What must we believe in order to be saved? According to the fifth century Athanasian Creed, we must believe in the doctrine of the Trinity and the related doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus. The creed states in part:

So in everything…we must worship [Father, Son, Holy Spirit] their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity.  Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity.  But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully…This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.[1] (emphasis added)

Although churches today may not recite the lengthy creed, many adhere to its tenets. For example, regarding the essentials of salvation, pastor and author John Piper writes, “You have got to believe in the deity of Jesus.”[2]  And evangelist Chris Mikkelson says:

But if people miss the reality that Jesus was more than a prophet—that He is actually part of the Trinity, and therefore God—then they’re not truly Christians.[3] (emphasis added)

But before man-made creeds were written, like the one referenced above, the Church did not require a belief in the Trinity for salvation.  Kerry McRoberts, professor of theology, conveys a similar perspective:

In reflection, one may ask whether it is necessary to believe in the doctrine of the Trinity to be saved.  In response, historically and theologically, the Church has not usually required an explicit declaration of faith in the doctrine of the Trinity for salvation.”[4] (emphasis added)

Indeed, that’s because the doctrine isn’t found in Scripture.

Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of the Trinity?

A survey of the sacred texts reveals that the Trinity is not taught in God’s word as Biblical scholars will attest.  For example, A.W. Argyle writes:

The fully developed Christian Doctrine that God is three persons in one Godhead is nowhere explicitly stated in the New Testament.[5] (emphasis added)

What’s more, Baptist theologian William N. Clarke writes:

The word Trinity is never used, and there is no indication that the idea of Trinity had taken form.  It has long been a common practice to read the New Testament as if the ideas of a later age upon this subject were in it, but they are not.  In the days of the apostles the doctrine of the Trinity was yet to be created…after the lapse of three or four centuries, there was wrought a doctrine of the Trinity...This historic doctrine differed widely from the simplicity of the early faith.[6] (emphasis added)

Numerous scholars agree with Clarke that the Trinity is a post-Biblical development.  Theologian A.T Hanson says:

No responsible New Testament scholar would claim that the doctrine of the Trinity was taught by Jesus, or preached by the earliest Christians, or consciously held by any writer of the New Testament. It was in fact slowly worked out in the course of the first few centuries in an attempt to give an intelligible doctrine of God.[7] (emphasis added)

 Catholic scholar John McKenzie concurs in his Dictionary of the Bible: 

The Trinity of God is defined by the Church as the belief that in God are three persons who subsist in one nature.  The belief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief.[8]  (emphasis added)            

Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of the Incarnation?

But what about the incarnation, that is, the deity of Jesus?  Did the first century Church believe it to be a reality?  You can find an in-depth analysis of John 1, the text typically used to support the incarnation, beginning here.  But in short, respected New Testament scholar James Dunn summarizes the evidence: 

Within the earlier strata of the Jesus tradition, there is substantive evidence that Jesus laid claim to speak with divine inspiration and authorization as in some sense the representative of God.  But there is nothing of consequence to support the thesis that Jesus saw himself in some sense as God, as the incarnation of the deity… It is unlikely, therefore, that the thought of incarnation was part of earliest Christian faith.[9] (emphasis added)

Apologist and theologian William Lane Craig offers this summation of both the Trinity and the incarnation:

Anyone who claims he doesn’t go beyond the Bible doesn’t have an orthodox doctrine of the Trinity or the incarnation because these doctrines are shot through with philosophy–talk of persons and natures and essences and substances and things of that sort.  These doctrines are formulated in philosophical categories.[9a] 

Like the doctrine of the triune God, the doctrine of the incarnation developed over time.  The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary explains:

It is only with the fathers of the church in the third and fourth centuries, that a full-fledged theory of the incarnation develops.[10] (emphasis added)

How then can a belief in the Trinity and the incarnation of Jesus be a requirement for salvation if they are not taught in Scripture?  It’s surprising to hear scholars such as Millard Erickson, who says that the Trinity is “indispensable to the Christian faith” yet who also admits that the doctrine is “not clearly or explicitly taught anywhere in Scripture.”[11]  Shouldn’t we find the full expression of our theology and Christology in God’s word?   Jude, the brother of Jesus, thinks so.  He was inspired to write that the faith had been “once for all handed down to the saints.”[12]  And Paul wrote that he “kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed…the whole counsel of God.”[13]  And yet, neither Jude nor Paul nor any other New Testament author wrote about the Trinity.  Dare we contradict these pillars of the Church by saying that Scripture is not sufficient to fully instruct us about such matters?

What does Scripture Say?

If Scripture does not teach that one must believe in the Trinity or the incarnation of Jesus in order to be saved, what does it teach?  Space will not permit us to examine all of the Biblical references to salvation in this article.  However, an examination of primary passages found in John’s writings, the book of Acts, and Paul’s famous instruction in Romans 10 will provide us with the cogent answers we need. 

In John chapter three, Jesus explains to Nicodemus that one must be born from above (Greek anôthen), or born again, as it is often translated, in order to have eternal life.[14]  Three times Jesus says that this life is predicated by a belief in him:

John 3:15 (NIV) that everyone who believes in him [the Son of Man] may have eternal life. (emphasis added)

John 3:16 (NASB) that whoever believes in Him [the only begotten Son] shall not perish, but have eternal life. (emphasis added)

John 3:18 (NASB) “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  (emphasis added)

The apostle then records John the Baptist’s clarifying instruction that this belief in Jesus must include obedience to him:

John 3:36 (NASB) “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (emphasis added)

In other words, an intellectual assent as to Jesus’ identity as the Son of God is not enough.  A genuine belief results in obedience to Jesus as the man whom God exalted to the position of  Lord.[15] 

But what does it mean to believe that Jesus is the Son?  Jesus’ encounter with Martha offers a fuller definition.  When Martha told Jesus that her brother, Lazarus, would have lived if Jesus had come to Bethany when summoned, Jesus comforted her with these words:

John 11:25-27 (NASB)  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶  and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷  She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.” (emphasis added)

Thus, to believe in Jesus means that one believes that he is the Christ, the Son of God.  Some wrongly interpret the phrase “Son of God” to be the equivalent of “God the Son.”  However, the context here and elsewhere tells us that Son of God is a designation for the Christ (Messiah), that is, the one anointed by God to be king.  These titles are often used in Scripture in a literary device known as synonymous parallelism, where a word or phrase is repeated using a variety of synonyms.[16]   Famed philosopher John Locke, citing several passages in John’s gospel that point to this synonymous parallelism, asks if anyone “can doubt that Messiah and Son of God, were synonymous terms at that time amongst the Jews.”[17]  It is precisely this belief–that Jesus is the promised Messiah–that warrants salvation, not a belief that Jesus is God the Messiah or God the Son, something Scripture never says.

The apostle John concludes his gospel account by stating the purpose for which it was written and by emphasizing how we gain eternal life:

John 20:30-31 (NASB) Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹  but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (emphasis added)

Again, we see the synonymous parallel between Christ and the Son of God.  We also see that eternal life is granted to those who believe in Jesus’ name.  It’s not surprising, therefore, that John would repeat this instruction in his first epistle:

1 John 5:1 (NASB) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. (emphasis added)

John never indicates in any of his writings[18] that one must believe in a Trinity or the deity of Jesus to be saved.  The inspired writer simply and consistently expresses that one must believe Jesus is God’s promised Christ or Messiah.  It is through this “door” that one must enter to be saved.[19]

Some may offer Thomas’ confession upon seeing the resurrected Jesus as proof that one must believe in the deity of Christ:

John 20:28-29 (NASB) Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹  Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

While these verses are examined in more depth here, the preceding context demonstrates that Thomas was responding to Jesus’ teaching that to “see” or “know” Jesus is to “see” or “know” the Father because Jesus represented him.[20] Furthermore, just three short verses later, John declares that the purpose for writing his gospel was that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  Which is the greater revelation, that Jesus is God, as some interpret Thomas’ statement to mean? Or that Jesus is the Christ?  If Thomas was indeed declaring Jesus to be God then surely, as the greater revelation, John would have cited this as the purpose for writing his gospel.  But John makes no mention of it. Instead, he plainly states that he penned his account that we might know that Jesus is the Christ, i.e., the one anointed by God. 

Salvation in the Book of Acts

But what about the early Church?  If a belief in the Trinity and Jesus’ incarnation is necessary for salvation then we would certainly find that instruction in the book of Acts.  But Luke’s historical account of the birth and expansion of the Church never mentions, much less teaches, about a theorized incarnation or a triune God in any context whatsoever.  On the contrary, in Acts 14:14-18, Paul passionately tells the people of Lystra that their belief in a god who became a man was a vain or worthless thing.[21] (This article examines the passage.) So what does Acts teach about salvation?

On the Day of Pentecost there was a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Peter said it was a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God would pour out His Spirit on all mankind.  Peter ends his explanation with a final quote from Joel:

Acts 2:21 (NASB) And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.  

Next, Peter begins his sermon by identifying “Jesus the Nazarene [as] a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him.”[22]  It is this man that God made both Lord and Christ, and the one through whom God offers forgiveness of sins:

Acts 2:36-38 (NASB) “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” ³⁷  Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” ³⁸  Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (emphasis added)

If there was ever a time to reveal that Jesus is actually God, the birth of the Church would have been it!  Instead Peter identifies Jesus as a man that God exalted to His right hand and made both Lord and Christ. 

But some will say that because Peter quotes Joel in verse 21–everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved–it means that Jesus is God because we now “call upon” Jesus for salvation.  Some even go so far as to claim that Jesus is Yahweh or that he shares in the divine identity of Yahweh because both are called Lord and Savior.[23]  Jesus, however, is never identified as LORD, which appearing in all capital letters is a translator’s substitution for the name Yahweh.  Instead, Jesus is called Lord or kurios in the Greek, which means lord, master, sir.  Furthermore, Jesus is Lord and Savior only because God the Father exalted him to that position.[24]  Instead of including Jesus in the divine identity of Yahweh, Peter emphatically distinguish between the them just two chapters later.  Peter, praying to God the Father, quotes Psalm 2:

Acts 4:26-27 (NASB) ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD [Yahweh] AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’  ²⁷ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel (emphasis added)

Jesus is not designated as God or Yahweh but as someone who belongs to God [Yahweh].  He is God’s Christ and His holy servant.  What then does it mean that Peter applied Joel’s quote in Acts 2:21 to Jesus–that all who call upon the name of the LORD will be saved? 

Whoever Calls on the Name of the LORD

When examining Biblical texts, it’s important to remember that the Bible is a Jewish book written within a Hebraic framework.  For Peter to apply a quote to Jesus that originally referred to God does not, in the traditional Hebraic culture, mean that Jesus is God.  On the contrary, it indicates that Jesus is God’s agent.

Biblical scholar Marianne Meye Thompson explains the principle of agency:  

In the rabbinic writings, there is reference to the figure of the saliah [or shaliah], which literally means “one who is sent”… A saliah was a surrogate sent on a task or a mission with specific instructions and authority to carry it out.  According to the Talmud, a saliah could, among other things, carry out business transactions, make binding treaties and arrange marriages. A common saying in the rabbis was “the one who is sent is like the one who sent him” or “a man’s agent is equivalent to himself. Because the saliah may act on behalf of the one who sent him, when one deals with the saliah it is as if one is dealing with the one who sent that person. [25] (emphasis added)

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion defines agency this way:

The main point of the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, “a person’s agent is regarded as the person himself.” Therefore, any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principal…[26] (emphasis added)

We see an example of agency in Exodus 23:20-21, where God exhorted the Israelites to obey His angel because “My name is in him.”  The angel, as God’s agent, was invested with Yahweh’s name, that is, His authority, power, etc.  Thus, the Israelites were required to obey him just as they would Yahweh.  Surely, no one would argue that because the angel bore the name of Yahweh it meant that he was God.  Similarly, Jesus, as God’s agent, has been given God’s name:

John 17:11-12 (NASB) “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. ¹²  “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (emphasis added)

Thus, applying the name of the LORD to someone, be it an angel or Jesus, does not equate them with being Yahweh.  For Peter to quote Joel– “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved”–in the same context where he declares Jesus is the vehicle for salvation simply means that to call upon Jesus is to call upon God who appointed him.  We’ll see this idea strongly supported by Scripture when we look at Acts 16 in a moment.    

Peter’s Second and Third Sermon

In the meantime, let’s briefly look at Peter’s second sermon, this time delivered to the Jewish rulers, elders and scribes, and what it teaches us about salvation:

Acts 4:10-13 (NASB) let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. ¹¹  “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. ¹²  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (emphasis added)

Peter clearly communicates that salvation is available only through Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead.  Peter did not say that Jesus was God whom God raised from the dead.  On the contrary, Peter pointedly identifies the Nazarene as being the Christ.

In yet another sermon given by Peter, this time before the high priest and his associates, the apostle explains that Jesus is the one God exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior:

Acts 5:30-32 (NASB) “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. ³¹  “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. ³²  “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (emphasis added)

In other words, Jesus was not inherently Lord, Prince, or Savior, but he was exalted by God and given this authority. Forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit are given to those who believe and obey.

What About the Philippian Jailer?

Some may present Paul’s encounter with the Philippian jailer as evidence that one must believe Jesus is God in order to be saved.  In Acts 16 we learn that Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed for delivering a girl from demon possession.  After the prison doors were miraculously opened, the prison guard fell down before his captives and asked, “What must I do to be saved?”  Paul and Silas answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (emphasis added)  The text goes on to say that the guard and his household were baptized right away. [27] Luke then summarizes the encounter by saying the guard “rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.”[28]  Some interpret the passage to mean that because they believed in “the Lord Jesus” (vs 31) and “believed in God” (vs 34) that Jesus is God.  However, one can believe in Jesus the human Messiah and in God who exalted him without conflating the two.  Indeed, Jesus said that to believe in him is to believe in God who sent him:

John 5:24 (NASB) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (emphasis added)

John 12:44 (NASB) And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. (emphasis added)

John 13:20 (NASB) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (emphasis added)

John 14:1 and 6 (NASB) “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me…⁶  Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (emphasis added)

1 John 2:23 (NASB) Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. (emphasis added)

Such is the principle of agency.  To believe in the agent, is to believe in the one who sent him.

Do You Have to Believe in the Trinity to be Saved?

Roger E. Olson, professor of theology, quoted one of the most influential Church Fathers regarding salvation and a belief in the Trinity:

Augustine said that anyone who denies the Trinity loses his salvation but that anyone who tries to understand it loses his mind. [29] (emphasis added)

Instead of making salvation contingent upon a mind-blowing, incomprehensible doctrine, God has made it simple enough for even a child to understand.[30] Unfortunately, Augustine preached a post-Biblical view that was influenced by Greek philosophy (as William Lane Craig states in an earlier quote).  The question we must all answer is, Should something as fundamental as what’s required for salvation rest soundly on Scripture or on man-made creeds that developed over hundreds of years?  Is Scripture sufficient or insufficient in its instruction?

2 Timothy 3:13-17 (NASB) But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴  You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵  and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Paul, who believes God to be the Father, considers Scripture to be inspired and sufficient in its instruction that salvation comes through Jesus who is the Christ.[31]

Thankfully, there are many Trinitarians who do not impose their belief in a tri-part being on others.  Olson reports that even some orthodox Christian theologians believe that the doctrine is not central for a “right understanding of God.”  For example, Olson says that Emil Brunner has “argued that the doctrine of the Trinity is not the gospel and is not something to be preached” as it is a “secondary language of faith, not primary.”[32]  Olson also notes: 

John Wesley believed strongly in the doctrine of the Trinity, but he did not insist on belief in it for recognizing someone as a Christian.[33]

Regarding his own position, Olson writes:

…Much to some perhaps more conservative folks’ chagrin, [along] with Wesley I do not insist on affirmation of the doctrine of the Trinity for authentic Christianity.[34]

What must one believe to be saved?  According to Scripture, one must believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, whom God the Father raised from the dead and exalted to His right hand as Lord and Savior.  Paul’s famous prescription for salvation reflects this beautifully:

Romans 10:9-10 (NASB) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.[35]

Like Jesus, John, and Peter, the apostle Paul did not teach that one must believe in the deity of Christ or in a triune God to be saved.  We must take heed lest we add to what God has deemed necessary for salvation. 

[1] https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/creeds/athanasian-creed

[2] John Piper, “What Must I Do to Be Saved?” Desiring God, 4-22-14, accessed 5-01-20, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-must-i-believe-to-be-saved

[3] Kendra Semmen, “Evangelist: You Can’t Say You’re Christian If You Don’t Worship Jesus,” Charisma News, 12-13-19, accessed 4-21-20, https://www.charismanews.com/culture/79193-evangelist-you-can-t-say-you-re-christian-if-you-don-t-worship-jesus

[4] Kerry D. McRoberts, Chapter 5: “The Holy Trinity” in  Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective, ed. Stanley M. Horton (Springfield, MO: Logion Press, 1994),  p. 168.

[5] A.W. Agyles, God in the New Testament, (New York: Lippincott, 1966), p. 173.

[6] William Newton Clarke, The Christian Doctrine of God, (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1909), p. 230-231. 

[7] A.T. Hanson, The Image of the Invisible God,  (London: SCM Press, 1982), p.87.

[8] John L. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, (New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995),  p. 899-900.

[9] James Dunn, Christ and the Spirit, Vol. 1, p. 38, 40.

[9a] William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith podcast, 7-10-17, accessed 5-10-20, https://christianpodcastcentral.com/reasonable-faith-podcast-dr-craig-orthodox-christology/

[10] Harper Collins Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier, ed., 1996 ed., p 452-453.

[11] Millard J. Erickson, God in Three Persons: A Contemporary Interpretation of the Trinity (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 1995),  p. 11-12.

[12] Jude 1:3.

[13] Acts 20:20, 27 NKJV.

[14] John 3:3, 7, born from above in the Greek is often translated as born again; https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/3-3.htm

[15] Hebrews 5:7-10; Luke 6:46.

[16] “Synonymous Parallelism,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed 5-9-20,  https://www.britannica.com/topic/synonymous-parallelism   For more examples of synonymous parallels, see Matthew 16:16; 26:63; John 1:49; 20:31; Luke 4:41, etc. 

[17] John Locke, The Reasonableness of Christianity as Delivered in the Scriptures, p.46, https://archive.org/details/reasonablenessof00lockuoft/page/46/mode/2up/search/tell+me+whether+he+can+doubt

[18] The gospel of John, his three epistles, and the book of Revelation.

[19] John 10:9; 14:6.

[20] John 14:7-11; 12:44-45.

[21] Acts 14:11-15.

[22] Acts 2:22.  See also Acts 10:38 and John 14:10.

[23] A similar argument is made using Romans 10:8-9, 13 where Paul also quotes the prophet Joel.  The response to this verse is the same.

[24] Acts 2:36.

[25] Marianne Meye Thompson, “Gospel of John,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel B. Green, ed. 1992 (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1992), p. 377. 

[26] “Agent” (Heb. Shaliah), The Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion, R.J.Z. Werblowsky, G. Wigoder, (New York: Adama Books, 1986), p. 15.

[27] Acts 16:29-32.

[28] Acts 16:33-34.

[29] Roger E. Olson and Christopher A. Hall, The Trinity (Guides to Theology), (Wm. B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, MI, 2002), p.1.

[30] Matthew 19:13.

[31] 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6.  See also 1 Timothy 2:5.

[32] Roger E. Olson, How Important is the Doctrine of the Trinity? 4-29-13, accessed 5-8-20 https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2013/04/1807/

[33] Ibid.

[34] Ibid.

[35] For treatment of Romans 10:13 (Joel 2:32), see the above discussion regarding this passage as it relates to Acts 2:21.