Romans
10:9-11 If
you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and
are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put
to shame.”
The prior verse is a quote
from Deuteronomy 30:14, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your
heart.” This refers to God’s word found in the Law of Moses. Paul uses it here
as an application for the gospel, the word of faith. Paul is revealing that the
gospel is readily accessible to all people. Our acceptance by God is not based
on our good deeds or actions. It is based on our faith in Jesus Christ, freely
available to anyone who will receive it.
This passage is a good
barometer for the Christian. Do you believe in Christ, the Gospel? Is your
belief a living trust from day to day? Besides believing in your heart, do you
communicate your faith? Can you explain to others your actions with your faith
as the reason? Does all of your living and speaking reveal a heart set on Him?
“Open confession of [Jesus] name before men is an
indispensable condition for all authentic discipleship. ‘Those who are ashamed
or afraid to acknowledge Christ before men, cannot expect to be saved. The [lack]
of courage to confess, is decisive evidence of the [lack] of heart to
believe.’” (G. Wilson, p. 178)
Paul is teaching us that
salvation involves inward belief, with your heart and outward confession, with
your mouth. Belief entails trusting faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Confession here is not the acknowledgement of sin per se, but the affirmation
of faith in Christ, proclamation of the gospel. Confessing that you believe in
Him.
