ROMANS 10: 8-13
THE TERMS OF SALVATION
George Swanson had a plan to get to heaven. He was buried in His corvette. He planned to drive His white corvette down the highway to heaven and arrive at "the Pearly Gates in style" the newspaper column said. That was George Swanson plan. Unfortunately for him, it is not God’s plan. God’s plan is found in the Roman Road to salvation and heaven which we have been studying. To get to heaven, you must go by the way of the cross. God’s plan is to give His priceless salvation as a free gift to all who trust Him and demonstrate that faith publically by confessing Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
God’s plan of salvation is applicable to all people; from the irreligious to the religious, from the bad to the good, the illiterate to the educated, the young to the old, the poor to the wealthy, the sick to the healthy, the feeble to the strong, from the nutty to the wise. It is an all encompassing plan. God has opened the door of heaven and bids all men everywhere to call upon Him and come to His eternal home.
Here in Romans 10:8-13 God explains to us "The Terms of Salvation," so simply that any one could understand, and all who understand could proclaim them. God explains how a man can be saved by faith, then who and what he is to have faith in, for it to be saving faith. God’s plan is that you must personally and publicly transfer your faith for your salvation to Jesus (CIT). You must personally and publically transfer your faith to who Jesus is and what He has done for you. A person is saved by personal faith and public confession.
Our text has three points:
I. THE PROCLAMATION OF FAITH, 10:8.
II. THE PLAN OF FAITH, 10:9-10.
III. THE PEOPLE OF FAITH, 10:11-13.
1st, THE PROCLAMATION OF FAITH (10:8).
Have you ever asked, "how do I become a Christian?" The following verses give you God’s beautiful answer. Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. People think salvation is a difficult endeavor, but it is not. Verse 8 teaches us that faith in Christ is readily accessible. "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
Since Christ has come to earth and died for sin and rose again, He and His gospel are near. Righteousness or salvation by faith is "near" or readily available to those who will listen to or read the word. How near is it? How available is it? It is as near, as available as, " the word" (rh ma, "saying") of faith the Spirit is proclaiming [rh ma, "the spoken word" is also used in Eph. 5:26; 6:17; 1 Peter 1:25]. The gospel, "the word of faith," is available and accessible to all who will truly hear it. All one needs to do is receive the implanted word of faith (Jas. 1:21).
God opens you heart to speak faith into your heart by His Word. As Romans 10:17 teaches, "Now faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." God builds faith in the heart through our receiving, believing, and obeying the Word of God.
God is not distant and nebulas or undefinable. He is a person, near and intimate. He through His Spirit is present in the preaching of the Gospel. He is known not through mystical and indescribable experiences. He is know by making Himself known through the Word Incarnate and through His witness to the Word in its preaching and proclamation. This is "in the word of faith we are now proclaiming" (Heb. 4:12; 6:5). God has done it all. Our part is to believe His saving message.
II. THE PLAN OF FAITH, 10:9-10.
In verses 9-10 Paul stated the content of that message of faith in which we place our faith. The word of salvation, the word of righteousness and its confession is found in verse 9. "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
"The word of faith" is something to confess as well as believe (2 Cor. 4:13-14). Saving faith has two ingredients: inward belief and outward confession. These essentials of faith belong together. Confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord is mentioned first. Their order, however, is less important than their inseparability [James Edwards, Romans, New International Biblical Com. 1992, 255]. Belief without confession is denial and confession without belief is ritual.
The confession with the mouth is public acknowledgment elicited by or because of an agreement with God in the inner being. What is to be acknowledges is not only that Jesus Christ is God but that you are proclaiming Him your own personal Lord. Lord is from kurios, which here signifies sovereign power and authority. Scripture never separates Christ’s lordship from His saviorhood. In the entire New Testament Jesus is referred to as Savior ten times and as Lord over seven hundred times. [MacArthur, John. Romans. MacArthur NT Com. 1994. 75]. If Jesus is not your Lord, He is not your Savior.
Many people acknowledge that Jesus is both the Son of God and Lord of the universe. Paul though is speaking of the deep, personal, abiding conviction that will (publically) confess Jesus as Lord, that is, will confess that Jesus is the believer’s own sovereign, ruling Lord, in whom alone he trusts for salvation and to whom he submits.
Another essential truth is the heart-faith that God raised Him from the dead (v. 7). Apart from Christ’s resurrection there is no salvation. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the supreme proof that His ministry was validated and successful. To believe that God has raised Christ from the dead includes the belief that Christ is all that He claim to be and that He accomplished all that He came to accomplish [Hodge, Charles. Romans. Banner of Truth. p. 341].
The resurrection was the Father’s final stamp of approval on His Son and the final feature in the provision of salvation for those who trust in Him. The resurrection divinely certifies that Jesus is the Messiah, the only Savior, the sovereign and sinless Lord, the sacrificial Lamb who paid the price for our redemption. He is the Judge of All men, the Conqueror of Death, the coming King of kings.
True belief in Christ’s lordship and in His resurrection comes from the heart (as vv. 9 & 10 both clearly state). The Hebrews considered the heart to be the core of one’s being and the residence of the soul, the deepest, innermost part of man—where thought, will, and motive are generated. That is why the ancient writer admonished, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" (Prov. 4:23).
It is with the heart that man believes, and it is therefore with his heart that man determines his eternal destiny. In the heart you must forsakes your own goodness and trust the goodness or righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.
We are invited to believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and to confess or to make a deliberate and public witness to that belief. It is the combination of belief and confession which our text say results in salvation. To deny Him by rejecting such a simple gracious offer which requires only faith and confession is inexcusable!
The order of confess and belief is reversed in verse 10. for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
Confess of the mouth and belief in the heart are not two separate steps to salvation. They must be united together. Salvation comes through acknowledging that Christ is the Lord God and believing in Him. For if you truly believe in the heart you will publically confess it with your mouth. It you can’t confess Christ publically there is no inner saving belief.
Heart-faith is true confidence, and involves an earnest committal of one’s self and interests to the demands of the truth believed. It is like the trust children have toward their father and mother and their real friends. Heart faith will involve a voluntary state of mind but it is essentially an act of the will or heart.
It is with the mouth, or with verbal public witness that man confesses, the Bible says. Confess (homologeo) has the root meaning of speaking the same thing, of being in agreement and accord with someone. Confession means a deliberate and public witness to that belief [Edwards, 255]. The person who confesses Jesus as Lord (v. 9) agrees with God the Father, and that confession mixed with genuine trust brings salvation.
We publically confess with our mouth because we are willing to be made righteous, to become different, to become like Jesus. We confess Him because we believe in Him and have decided to become like Him, to become righteous. God will make righteous those who confess Him from their heart both by imputation of His righteousness and by sanctification as they live out Christ’s righteousness. Belief in Christ brings an entirely different kind and quality of life—a holy life, a righteous life, an eternal life. Do you have such life?
Saving faith brings about a righteous life. Faith that does not lead to a righteous life is not saving faith. The Scriptures testify that the "devils also believe and tremble," but it surely cannot be meant that demons have heart-faith. They do not believe unto righteousness. They do not repent and forsake their way by surrendering to the Savior who can forgive and remove their sin. Are you being made more and more like Christ? Are you becoming righteous?
1st was the Proclamation of Faith, 2nd the Plan of Faith & last is...
III. THE PEOPLE OF FAITH, 10:11-13.
The argument for the way of salvation is concluded by citing two Old Testament verses to prove the point. Verse 11 indicates how faith can transform your life. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."
For the blessings that do not disappoint, believe God. God wants to transform your life by replacing hesitation with bold confidence because of your maturing belief in the sure promises of God. So your faith might rest in the word of God Paul quotes Isaiah 28:16 (Rom 9:33).
There are three points established by this quotation. The first is that the way if salvation is the same for everyone. Jew or gentile, religious or irreligious, good or bad, educated or illiterate, old or young, wealthy or poor, healthy or sick, strong or feeble.
The second point is that faith is the means of securing salvation. The apostle quotes Scripture again to make it clear that the Old Testament had consistently reiterated the principle of faith and to demonstrate that the intention of Yahweh to make His salvation available to any and all.
Salvation through faith in Him for anyone who believes has always been God’s plan. As Paul declared earlier, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek " (Rom. 1:16). "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Cor. 5:17, emphasis added). From eternity past, God’s Word invariably has accomplished His divine goal, which has always included His loving and gracious desire that no human being would perish but that "all [would] come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).
The third point is that you will not be disappointed because child-like faith in Jesus will save you and you will not be disappointed with the life of salvation once you receive it.
Now the Bible is not saying that Christians will never be disappointed. There will be times when people let us down and when circumstances are difficult. The Bible is saying that God will keep His side of the covenant. Those who call on Him will be saved and will be eternally saved by Christ’s righteousness. God responds to each individual who believes with the gift of His righteousness
I love preaching, teaching, and sharing the gospel. Why? Because it works. I get to see lives changed, families put back together, and transformed lives improved. Proclaiming the word works. When you share with people, you never have to think, I hope it will works for him, her, or them. It will. Whoever submits to Jesus’ lordship will not be ashamed. His Word guarantees it. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson’s Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 959.]
Verse 12 reminded us of God’s impartiality. "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;"
Just as all who sin will be judged (3:22), so all who believe will be saved and richly blessed. Jesus is Lord of all, and He is Lord for all. Jew and Gentile can both be rescued, and they can be brought together into His kingdom, the church.
God is infinitely rich in both earthly (Hag. 2:8; Ps. 50:10-12) and eternal wealth. He is abounding in riches and generously bestows His blessing upon all who call upon Him. He lavish mercy, kindness, grace, peace, wisdom, discretion, prudence, joy, meekness, patience, and forgiveness, upon all who call upon Him. Have you experienced the generosity that He grants to His all children?
This conclusion is supported by a quotation from Joel 2:32 in verse 13. "for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved."
To call on the Lord means to pray in faith for salvation. Will you do that? Will you call upon the Lord and acknowledge Him as Lord of your life? If you will do that with your heart God promises that He will save you [Acts 2:37-42].
CONCLUSION / RESPONSE
Will you call on the Lord? God’s gives each person a gracious offer of salvation in Christ Jesus. All you need to do is place your faith in Him by asking Him to be your Savior and Lord?
Who of you have placed your faith in Him? Who of you will now commit yourself to Christ? If the thing required were intellectual faith, I could explain to you how it is reached. We could find mental assent by searching through the evidence in the case. But heart-faith must be reached by the simple voluntary commitment to trust, to take God at His Word.
Will you simply bow your knees before God and commit yourself to His will; saying, "I take You at You word. Please be my Savior and Lord! It is a simple act of your will. Will you ask God to save you?
You need a heart of faith because the place of faith is the heart. How can you have a believing heart? By opening your heart to God’s gracious offer of salvation in Christ. To those who place their faith for their salvation in Christ He grants Christ’s rightness. Will you believe in your heart? If so, you need to confess with your mouth. Make your confession public here and now. There is no better place. There is no better time.
Will you not call on the Lord tonight? Will you not come out of your secret belief and
publically confirm your believing in Him for who He is. Lord of all, and what He has done, provided the perfectly acceptable sacrifice for your sins?
Dear friend to reject Christ is to reject His righteousness, the perfect standing before a Holy God that only He can provide. Believers in Christ receive righteousness as a gracious gift from God which we never could have achieved by our own efforts. Everyone who believes in Him, signs, as it were, the new and eternal covenant that Christ sealed with His own blood (see Heb. 12:24; 13:20), and makes His righteousness their own. Will you?
Will you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? If so would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I turn from my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name I call, Amen.
Come publically tonight and begin acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior before men. You will find that Jesus Christ does not disappoint. You come as the Spirit leads. You will not be disappointed.
