The Word Of Faith That We Proclaim.

THE WORD OF FAITH THAT WE PROCLAIM.

Romans 10:8-13.

For Moses, the word was ‘nigh thee, in your mouth and in your heart, THAT YOU MAY DO IT’ (Deuteronomy 30:14). The Apostle Paul makes a new application of this as “the word of FAITH which we proclaim” (Romans 10:8). According to Paul, the object of that faith can only be the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a word that we ‘do’ as was the law, but a word that we “BELIEVE”, as Paul goes on to expound.

"In your mouth and in your heart" (Romans 10:8) finds its match in Romans 10:9, where the Apostle pronounces: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God Him raised from the dead, you shall be saved.”

Rather than pursuing futile attempts to fulfill the law by works of righteousness, we are called to a heart religion. Whoever believes in Jesus will not be ashamed. Whoever calls upon His name shall be saved.

Heart belief is a sincere and personal acceptance of the truth which God has revealed to us. The word of God which is near to us, in our mouth and in our heart, testifies to our inability to keep the law of God. It testifies of our sinfulness. It testifies that the wages of sin is death, eternal separation from God. It testifies of our need of a saviour. It testifies that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of sinners, that He laid down His life for our sins and that God raised Him from the dead that we might live in Him.

Sincere faith will lead to public confession of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not an easy confession to make, as the community in Rome will have known. On the one hand, there was the opposition of those within the synagogue: on the other, the civil authorities and state religions which felt threatened by the claims of Jesus’ Lordship.

The confession of faith strengthens the believer. It brings with it the assurance that we are on the side of the victor. It is a clear announcement of intent in the spiritual warfare. It is a challenge to those who hear.

One way in which we confess our faith is through the waters of baptism. There we publicly and openly say farewell to the old way of life, and are initiated into the community of believers. To be baptised into Christ Jesus is to die to sin, to be buried in His death, and to rise again in the newness of life. (Romans 6:3-5).

Paul then turns this the right way up as to our experience. First, man believes with the heart “unto righteousness” (Romans 10:10). This is not the same as head belief, of which another New Testament writer says that ‘the devils believe, and tremble’ (James 2:19). Secondly, heart belief goes further, and gives voice to its saving conviction that JESUS, not Caesar, is Lord!

This belief is more akin to “trust” than the mere assent to a Creed. “Whosoever” puts his trust in Him will not be put to shame (Romans 10:11 cf. Isaiah 28:16). This “whosoever” consists of both Jews and Gentiles, and the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him (Romans 10:12).

The Apostle Paul’s next citation comes from the minor Prophets. ‘Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered” (Joel 2:32) becomes “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord (meaning Jesus, as in Acts 2:21) shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

That is who we are: ‘those who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:2).