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.

Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 makes it clear that salvation depends upon our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not saved because of good works or good intentions. Rather, our salvation depends on trusting Christ completely. It’s a matter of what we say and what we believe. There must be coherence between our lips and our heart. Elsewhere Paul will make sure we understand that our faith must be lived out as well (for example, Eph. 2:8-10). In the end, our saving faith in Christ affects every part of our lives: how we think, feel, speak, and live.

We might wonder why it’s so important to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Isn’t this just one of many core Christian beliefs? Yes, indeed. But the resurrection is the linchpin of our faith. It holds together our belief that Jesus’ death on the cross effected our forgiveness and that through him we can begin to experience the new life of God’s glorious future. The resurrection of Jesus proved that he was not just some pretender to the messianic throne, but God’s anointed and, indeed, the Lord before whom every knee will one day bow.

Romans 10:9 offers reassurance that our salvation does not depend on our success as Christians, but upon our faith in the God who saves us through Jesus Christ. Thus when we fall short in our discipleship, we press on with assurance that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When did you first confess the lordship of Jesus and believe in his resurrection? What does it mean for Jesus to be the Lord of your life?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, how I thank you for your grace given to me through Christ. For all the ways you have helped me to have faith, I am eternally grateful . . . literally.

I ask for yet more grace, so that I might not just confess Jesus as Lord, but live with him as my Lord each and every day. Help me especially in situations where I’m apt to forget or neglect his lordship. May my life be a continuous act of worship to my Lord who is also my Savior.

Finally, I pray for those who are struggling to confess Jesus as Lord or to believe in his resurrection, pour out your grace upon them. Stir in their minds and hearts by your Spirit. Bring them to the place where they can truly confess and believe. To you be all the glory, Amen.