8 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,
9 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;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."
12 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;
13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
V. 8 - “But what does it say?” - What does ‘righteousness based on faith’ say?
It says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 ) Also, “so that they [humans] would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27)
It says: "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" - This is quoted from Deut. 30:14, where Moses is telling the Jews the information they already have what is needed for salvation.
“the word of faith which we are preaching” - Paul is leading us to salvation by faith, not by works. He does not say, “If you go on this mission, you will be saved.” He does not say, “If you complete these tasks, God will be pleased and you will be saved.”
V. 9-10 - “Confess... Believe”, and “Believe... Confess” - Paul uses repetition to enforce the point in these two verses. Our faith in Christ will lead us to say out loud that Jesus is God. Calling Jesus a good teacher, and stopping there, is totally inadequate, only acknowledging He existed in history.
Our faith in Christ as Lord leads us to know He has defeated death by His resurrection.
Christ sacrificed Himself for our sins.
He died because of our sins.
That death was not futile or wasted.
How do we know this? Because of the resurrection!
Because all sin was covered by His sacrifice, He is risen to the highest honor in the universe - King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. All things have been put under His authority.
When we believe in our heart - the mind, the emotions, and the will all agree - we are as Abraham. Our faith is reckoned to us as righteousness. Think of ‘reckoned’ as an accounting term - your faith has been written down in God’s accounting ledger. That ledger will never be erased, the evidence and record is always there.
Believing is more than mental acknowledgment. Believing leads to speaking - out loud to others, witness, as it were - that we believe Jesus is Lord God and is our savior. We confess the truth, the facts, as if in a court of law. We are staking our life and reputation on Jesus Christ. The belief in Jesus is personal between individuals and God. Your father or mother cannot do it for you. Your brother or sister or best friend cannot believe and confess for you. The confession is publicly laying claim to Jesus as our savior. Our word is our bond, stronger than a written contract.
V. 11 - “Whoever believes...” - Quoted from Isa. 28:16. God was telling the people of Israel they have been rebellious. Rebellious to the point they must taught like babies, with simple words. They have exchanged the refuge in God for a deal with the devil, hope exchanged for a lie. He is offering them the chance to cancel the deal with the devil - if they would hear His message and believe in His cornerstone, His foundation!
V. 12 - “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek” - Almost a parenthetical statement inserted between the two “whoever...” sentences in verses 11 and 13. Verse 12 emphasizes the point being made in verse 11, and verse 13 emphasizes that in 12.
Paul has been building the case: Gentiles are children of God by faith, just as Jews are children of God by faith. Neither Gentiles nor Jews come to salvation by works. “Greek” used here is not a reference to Grecian, but as a stand-in for Gentiles. (Although they all lived in a Roman controlled world, the Greek culture was predominant.)
“the same Lord is Lord of all” - There is not one God or Lord for the Jews, and another different God or Lord for the Gentiles. There is only One Lord God Almighty over all. He does not have one standard or requirement for salvation for the Jews and a different requirement for everyone else.
“abounding in riches for all who call on Him” - This is one those amazing statements! Can you comprehend:
Jesus gave His life to save you from the penalty of your sin, AND, all that is His is now also yours. Isn’t salvation enough? It is more than you deserve. But that is not all!
Wrap your mind around that! Your journey in Christian faith is not in economy: with a small seat and no legroom. It is not in steerage: in the bottom and back of the ship near the engine room. Your journey with Christ is First Class - you are His and he has been highly exalted.
V. 13 - "For Whoever will call on the name ..." Quoted from Joel 2:32, in which God is encouraging the Jews to return to Him. He will pour the Holy Spirit on those He is rescuing. He will deliver them; it will be awesome. All they need to do is call.
The sermon this Sunday was on Matt. 16:13-22: Which was a watershed moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
It asks the all-important question, “Who do you say Jesus is?”
The answer is (must be), “I believe in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”
This is a most profound and powerful statement, a sharp dividing line that separates - those who confess are saved, from everyone else. Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 10:32 NASB) We say out loud (i.e., confess) what we believe in our hearts and minds. When we are baptized, we affirm that Jesus is Lord. We acknowledge who He is - not just another messenger in a long line of messengers sent by God.
Jesus is the representation of God, Jesus is what God is like. What is God like? Jesus Christ. My Savior, the Son of God.
Note: It is possible to say things out loud and not mean or believe them. Listen to almost any modern day politician - it does not matter, Republican or Democrat - we KNOW they are lying to us. And thus we do not trust what they say, and sometimes cannot trust what they do.
Just saying the words, “I believe in Jesus,” if you do not believe in Jesus as Savior is meaningless and worthless.
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