Scripture

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.

Observation

Paul’s deep desire is for his own people to be saved. They love God, but their zeal is misdirected. They cling to the Law, but Christ has died for the purpose for which the Law was given.

Moses made it clear that, to be saved, a person had to obey all the commands. But faith says that the message of salvation is close at hand; in fact it is on our lips and in our heart.

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.

Application

Being right with God is not a complicated affair. We don’t have to obey a million laws or go through complex religious sacrifices or go on dangerous pilgrimages. No, we simply change our identity from “sinner” to “saint.”

The first step is to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. This is a declaration of loyalty.

We have many people, organisations, and institutions demanding our loyalty. Political leaders, football teams, social media influencers, car manufacturers- they all want our affections, even our worship. Into the mix we have our own desires and lusts wanting to be indulged.

To be a christian is to say that Jesus is Lord. He is my King, my boss, my only desire.

For early christians, this was a dangerous confession. The state demanded that every citizen confess “Caesar is Lord,” but christians refused to the point of death. Only Jesus is Lord.

The second step is to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from death. We might not really grasp the meaning of this when we first make our confession, but the Holy Spirit brings deeper conviction over time.

If I believe in my heart that Jesus rose from the dead, then I know that I, too, will rise from the dead. Then the attractions of this world become less important to me in the light of eternity.

Prayer

Lord, I believe and I confess. Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into conviction and total surrender. Amen.