that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Rom. 10:9 NASB)
I used to have a lot of difficulty with this scripture. I thought that even if you believe, but don’t let that belief change you, then you are not truly saved. I can believe that eating right and exercising will help me stay fit and healthy. However, if I don’t ever exercise, and all I eat is junk food, then that belief does me no good.
That line of thinking seems to make sense. However, understanding what the words in this verse mean and the context surrounding them should lead to a better understanding.
The word “confess” as it is used here, means, “to declare fully, implying the yielding or change of one’s conviction.
The word “believe” comes from a Greek word that means, “to think to be true; to be persuaded of; to credit, place confidence in; specifically, ‘the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of his soul’.”
So, the verse could be stated,
that if you declare “Jesus as Lord”, allowing that statement to form your convictions, and are confident in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved
The Amplified Bible states it this way:
because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
That is how knowing the definitions of these words can shape the meaning of the verse.
Context helps, too:
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, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 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; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:8-13 NASB)
The bigger picture reiterates that the belief resides in your heart. Remember, to believe means that you are persuaded and place confidence in. Paul goes on to say that this confidence leads to righteousness. Simply allowing your mind to believe something is not the same as believing in your heart. When you are persuaded that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then you will begin to live a righteous life.
Belief is certainly an important part of salvation, but there must be confession as well. When you confess that Jesus is Lord, and allowing that confession to mold your convictions, then you are saved.
Belief and confession are both necessary components.
So, how does v. 13 fit in?
for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
We just said that salvation comes from believing and confessing. Now, this verse talks about “calling on the name of the Lord”. Remember, all these verses work together to form a cohesive thought. If you are believing that God raised Christ from the dead, and declaring that Jesus is Lord, then it only makes sense that you will cry out to Him, asking for your salvation.
Christ died and rose again so that you may be saved. This offer of salvation extends to all the world. However, you are not saved because Christ died for you. You are saved when you acknowledge that He did and accept the righteousness that He offers. He paid the price, but you must accept His gift.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Rom. 6:23 NASB)
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