“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
This one today may tip a sacred cow… Many stand upon this as the way to salvation. To paraphrase a bit, “just believe and repeat this after me”. Yet is this the truth? This is presented as quite easy, yet if we look at what Jesus says we see, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Now if the narrow way is difficult, then the broad way is easy, interesting…
How do we see Jesus present the Gospel? He came to them where they were and said “Follow Me”! For all those who dropped everything and followed Jesus, something great was produced! So is there an expected result to be seen when one comes into salvation?
Let’s look back at the passage today. First we need to see in this we find two parts actively engaged.
1. Heart- belief/faith
2. Mouth- action/works
Now remember from a few days ago how the word believe and faith are connected. So it begins in the heart (not the mind) with believing, or having faith. Next the mouth (action) comes, and to confess is far deeper than just words coming out, this word means; to say the same thing, agree with, or not to deny. So if two parties agree, and are saying the same thing, they are like one another, right?
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
Again it’s beyond just spoken words, as scripture says, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8) They had actions or works (mouth), but it didn’t flow from a changed heart!
Many know and can quote the Word, yet they are not in agreement with it, and they deny it, because it’s not living in and through them! Real confession looks like something! For those who truly believe and their faith (trust and commitment) is in Jesus Christ, their lives will change, and real confession will flow!
James says it this way, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:14-24)
Real faith transforms and will produce an outflow of righteous deeds!
Faith or believing alone doesn’t work, this is people who believe in unicorns, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, etc. their belief alone produces nothing real. Works alone doesn’t stand, as that produces religious and legalistic mindsets. The Pharisees worked the law, but didn’t have faith in Jesus.
The heart must be changed first, Ezekiel says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Notice it began with the changed heart, and this produced obedience and righteous deeds!