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. 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. Romans 10:9-10
Paul
gave a simple formula for salvation:
1. Declare
with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” – this public declaration is like a wedding vow, spoken out loud,
saying that you agree that Jesus has all authority over your life. You must humble yourself and bow to this
majesty.
2. Believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead – Belief is trust, faith, knowing without a doubt that Jesus came
to earth, lived, died on a cross and rose again three days later.
Paul says if you follow those
two steps, you will be saved from your sins and live in a relationship with God
forever.
Why these two steps? The “heart” is the center of you, your will,
your belief, your identity, your emotions.
The “mouth” is the open declaration of your intent no matter the
cost. To say something openly is a step above
believing something privately. Like
wearing a ring after a wedding, you are identifying yourself openly in a new
way.
We are saved from our sins
and we are saved from ourselves by identifying ourselves in a new relationship
and a new commitment to a new way of life.