Romans 10:5-15 Moses said that a person could become acceptable to God by obeying the Law. He did this when he wrote, “If you want to live, you must do all that the Law commands.” But people whose faith makes them acceptable to God will never ask, “Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?” Neither will they ask, “Who will go down into the world of the dead to raise him to life?” All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, “The message is as near as your mouth or your heart.” And this is the same message we preach about faith. So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. God will accept you and save you if you truly believe this and tell it to others. The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. All who call out to the Lord will be saved. How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news.
- EVERY PERSON HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE SAVED
If you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
* Without qualification, this applies to everyone
Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect: they all have the same Lord who generously gives his riches to all those who ask him for them. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:12-13
* Salvation is specifically offered to individuals, not to groups
- CONFESSION IS AGREEING WITH GOD THAT WE ARE SINFUL
* It is the holy spirit who brings conviction to the heart of man
But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don’t, the Comforter won’t come. If I do, he will—for I will send him to you. “And when he has come, he will convince the world of its sin, and of the availability of God’s goodness, and of deliverance from judgment. John 16:7-8
God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ. Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus, and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2:7-10
*A person first believes with God that he is a sinner and then externalize their agreement with their mouth
Romans 10:10 For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation.
Why “with thy mouth?” In this way, we verify our faith and its personal application—unlike a people who when asked whether they are saved say, “Mum told me I was when I was a little girl.”
The salvation that comes from trusting Christ—which is what we preach—is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8-9
III. THERE IS AN INITIAL CONFESSION (Step Three) AND CONTINUOUS CONFESSIONS (Step Ten)
Initial confession indicates a change in our position from darkness to light, from death to life, or a rebirth.
Jesus said, “With all the earnestness I possess I tell you this: Unless you are born again, you can never get into the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3
*After our transforming experience, we must continue to confess our sins to God for forgiveness
This is the message God has given us to pass on to you: that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all. So if we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned. 1 John 1:5-10
- WHAT MUST WE BELIEVE TO BE SAVED?
*Without faith in the resurrection, there can be no salvation
1 Corinthians 15:12-18 Since you believe what we preach, that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying that dead people will never come back to life again? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ must still be dead. And if he is still dead, then all our preaching is useless and your trust in God is empty, worthless, hopeless; and we apostles are all liars because we have said that God raised Christ from the grave, and of course that isn’t true if the dead do not come back to life again. If they don’t, then Christ is still dead, and you are very foolish to keep on trusting God to save you, and you are still under condemnation for your sins; in that case, all Christians who have died are lost!
*Since Jesus is Lord, He also raised Himself
Christ rose from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. Romans 6:9
Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has forgiven us and given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? Will Christ? No! For he is the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us there in heaven. Romans 8:33-34
Jesus said, “this is the miracle I will do for you: Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up!” John 2:1
The fact is that Christ did actually rise from the dead and has become the first of millions who will come back to life again someday. 1 Corinthians 15:20
*The Holy Spirit, being part of the Triune God, also raised Jesus from the dead.
If the Spirit of God, who raised up Jesus from the dead, lives in you, he will make your dying bodies live again after you die, by means of this same Holy Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11
- THE RESULT OF THIS BELIEF AND CONFESSION IS SALVATION
*Salvation is an act of God, not us, and it can never be taken away.
Jesus promised,” I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one shall snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else, so no one can kidnap them from me.” John 10:28-29
sharing my experience, strength and hope. 