As = in the Greek, a Latin preposition in (rather than the Greek preposition= upon) is prefixed to the main verb, vocare (to call). Obviously, our Engli= sh word invoke comes from this Latin word. However, the Greek epikaleo, has other properties, properties that cannot be easily duplicated in Latin. One of these is that epikaleo = in the Greek middle voice translates as “to call upon for oneself,”= ; or “to call in on one’s own behalf.” Hence, in Acts 25 throu= gh 26, the King James Version translates these uses as “to appeal.”= ;
However, when epikaleo is not being used idiomatically, as in II Corinthians 1:23 below, epikaleomai in the middle voice simply means to invoke:
Moreover I =
call
(epikaleomai: indicative present middle 1st person singular
Notice, however, that a participle form showing an ongoing = action in the Greek, is not used in II Corinthians 1:23. This is important to the workman of the word of truth bec= ause the Greek Septuagint also uses epikaleo in the middle voice to trans= late all of the Old Testament phrases of to call upon the name of Jehovah. For instance, the Hebrew scripture, Joel 2:32, is translated into the New Testament Greek in Acts 2:21 with epikaleo in the middle voice:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
Another literal, non idiomatic use of epikaleo occurs in Acts 7:59 when the Pharisees stoned Stephen:
And they st=
oned
Stephen, calling upon (appealing to) God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.
The word God is not in any Greek text and should not= have been added. Stephen, in response to the vision He was granted of the Lord s= tanding for him at the right hand of God to defend God’s people, was speaking directly to his Lord and Savior. During his ongoing recognition of his Lord, Stephen said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and “lay not this sin to their charge.” To Steph= en, the spiritual realities were larger than the facts of this life with which = he was surrounded. Hence, his literal calling on the Lord as he was revealed to him was a continuing action.
Did Stephen’s call avail? Acts 8:1 says:
And Saul was cons=
enting
unto his death.
Saul, who will see the=
Lord in
the way, convert, and receive the greatest revel=
ation
ever given to the church, the future apostle Paul, was looking on and
consenting to Stephen’s murder. Just where would we be today if it had
not been for Stephen and his continuing steadfast appeal of not only his, b=
ut
his enemies’ guilt to the Lord and Savior? Yes, Stephen’s appea=
l to
the Lord availed. It availed greatly for us all.
Because epikaleo and can mean both to invok= e and to appeal, and because the Greek word kurios is used in t= he New Testament of either Jehovah (the LORD) or the lord (our Lord), rightly dividing New Testament verses that refer to calling on the L= ord and calling on the name of the LORD requires special care. There are two markers to look for when working difficult verses involving epikaleo= and kurios.
The first is= that the uses of epikaleo kurios meaning to “invoke Jehovah” will generally be part of a phrase that says, “to call upon the name of the lord.” This = is because the Old Testament phrase “to invoke the name of the LORD̶= 1; involves a metonymy of the adjunct where the name of the LORD is put= for the LORD Himself. The metonymy emphasizes the diligence required to invoke the very truest essence of Who He is. The= second marker is the form of the verb ep= ikaleo. In the clear uses of the idiom, appealing legally to the Lord Jesus Christ = are primarily in a participle form. However, the New Testament uses of “to call on the name of the LORD” are almost entirely found in the aorist tense. For instance, both New Testament refere= nces to Joel (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:17) are in the subjunctive mood, aorist te= nse, and middle voice. The aorist tense indicates a one time deal, because whosoever, in the New Testament comes to Jehovah, must do so through Jesus Christ the Lord. Our Lord is the one and only sacrifice for sin for all tim= es. Once a man or a woman has entered into the New Covenant by coming unto the covenant God, Jehovah, he abides with Him forever: from that moment onward = he is our Heavenly Father. Hence, to call upon Jehovah in its New Testament application is always in the aorist tense. It shows a one-time occurrence.<= /p>
The difficult uses of epikaleo kurios a= re hard to understand from the verses themselves. However, a close study of the context and a check for the two markers as tests of our understanding will allow the Word of God to interpret itself.
Romans 10:9-14 is contains=
a
series of these difficult verses. The entire context flows from the words t=
hat
the righteousness of believing declares (Romans 10:6) in Romans 10:9-10.
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon (who are appealing to: participle for=
m)
him.
The use of this beauti=
ful
Greek legal terminology to specifically invite the Gentile nations shows the
joy God has in offering eternal life to all through Jesus Christ.
... preaching peace by Jesus
Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
In Romans 10:13 =
to
confess Jesus Christ as Lord and to believe that God has raised him from the
dead is not only called believing on the rock, it is not only called appeal=
ing
to the Lord, but it is called “the salvation of Jehovah”:
For whosoever shall call upon (subjuncti= ve aorist) the name of the Lord (Jehovah) shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 is a quotation of Joel 2:3= 2 with Lord is in all capital letters in all three occurrences:
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be
delivered: for [because] in mount
This is because Jehovah is the subject of this verse. Whoever invokes the very essence of
Jehovah God will be saved because of the deliverance in
How then shall th=
ey call
on call on =
(epikaleo
– subjunctive aorist midd=
le 3rd
person plural, appeal to him even once) him in whom they have not believed? and how =
shall
they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher?&nb=
sp;
To whom does
The pronoun t=
hey refers back to whosoever in Romans 10:13, al=
l
in 10:12, whosoever in 10:11, man (someone) in 10:10 and y=
ou
of Romans 10:9. Romans 10:9-10 is revelation giv=
en to
the church. Romans 10:11 is an Old Testament reference that emphasizes w=
hosoever,
Jew or Gentile, believes. Romans 10:12 is New Testament revelation, =
and
Romans 10:13 is the Old Testament reference emphasizing whosoever, J=
ew
of Gentile, appeals to the Lordship of Christ will be saved. The ver=
b is
used in the aorist tense in Romans 10:14 to emphasize how badly men and wom=
en
need to hear the gospel of Christ. The standard for living within the Lords=
hip
of Christ is by walking in the riches of a continuing use of our power of
attorney, to evidence the righteousness he has won on our behalf by appeali=
ng
to him moment by moment. However, no one can appeal to our Lord even the
minimum number times, even once, if they have not believed. Finally, the Gr=
eek
of the New Testament emphasizes the unique quality of the use of this idiom=
by
including the preposition eis on unto. The use of epikaleo=
eis to mean appeal to or to call upon is
found nowhere else in the Greek of either the New Testament or the Old
Testament Septuagint. That’s because the Heavenly Father has used a
figure of speech to emphasize the grace implicit in the entire pattern of H=
is
use of the Greek legal idiom of appeal to explain how we receive salvation
through believing in the name of Jesus Christ. The use of this redundancy to
appeal to towards emphasizes just how little knowledge of the grace of God a
man or woman needs to have to receive the entirety of all God has made
available to us in Christ. The additional use of eis emphasizes that
even if the petitioner does not fully grasp the majesty of the one to whom =
he
appeals, any genuine effort even towards appealing to him will be received.
Those coming to him need not fear red tape of any sort; they will be saved.
Just as the rare use of the aorist tense in making the appeal to Christ
emphasizes that without believing in him even the minimum number of appeals=
is
impossible, so also the use of eis emphasizes that even the most minimal
requirements for the legal appeal to Christ is not possible without believi=
ng.
The presence of the use of eis also=
helps
in the study of LORD and Lord in the New Testament because its use of ei=
s
any possible literal reading of epikaleo to mean invoking the name of
Jehovah.
The alternation =
between
New Testament revelation given to the Apostle Paul and support from the
revelation given of old continues in Romans 10:15. The glad tidings
of God’s deliverance in
How beautiful upo=
n the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that =
publisheth
salvation; that saith unto
Although all the detai=
ls of
the glad tidings of Jehovah God to His people were not revealed in the Old
Testament records, the gospel of deliverance we now share among the nations=
had
been promised and foretold of old. We are all part of God’s master pl=
an
in Christ Jesus our Lord, a plan God has executed flawlessly through ages a=
nd
generations. Since the Septuagint may have been translated from Hebrew
scriptures no longer extant, and because of the use of “calling on
Him” and believing His “glad tidings” in Romans 10:13-15,=
the
Septuagint’s reading of Joel 2:32 is valuable:
And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be save=
d:
for in mount Sion and in
The context of the gospel truths discussed in Romans
10:6-15 fits with the truth of “appealing on to the Lord Jesus
Christ” and refers to the promised salvation all will receive when th=
ey
call on the name of the LORD once deliverance has wrought in
Another place where studying epikaleo and k= urios takes special attention is when Ananias asks Saul to receive in Acts 22:16. Here, the King James Version seems to use the Old Testament phrase “to call on the name of the Lord” with epikaleomai is in the subjunctive mood, aorist tense, and middle voice= :
And now why tarriest thou? a= rise (participle aorist), and be baptized (imperative, aorist), an= d wash (imperative, aorist) away thy sins, calling on (epikaleoma= i—aorist middle participle) the name of the Lord (his name).
Almost all of the critical Greek texts, the Aramaic t=
ext,
and the Latin texts all have “calling on his name.” From=
the
context that begins in Acts 22:14, his
in 22:17 refers to “that Just One” who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another textual detail that suggests a deeper investigation of Acts 22:16 is
that while the two New Testament Greek references to Joel use the third per=
son
singular of epikaleomai, Acts 22:16 the uses the participle form.
Although epikaleo is in the aorist tense, this is because it agrees =
with
the aorist tense in the Greek verb for arise, wash and for
When all the Greek texts and the participle form of <= i>epikaleo are considered together, it is obvious that Ananias is commanding Paul to appeal to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that this is anoth= er use of the Greek legal idiom for appealing a verdict of guilt to a higher court. Ananias did not baptize Paul. Instead, even as Peter instructed men = and women in Acts 2:38, Ananias teaches Paul about what he needs to do to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ by believing. Paul must arise, as in a court of law, and call upon, appeal, his verdict of guilt under the law to = the court of God’s great grace in name of Jesus Christ.
The two participle forms for a= rise and calling on match, but showing this match in English is awkward. The two participle forms indicate that “arising” and “calling upon his name” are two steps in the process of “being baptized” and “washing away thy sins.” Ananias’ instructions are steps in a process of receiving. He explain= s to Paul:
...having arisen (you do it Paul... you must get up and appeal... no one can do it for you), be fully immersed in (the name of Jesus Christ) and wash away your sins as you are calling on his (appealing to the= authority, accepting the lordship, acknowledging the dominion, of Christ’s) name= .
The ellipsis of the name of Jesus Christ is because P=
aul is
telling the story of receiving the new birth in
One last difficult section of scripture in the study = of epikaleo kurios is II Timothy 2:16-22. Part of the difficulty is that the Greek texts of II Timothy 2:19 don’t all agree. The other difficulty is the use of the phrases, “name the name of the Lord,” and, “those who cal= l on the Lord” could easily refer to those calling on Jehovah God. This is especially true because one of the errors in the church addressed in I Timo= thy is that of the believers who were still zealous of the Old Testament law. Hence, the use of Jehovah in II Timothy to confront those still putting themselves and others under the Old Covenant would not be unreasonable. Eac= h of these uses, however, refers to Jesus Christ our Lord. The keys for allowing this whole section to speak for itself are recognition of the continuing context and recognition of the markers based on previous usages of epika= leo kurios.
II Timothy 2:19 reveals the subject of this section, = our God’s foundation for the church:
Nevertheless the foundation (themelios) of God standeth s= ure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are= his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ (N-A, BYZ, = GNT, TIS, WHO, and Latin have Lord. SCR, STE, and Aramaic have Christ<= /i>. LAU has Lord) depart from iniquity.
Even as 1 Corinth= ians 3:11 says:
For other foundation (themelios) can no man lay than that is laid, which is Je= sus Christ.
Go=
d’s
foundation for the church stands sure and strong. In accordance with Luke 6:48, the foundatio=
n we
have been built on will not be rocked by storms. This is because, as
Ephesians 2:19-23 states, Christ Jesus is the foundation of the church.
God’s reve= lation of His son in II Timothy 2:19 is the answer to problems made known in II Timothy 2:16-18. In 2:18:
Who concerning the truth have erre= d, saying that the resurrection (anastasis — up standing) is past already; and overthrow (anatrepo –up turning) the faith of some.
To overthrow, <=
/span>anatrepo,
is from ana (Strongs’ #30=
3)
meaning up and trepo (Strongs’ #5157) to turn.
Hence, to “overthrow the faith of some” means,
”to turn the believing of some upside down,” or, ”=
to
remove the believing of some from its base, or foundation.” Hence, the
fitly spoken word, in this context, reveals Jesus Christ as the foundation =
of
the church and the basis of all believing towards God. The Lord is revealed=
as
the strong foundation with two distinct elements set to his seal:
The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one= that nameth the name of Lord depart (aphistemi: apo—a= way from, histemi- stand yourself away from) from iniquity.
Both of these elements of the allegorical seal relate to the metaphor of Christ Jesus as the solid rock and the sure foundation stone. Literally, according to Romans 1:4, Jesus Christ our Lord was:
... declared = (horizo—marked out, defined as being) to be th= e Son of God with power (dunamis), according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
and the power that he has been d=
eclared
to have as the solid rock is further delineated in Acts 10:42:
And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained (horizo) of G= od to be the Judge of quick and dead.=
and again in Acts 17:31:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained (horizo); whereof he hath given assurance un= to all men, in that he hath raised him= from the dead.
The first part of seal, “the Lord knows those w=
ho are
his,” is his ordination of God as the judge of the living! Christ is
raised from the dead to judge all who will likewise be raised unto the
everlasting rewards of the
The second part of the seal is grace upon grace. The majority of the Greek texts support the reading of the second part of this = seal as “Let every one that nameth the name of Lord depart from iniquity.” To “name the na= me of the Lord” is far more neutral than to “name the name of Christ.” For instance, in= Acts 19:13, unbelievers name the name o= f the Lord:
Then certain of t=
he
vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over (to =
name
over) them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, <=
span
class=3DGramE>We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
However, as Romans
Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where
Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:
It doesn’t matter which apostle laid the foundation, = Peter or Paul, the foundation is our Lord Jesus Christ.
The reading of Lord fits more closely with the
context of II Timothy 2:16-22. Timothy is commanded in 2:16 to peristemi=
from vain babbling. This is to “stand off from but to continue to wat=
ch
and guard against.” In 2:19 the command that flows to all from the
foundation stone of the church is far more intense. All are commanded to
II Timothy 2:20-=
21
explains the consequences of being a member of the family of God without
becoming fully cleansed within:
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gol= d and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
If a man therefore purge (ekkathairo: ek—out; kathairo—cle= ansed from within) himself= from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the maste= r's use, and prepared unto every go= od work.
Surely everyone wants not only to be a vessel of mercy but = also to be a vessel fit for the master’s use. Well, how does someone become completely clean from the inside out? II Timothy 2:22 gives the answer:
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, fa=
ith,
charity, peace, with them that call on (those who are appeali=
ng
to: participle present middle genitive masculine plural: who are calling on=
) the
Lord out of a pure (k=
atharos) heart.
As we live appealing t=
o the
name of the Lord, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all
unrighteousness, and we are fit for the master’s use. It is walking in
the love that is shed abroad in our hearts that cleans us from the inside o=
ut.
Simply not acting on things that are not right is not, alone, the answer. A=
s we
walk in newness of life, on resurrection ground, the blood of Jesus Christ =
our
Lord cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
In II Timothy 2:=
22 the
Greek word epikaleomai is a participle form in the middle voice. It =
fits
with all the other uses of epikaleomai and kurios. It refers =
to a
saint living the Lordship of Jesus Christ and living with the verdict of gu=
ilt
from Adam set aside in the court of our God’s magnificent grace. Call=
ing
upon the Lord does not mean to pray to the Lord, it means to live with him =
as
Lord. Appealing in our lives to the Lordship of Christ is to recognize his
perfect work for us as our savior; it is to acknowledge God’s perfect=
work
in us through him. It is to stand before God, in the name of Jesus Christ as
completely, completely, complete within. It is to acknowledge that through =
the
faith of Jesus Christ we have been made the righteousness of God.
<= o:p>
Acts 9:14 And here he hath autho= rity from the chief priests to bind all that call on (participle present middle accusative masculine plural) thy name.
<= o:p>
Acts 9:21 But all that heard him were amazed, and sa= id; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on (participle present middle accusative masculine plural) this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief pries= ts?
<= o:p>
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest = thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, = calling on (verb participle aorist mid= dle nominative masculine singular) the name of the Lord.
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Romans 10:12 For there is no dif= ference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all = that call upon (verb participle present middle accusative masculine plural) him.
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on (= appeal to towards – with eis: verb subjunctive aorist middle 3rd person plural) him (the Lord Jesus Chr= ist) in whom they have not believed? and how shall th= ey believe in him of whom they have not heard? and = how shall they hear without a preacher?
1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the
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2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on = (participle present middle genitive masculine plural) the Lord out of = a pure heart.
Acts
2:21 And it
shall come to pass, that whosoe=
ver
shall call on (verb subjunctive aorist middle) the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon (verb subjunctive aorist mid= dle 3rd person singular) the name of the L= ord shall be saved.
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephe= n, calling upon (verb participle present middle accusative masculine singular)= God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.