In Rom 10:9-10, we read, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
How do we get saved?
According to Paul, we are saved if we declare with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead.
We all know and understand what Paul is not saying; he is not telling us to say the words “Jesus is Lord” and have faith in God raising Jesus from the dead. If this was what he meant, everyone could be saved even if they lived in continual sin and never repented. This would mean that a pedophile could say the words “Jesus is Lord” and declare he believed God raised him from the dead and be saved while he continued to molest children.
What did Paul mean when he wrote Romans 10:9-10: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
The Greek word Paul uses for the mouth is not referring to our physical mouths with lips and teeth. It is instead referring to our testimony and what we do. The Greek word Paul uses for heart refers to our thoughts, not the physical heart in our chest. And the Greek word Paul uses for belief is an active verb, something we do.
So what Paul is trying to tell us is this: If everyone can see Jesus is your Lord because your mind is constantly focused on doing what your Lord told you to do, you will be saved.
So what did Jesus tell us to do?
In Matthew 23:2-4 is one of many examples showing us Jesus told us to obey the law of Moses. So what Paul is trying to say to us is consistent with 1. John 2 where John says if we claim to be in Jesus, we have to live as He lived His life.
This is why Paul in Rom 2:13 says, only those who obey the law of Moses are righteous, and only those who show their faith in obedience to the law are saved.
[wpedon id=”383″]