John Calvin Commentary Acts 2:21

"And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." — Acts 2:21 (ASV)

Whosoever shall call upon: an excellent passage. For as God prods us forward like sluggish donkeys, with threats and terrors to seek salvation, so, after He has brought darkness upon the face of heaven and earth, He still shows a means by which salvation may shine before our eyes, namely, if we call upon Him.

For we must diligently note this circumstance. If God were to promise salvation simply, it would be a great matter; but it is far greater when He promises it amidst manifold dungeons of death. While (as He says) all things will be in disorder, and the fear of destruction will possess all things, only call upon Me, and you will be saved.

Therefore, however much a person may be swallowed up in the gulf of miseries, yet a way to escape is set before him. We must also note the universal word, whosoever. For God admits all people to Himself without exception, and by this means He invites them to salvation, as Paul gathers in Romans 10, and as the prophet had stated it before:

“Thou, Lord, which hearest the prayer,
unto thee shall all flesh come” (Psalms 65:2).

Therefore, since no one is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open to all people; nor is there anything else that keeps us back from entering, except for our own unbelief. I speak of all to whom God makes Himself known by the gospel.

But just as those who call upon the name of the Lord are sure of salvation, so we must think that, without doing so, we are thrice miserable and undone. And when our salvation is placed in calling upon God, nothing is thereby taken from faith, because this invocation is grounded on faith alone.

There is also another circumstance no less worthy of note: namely that the prophet signifies that calling upon God properly belongs and pertains to the last days. For although He was to be called upon in all ages, nevertheless, since He revealed Himself as a Father in Christ, we have easier access to Him.

This ought all the more to embolden us and to take from us all sluggishness. As He Himself also reasons, by this privilege our eagerness to pray is doubled for us: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive;” as if He were saying, "Previously, although I did not yet appear to be a mediator and advocate in the faith, you still prayed; but now, when you have Me as your patron, with how much more courage ought you to do that?"