…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.
Have you heard it said that some Christians receive Jesus as Savior but not as Lord? According to Paul, this is not possible. To know Jesus as Savior is to know Him more and more as Lord; you cannot separate the lordship of Christ from the salvific work of Christ.* In fact, in declaring Jesus as Lord, you are recognizing that Jesus was more than a rabbi or a messiah - you are declaring that He is fully God and Lord of all.* Confessing Jesus as Lord means that one belongs to Jesus and is submitted to Him.* This submission and recognition of Christ is required for Salvation. Hence, one cannot receive Christ as Savior and not as Lord and cannot recive Him as Lord without embracing HIs salvation.
Similarly, the confession of the mouth and belief in the heart that Paul notes as requirements for salvation are tied.* So much so, Paul lists them in opposite order in verses 9 and 10 so as to communicate their connectedness.* Confession and belief are not two separate activities but are two parts of one expression of faith.* As theologian Colin Kruse shares,
Believing with the heart without confession with the mouth is not true faith. Confession with the mouth without belief in the heart would be hypocrisy.
Theologian Leon Morris states,
With that confession Paul links believing in the heart. The reference to the heart points to the inwardness of faith; Paul is not referring to a superficial confession, accompanied by no more than a token faith. He is referring to a faith that takes hold of the whole of the inner man.
He also shares that,
Both the outward and the inward are important. No one is saved by the merely outward; the state of the heart is important. But Paul does not contemplate an inner state that is not reflected in outward conduct. If anyone really believes he will confess Christ, so it is natural to link the two.
The beauty of salvation is that the only part we have to do is believe. This belief, if true, will manifest in confession. The work of Christ on the cross is so strong and so complete that the only thing left undone is our choice to confess and believe. The salvation set before us is not just reserved for one future day when Christ returns, but it is made available today as a current state made complete on His return.*
Are you saved? Have you believed? Is He your Savior and Lord?
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to breathe in afresh the beauty of the Gospel. Perhaps God wants you to share that Gospel with someone you know. Maybe the one step that God wants you to take is to remember that Jesus is your Savior and Lord.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 410). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 270–271). InterVarsity Press.
Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 384–386). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (p. 336). Zondervan Publishing House.