Romans 10:9-10 “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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10 verses 9 and 10 at first glance do not seem to mention any sort of medical procedure, there is very little jargon or multisyllable words that we need to look up in a dictionary. And yet on a spiritual level, these verses describe a heart transplant. God wants to give everyone born into sin, who have been blinded and bound in the domain of darkness, a new heart. God wants to replace the stone-cold heart of an unbeliever, with the Spirit filled heart of faith in Jesus Christ and the resurrection of our Lord.
It begins with a key missional word, “if.” “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.” (Romans 10:9) All that is needed for eternal salvation is found in this pointed verse in St. Paul’s letter written to the Romans. I say that “if” is a missional word in this passage because it has the greatest consequence of any “What if” question any person has ever asked themselves.
We all know what it is like to pause for a little while before jumping into the deep end of a conflict or problem dwelling on the question, “What if?” What if the water is too deep? What if I say the wrong thing? What if I am not up to the task at hand? What if…What if…What if… In this passage there is their greatest comfort and result of answering this if question as St. Paul describes. If you confess that Jesus is Lord, if you believe in your heart that He was raised on Easter Morning, you will be saved. St. Paul is extremely clear at this point. He didn’t say, you might be saved, he didn’t say this opens the door for you to walk through it, he didn’t say now you have to prove yourself worthy of God’s grace. St. Paul said, “You and I will be saved.”
I am sure over the summer some “What if” questions and situations will arise for you and your family. I hope that you remember this great promise from Romans 10:9-10 and let the Holy Spirit ease any doubts or second guessing of yourself so that you can jump right into the joy-filled life that God has planned for you. God has given you and me new hearts of faith and eager mouths to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Pastor Ryan
