Title: Faith Leading to Salvation
Exposition to Romans 79
faith leading to salvation
Romans 10:9-11
Introduction: Paul is testifying here that man's salvation does not come by superhuman effort, but through the word that is near to us now. No man can obtain righteousness by the law. Because it is written, “He who does the righteousness which is by the law shall live by that righteousness.” But it says that there is no one in this world who will gain righteousness by doing the law. But the righteousness by faith does not require the effort to ascend to heaven to confirm the resurrection of Christ, nor does it need to go down to the grave to confirm the death of Christ. Faith is not earned that way. Faith in Christ is not confirmation, but faith in the Word, which is not in heaven, but hidden in Hades. “The word is near to you, and it is in your mouth, and is in your heart, which is the word of faith that we preach. ” he said.
1. Faith unto Salvation
Paul gives an important definition of faith leading to salvation in verse 9. It says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Although these words here, as well as all statements of the doctrine of salvation in Paul's epistles, come from revelations received directly from the Lord. As for the revelations he received, Paul says, “I have received many revelations, which are exceedingly great” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
The truth of Christianity is believing in Jesus Christ. Trust in him and all problems will be solved. The problem of forgiveness, the problem of salvation, the problem of eternal life, and the problem of heaven will be solved. What, then, does that faith mean when we say we believe in Jesus Christ? Paul is brief, but here he shows the true truth of all that faith.
(1) He said, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord”. First, the confession of the Lordship of Jesus with our mouths is a prerequisite. Central to faith in Christ is a sincere confession of lordship to Christ. This confession is the condition for salvation. When we say that we confess Jesus as Lord here, we mean God. The Greek word 'quirios' should be interpreted in two senses. One is the meaning of the word Lord as used in the secular sense. The term 'curios', generalized in the secular world, refers to a person whose status is opposite to that of a slave. Therefore, it refers to the owner, employer, etc., and the position of the husband to the wife is also the curios.
However, we learn that this word is commonly used in the Bible to refer to God. According to the Septuagint, this Curios is referred to as God. In relation to man, the only person who becomes Curios is God, who is its Creator. However, this word also comes in the New Testament and is connected with Jesus Christ. One day, in a biblical discussion with the Pharisees, Jesus quoted the words of the Psalms and said, “If David calls the Christ Lord, how can he be his descendant?” (Matthew 22:45). This verse shows that Jesus clearly associates the title of Lord that David spoke of with God.
The evidence of Christ's lordship is not unique to the New Testament, though. The lordship of Jesus is evidenced by the word Immanuel in the Old Testament Isaiah and the word ‘Almighty God’ for the name of a son given to us. When looking at all the heresies in the history of the church, one thing in common is the denial of the Lordship of Jesus. The reason the Jews are excluded from salvation is because they do not acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus.
Belief in the resurrection is an absolute factor in salvation because the fact that Christ's death is the atoning death for sinners is confirmed by his resurrection. The belief in Jesus' resurrection, that he rose from the dead, could never come from human knowledge, wisdom, common sense, or experience. Faith has its origin and origin in the Word of God, but it is the heart where the Word is planted and faith is possessed by the Word of God. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ; The faith so planted in his heart cannot be denied with his mouth.
2. The faith of the heart and the confession of the mouth
Paul said in verse 10, “For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made, resulting in salvation.” Paul's distinction between the faith of the heart and the confession of the mouth was not given any special significance. This is a two-sided explanation of full faith.
(1) The heart is the place to keep and store the knowledge of faith. He said that the seed of the word falls into the field of the heart (Matthew 13:19). The righteousness of Christ cannot be obtained by confession with the mouth. He said in his heart, “If you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved.” This salvation is synonymous with the righteousness of Christ. Because receiving the righteousness of Christ is our salvation. Our righteousness consists in believing the gospel with our hearts. Even though we are dumb and cannot confess with words through his mouth, the faith that he believed in his heart and came to righteousness is not lacking in the least for his salvation.
(2) It is said that a person confesses with the mouth and is saved. Those who believe with their heart and have attained righteousness must confess their faith with their mouth. Here, the word confession with the mouth can be interpreted in three ways. One, this word is closely related to evangelism. After verse 11, the preaching faith is coming out. And the other is a confession of faith. Those who believe in their heart and have attained righteousness are not ashamed of Christ. Confessing your faith in Jesus to anyone is a great pride and joy. And another is to lay down one's life for his name's sake. In the past, many forefathers of faith have lost their lives because they refused to deny the name of Christ.
Conclusion: Salvation is not as difficult as keeping the law. Salvation comes through faith in the Word of God. These words are not far away, but “the word is near to you, and it is in your mouth, and it is in your heart.” If we believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are saved. Without realizing this wonderful fact, we have to cast aside the false knowledge that we are doubting the truth of salvation or that we will try to achieve salvation with something else.