BELIEVING and CONFESSING

"But what does it [the righteousness of faith] say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 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. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." -- Romans 10:8-11, NKJV In this text, the Spirit is contrasting the righteousness that comes by Law, and the rghteousness that comes by faith. How does the individual become righteous before God? How can God's approval be obtained? The Law is straightforward. "The man who DOES those things shall live by them" (Rom 10:5). No mistakes are allowed, and no Divine strength is given for the task. All of the information is supplied to you in the Law, and your perfect obedience to that Law will make you righteous. It all sounds good enough unless you have been convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11). The truth of the matter is that you do not have the ability to do the "things" the Law demands. Your powers have been blasted by sin, and you stand guilty of breaking the commandments that were "ordained unto life" (Rom 7:10). It is not that there is nothing you can do, for our text gives you two things to do--and do them you must. You will not be able to boast in doing them, because they both have to do with what has been accomplished by Another, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither, indeed, is it easy to do these things. Satan will make every effort to keep you from giving attention to these matters. He knows they unlock the prison in which men are held, enabling them escape his snare. Now, let us hear the righteousness of faith, or the righteousness that comes through faith, speak. How eloquent it is! "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."

Confessing With Your Mouth

And what is it we are to confess with our mouth--openly and audibly? It is not our sin--that is not what brings the righteousness of God to you. You confess "Jesus is Lord." Not that He is merely Lord of your life--that is not big enough. He is "Lord of all" Acts 10:36). You are not thereby making Him Lord; God has already "made Him both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). You are acknowledging this is the case--that you see it and receive it. By confessing this, you relinguish the right to govern yourself. You admit to the truth of the Gospel, and align yourself with it.

Believing In Your Heart

What is it we are asked to believe? Were this a matter governed by men, you would be asked to believe the various tenets of the denomination. But this is not what brings the blessing. Rather, we are required to believe in our heart that "God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead." Believing this "in your heart" means you are persuaded of the proclamation, and seek the efficacy of it to be applied to you. If ever you are going to recover from death in trespasses and sins, it must be through One Who has Himself come back from the dead. Your "heart" is at the center of your person. It is the essential you. Just as your body is the most external part of you, your heart is the most internal part of you. To believe smething in your heart effects your whole person. No questions! No reservations! No hesitation or relunctancy! This means you have pondered what you have heard in the Gospel. You have thought upon it and determined to embrace the Lord Jesus Christ. You will not balk at anything He asks you to do, or question any of His directives. God raised Him from the dead, and that is what you want Him to do for you.

What Will Happen?

And what will happen to the person who confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believes in his heart God has raised Him from the dead? "YOU SHALL BE SAVED!" Interestingly enough, this is spoken to those who are already in Christ. This is how they got in, and this is how they stay in. This is not a one-time event, but a life-time commitment. The reason for such effectiveness is given. "For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." There are whole bodies of theology that refuse to accept this Divine declaration, but that has absolutely no bearing on the subject. God has gone on record, and you can take hold of it! Your salvation depends upon your response to Jesus Christ. You must acknowledge Who He is with your mouth, and believe in your heart that He is alive forevermore. It should be obvious that these actions bring a power that will permeate the totality of life. We will procure real righteousness, thereby being acceptable to God. We will also obtain a very real salvation, thereby being released from the power of sin and death. These are areas upon which you are to continually focus: believing and confessing. You will find God has surely spoken the truth on this matter.

-- MONDAY: YOU SHALL FIND REST! --