because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” vs. 9
Romans 10:5-11
Paul taught that the righteousness of God comes as a gift through faith, and not through obedience to the law. To make this clear, he describes the content of faith as confession of Jesus as Lord and belief in the resurrection. Those who have faith, as thus defined, will have salvation. When he wrote these words he could not have predicted how this simple truth would be distorted and abused. For some reason, countless Christians have turned this beautiful grace-filled affirmation into an ugly law of exclusion. They say that anyone who does not confess Jesus as Lord will not be saved and will instead spend eternity in the fires of hell. They do not seem to care that this interpretation condemns billions of people, including, in many cases, members of their own families. How can anyone even imagine that this teaching reflects the righteousness of God? Jesus himself never taught anything like this! Of course it’s good news that followers of Jesus have salvation, but to then say that nonbelievers or those of other faiths are condemned is anything but gracious and merciful. In fact, it’s a hateful and divisive message, one that should be repugnant to any true follower of Jesus. It is God’s desire that all people be saved, and if that’s what God wants, that’s what God will get! Praise God!
Thought for the Day: Why is it a good thing to confess Jesus as Lord?
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