To Declare, To Claim, To Own

"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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br-qMVfJhLw

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.

Source:

1     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleavant_Derricks_(songwriter)

The Main Thing

I went to a leadership training many years ago where the speaker said, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  When you think about it, that really puts our priorities into focus, doesn't it?

***What does it mean to be a Christian?  Is that "the main thing"?  Yes, it is.

Let's begin by stating the opposite.  You do not become a Christian by:

• doing things that are good
• going to religious services
• trying hard
• being baptized (as a baby or young person or adult)
• following a set of religious rules
• having parents who are Christian.

All of these things have complicated and obscured what it means to be a Christian.
The reality of becoming a Christian is quite different.  Here it is.

First, you have to want to meet/know Jesus.
Are you feeling that emptiness in the very pit of your soul?  Is there something in your spirit that nothing material, corporeal or temporal can satisfy?  Jesus said, "Come to me, you who are exhausted and weighted down with burdens, and I will give you rest."  ( Matthew 11:28-30)  If you feel Him calling you, come.

Second, you have to admit that you can't turn your life around without Him.  This means confronting the reality of your own sin.  Now, "sin" is not a popular word, but let me be straight with you....the Bible clearly states that all of us are born sinners who need a Savior.  We are not "mostly good", "born as a blank slate, etc.  No, the Bible states that, due to Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), we are all "fallen beings".  We have inherited sin as our nature, due to the fact that we are descended from the first humans created, Adam and Eve.
Frankly, this step is as far as many folks get.  They refuse to admit that they are sinners in need of redemption/restoration.  Why?  Well, for many, this belief offends their sensibilities.  And, for others, they simply do not want to give up their sinful ways.  Regardless, it is important to accept this fact, in order to know Jesus.  If you are still struggling with this concept, for more information, read the book of Romans, chapter 3, particularly verse 23.  It states that, due to Adam and Eve's sin, "all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory".  God is purely holy, and (as we say in the South) "cannot abide" sin - - - not one bit, not one iota.
Can you achieve perfect sinlessness on your own?  Can you ever be "good enough" to meet God's standard of perfection, in and of yourself?  No.  No way.

Third, you must be willing to do what is called in Christian circles "repent".  This is a word that basically means to "do a 180".  It means to turn away from the gods you have been worshipping and go in the opposite direction, toward God.  And, make no mistake, everyone worships something.  I won't digress on that topic at this time; rest assured we'll get back to it.  :)
At any rate, repentance is to turn toward Jesus and to accept Him for who He says He is.
In the Scriptures, numerous times, Jesus claimed to be God-in-a-human-body.  He claimed to be God "with skin on", God incarnate, God "in the flesh".  He claimed to be "God's Son", which was a term the Jews of Jesus' time (and before) applied to the Messiah.  He claimed to be GOD, y'all!  And, He is.  Furthermore, He is "the only name under heaven, given among men, by which we can be redeemed/restored/forgiven/saved from our sin."  (Acts 4:12)
In John 14:6, Jesus put it like this:  "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man comes to the Father except by me."

Do you believe that Jesus is who He said He is?  Either He IS, or he was a lunatic or he was a liar. Those are the only 3 options.  And, furthermore, what IS true Biblical belief?  Belief that transforms a life forever.
Hey, did you know that the Devil believes that Jesus is God?  Yes, the Scriptures say that "even the demons believe, and tremble."  (James 2:19) So, knowing/believing the fact intellectually is not sufficient.
Transformative, redemptive, restorative, saving belief involves yes, accepting intellectually that Jesus is who He claimed to be, but further, embracing Him as the only way to deal with your sin, as the only way to God.
I've mentioned that word "redeemed" a few times.  Well, there is a whole study in that.....but the word means "to purchase back".   It's kind of like a pawn shop.  At the pawn shop, you lend to the pawn shop dude an item, and in order to get it back, you have to purchase it back with money.  Well, our sin landed us in the spiritual pawn shop and we can't get ourselves out.  Jesus paid the price to redeem us, to buy us back from a hopeless life of sin.  That price He paid was His willing death, burial and resurrection.  "God loved this world SO much that He gave His only begotten Son, that anyone who believes in Him shall not die spiritually, but will have life eternal."  (John 3:16)
Do you believe that?  Do you accept Him as the only way to deal with your sin problem, as the only way to God the Father?

The next step is to confess that this is going to be true for you.  How do you do that?  Well, it is as simple as praying a prayer to Jesus and asking Him to take you over.  Whoa!  That's pretty extreme, isn't it?  Not if you have reasoned through all the above.  In Isaiah the prophet says, "Come now, let us reason together.  Although your sins are as red as scarlet, they shall be as white as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)
So, there is no magic prayer.  The main thing is that you talk to God and express something like the following:
Jesus, I need you because I realize that I fall far short of God's standard of perfection.  I have come to realize that, based on your own words, there is no other way to know God except through you.  I believe in the very depths of my being that you are God, and that your life, death, burial and resurrection were all for me. I accept your sacrifice and ask you to come into my life and possess me totally.  I ask you to come into my heart and rescue me, save me, redeem me, transform me.  Thank you for taking all my sin away and making me your resplendent daughter/son, forever and ever.  I love you, Lord.  Show me how to walk with you every other day of my life, from this point forward. Amen.

If you did that and meant it, your life will never be the same.  If you prayed that prayer and meant it sincerely, Jesus/God has answered that prayer, and He now lives in your soul.

If you did not, or have not, I pray that you will, because...
Yes, that IS "the main thing"!  It is THE decision that makes this often difficult life worth living.
THIS is what it means to be a Christian.  The rest is "living out your faith, walking in faith, following Jesus", etc.  And, you can't do that without having first met Jesus and made that right "first step".

Oh Lord Jesus!  That I may KNOW you...!  Father, you know that I have accepted you as my only Savior and gotten to know you more over the years.  And, I thank you for rescuing me from all my sins, for giving me holy standing in your eyes, forever and ever.  I am sorry for the times that I still "fall short" of your glory as I walk this Christian life, but I am so grateful that you saw fit to let me hear the true gospel message that I shared with readers this morning.  My prayer for them, Lord, is that every one who has read these words will be seduced by your Holy Spirit.  For those who have not met your only begotten Son,Jesus, yet, I pray that they will make the decision to accept Him.  For my brothers and sisters who have already accepted Him, I pray that reflecting on their decision (whether recent or many years ago) will re-affirm in their hearts the reality of your presence.  I pray that all will realize more deeply how very MUCH you love them.  Thank you for your amazing love that caused you to put on the human body and come to earth for 33 years, for showing us how to live the perfect life, and then, for laying that life down of your own will, because you knew that sacrificing yourself for us was the only way to for us fallen creatures to be restored to our Creator, our Father God.  I love you!