"I once was lost in sin
But Jesus took me in.
And then a little light from Heaven filled my soul.
It bathed my heart in love
And wrote my name above.
And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole."
Cleavant Derricks1
Today's text is Romans 10:8-13 (NET)
8 But what does it {faith - - see v. 6} say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. 11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Sometimes, Y'all, the most foundational passages are the most difficult. I've been thinking about this one for days. This morning, lying on my bed in prayer, the Lord brought this 20th c. gospel song to mind. It reminds me of Romans 10:9.
Then, I was trying to think of what "confess" means. In our modern day, it is most often used to describe admitting to doing something wrong. But, that is just one of the word's meanings. At its most basic meaning, "confess" means: to declare (speak forcefully), to claim, to own. Within the context of Romans 10:8-13, it is used to describe how a person becomes a Christian.
Confessing Jesus Christ means to speak with one's mouth and claim and own that He is being embraced as the only path to God, the only avenue of salvation. Confession must be married to heart belief (not just intellectual belief) in order for the transformation called "salvation" to occur. After all, we can "say anything" and not truly believe it. Or, we can say we believe something and have only an intellectual belief. The Bible testifies, after all, that the demons of Hell have an intellectual belief in Jesus Christ, and they shudder because they don't claim or own Him as their Savior (James 2:19).
Note that confession which saves eternally involves (vs. 9) speaking truth...the truth that Jesus is LORD because He was raised from the dead by God the Father. The accepting of Jesus Christ as Savior also involves accepting His right to then rule over your life, for the rest of your life. There is surrender in this confession. There is repentance and submission, bowing to the King of Kings. If that surrender does not underlie the confession, then there is no true belief (faith) present.
There is something other-worldly powerful about the words we speak. Quantum physicists have discovered that the very building blocks of matter react positively and excitedly to positive words being spoken. When negative words are spoken, they slow down and eventually become irresponsive. (Wow, there is an entire blog post, right there!) It's little wonder the Bible says that we must speak and declare our "owning", our accepting of Christ Jesus. Those spoken words will "matter" for all eternity! (Couldn't resist the pun! ;) )
You might say, "Well, you don't have to actually admit your faith to anyone. There's no need to tell others about it, like admitting it in church or anything..." Watch out, now! What does the Bible say? Look at this:
32 “Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33 (NET)
Pretty clear, isn't it? If you meant it, you will declare it. It's got to be both "in your mouth and in your heart" (vs. 8)
Like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, confession and belief go inextricably together. You can't have salvation without righteousness (vs. 9-10), because you can't have belief without confession. And, this is how you become a Christian. This describes faith; this deconstructs the concept of salvation. Admit your sin and your need for a Savior. Believe in your heart that He is the only one who can save, because He is the LORD whom God raised from the dead. Receive Him into your heart forever. Confess - - declare it to be so.
It's really as simple as that.
"Just a Little Talk With Jesus" was a popular song in mid 20th c. gospel music. You can hear the late Rev. Derricks sing his composition here:
This is his confession.
Have you made yours?
Father, I'm so thankful and grateful that you have made a way, one and only one way, for the salvation of our souls and that Your way is through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving my soul, so many years ago. I pray that anyone reading this post will search his or her own heart, to see if true belief in Jesus is there, if eternal salvation has been secured. And, if not, Lord, I pray that a confession as described above will be made, so that no reader will go away from this post an unbeliever. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Outstanding essay. God bless and all the best :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Bob. Please visit again! God bless you, as well!
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