The Power of Confession - Romans 10

 

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Paul again affirms his heart's desire for his fellow Jews to be saved.  He recognizes their zeal, but states that their zeal has been misplaced.  It was based on feelings not facts.  Though they thought they knew God and met his expecations, it was by their own standard.  They were sincere, but sincerely wrong.  Most people will usually assume they are a good person.  But this determination is usually based on a self made standard. Often I know that I think more highly of myself than I ought.  Most people hope God grades on a curve, but God grades on a cross.  On the cross Jesus became our righteousness. He did for us what we could never do ourselves.  

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Paul says that it is not about the amount of good deeds we have accomplished, but our trust in what God has done for us.  This word of the gospel is not far away from any one of us. This gospel word requires a response from us personally like any good communication.  Accepting Christ by faith is not just an intellectual assent, but a belief in our heart that is expressed with our mouths.  William Barclay, famous New Testament theologican says this,

"Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus: We can never forget all that it meant to say that Jesus Christ is Lord. “If a man called Jesus kurios he was ranking him with the Emperor and with God; he was giving him the supreme place in his life; he was pledging him implicit obedience and reverent worship.” (Barclay)

To "confess" something also means to that you "agree" with it.

"When we confess… the Lord Jesus, we agree with what God said about Jesus, and with what Jesus said about Himself. It means we recognize that Jesus is God, that He is the Messiah, and that His work on the cross is the only way of salvation for mankind." (Guzik)

In conclusion, though we don't have to DO anything to be saved, we DO need to confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord.   Confessing Jesus as Lord is a personal thing.  I believe each person has a time in their life where they come to personally acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  They acknowledge that they need Jesus to save them from their sin and trust in Him that his death and resurrection prove He is God!  

Have you had a time in your life when you have personally confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  This is not some formula or checkbox, it is a personal response given to your Father of trust in the gift He has given you in Christ.  It is not our work. The Holy Spirit leads us to confess Jesus as our Lord.  You can do this anytime and anywhere. In the quiet of your own heart, or in the company of other believers.  If you have accepted Jesus as Your Savior, how often do you give thanks and re-affirm that it is by grace you are saved not works lest anyone should boast?  When you confess Jesus is Lord, you also agree to follow him as your Lord.  Though we are not perfect our life's goal is to live a life worthy of our calling. Jesus shows us how much he means to us when he dies for us on the cross.  We show Jesus how much he means to us by how we live our lives for him.