Scripture Reading(s)
Romans 10:8b-13
10:8b “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
10:9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10:10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
10:11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”
10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.
10:13 For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Reflections
What an amazing promise we have to know that the Gospel is available to all! There was once a distinction between the Jews and the Greeks. That line was broken and God stretched out His hand of saving Grace to all who would choose to believe.
Now is not the time to think or hesitate to answer God’s call. He is calling out to each and every one of us and is asking us to invite Him to change and renew our lives. His desire is to fill our hearts with a joy and hope that we can never find any where else.
There is also a major promise that God will fulfill when we accept the message of salvation. Verse 11 and 13 essentially say that we will be loved and accepted by God (opposite of shame) and that we will be saved from our sin and more importantly eternal punishment. Our hope lies in being able to one day spend eternity in heaven with God!
I look forward to the day when God also promises to wipe away all our tears, sin and guilt forever.
Many people bring an English mindset to reading these verses. Especially in American English we are very mechanical and don’t see the real detail. Let us examine verse 9-10.
… because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
So often we quote and remember verse 9, which basically says if we do “xy & z” we will receive salvation. At least that is how we tend to view it. But that is missing the main point of the salvation message. The real message is not in just following a 1, 2, 3 step process; it is having a changed heart.
Do not miss the part where Paul says “believe in your heart.” This is not a casual belief. Paul is saying that we must earnestly believe in a way that commands our attention, trust, and obedience. Furthermore, do not read verse 9 without verse 10. Without verse 10 we don’t get to hear Paul’s explanation of verse 9.
“For one believes with the heart.” In the Greek language knowing something and believing something are to very different things. Knowing something does not imply anything other than having knowledge. But believing and having faith are from a different root word (πίστις). This work implies faith and confidence in something. It implies trust in something.
Simply put – reciting a line does not produce salvation; putting your faith and trust in the Lord both in heart and in deed does.
[Featured image from holy-bible.org]