For those who are looking for salvation..

[Chrysostom]

The confession of the mouth must arise from the faith of the heart, or it is nothing but empty noise. True that we are justified when we believe and confess, but faith without a changed life is dead, and a confession not sealed by repentance is a mockery. You desire salvation: then do not merely recite these words from Romans as a charm. Let the conviction of your own sins be a wound that cuts deep, for godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation not to be repented of, while worldly sorrow only breeds death.

John the Baptist did not come telling men to boast of Abraham; he drew them away from that vain refuge and commanded fruits worthy of repentance. So you too must rest the hope of your salvation not on a moment’s declaration, but on your own ceaseless turning from sin. Christ made the good confession before Pilate, and we are called to do the same amid suffering and trial, but the confession that saves is one with a cleansed life, washed daily by tears, prayers, and works of mercy.

Read the Gospel of John especially, for there you see the Lord’s divinity shining like lightning, and the truth that He is the very Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, who took flesh for your sake. Yet do not think that because you study Scripture you therefore possess salvation. The proud knowledge of the heretics puffs up; humble obedience builds the house.

Remember this above all: there is no second sacrifice. Christ offered Himself once, and by that one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Do not imagine you can be baptized again, or that a fresh Victim will be slain for you if you fall. There remains a repentance, there remains forgiveness for the contrite, but there is no other Cross. Therefore, if after believing and confessing you stain the garment, do not sleep. Let not a day pass without accusing yourself, mourning for sin, and hastening to the Physician with the medicine of mercy. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for your hope must be in yourself after the lovingkindness of God, not in another’s name or lineage. Partake of Christ’s sufferings by enduring temptation, and His comfort will be your strength. Believe, confess, obey, but above all, repent and bring forth fruits that endure.

 

[Silas]

The words from Romans 10 are a sure foundation. Confessing Jesus as Lord with your mouth and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead brings genuine salvation. That inward belief and outward confession belong together, and through them a person is justified and made new. The moment anyone receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, a true birth takes place. That person becomes a child of God through faith, and nothing alters that standing.

What follows is a life that has died to the old way. The old self was crucified with Christ so that sin would lose its grip and no longer rule like a master. Being dead now means being free. Faith simply reckons on this truth: you are truly dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ your Lord. Because of that, sin does not have to reign in your body or drive your desires. Turn from it, not in anxious striving, but in simple obedience from the heart, the same heart that now gladly follows the voice of Jesus.

Do not be unsettled by weakness you may feel. The strength needed to obey any command of Christ is supplied in the very moment you will to do it. Where sin once reigned, grace now overflows through righteousness, and the Spirit faithfully works to conform you into the image of Jesus Himself. You do not have to go on in sin or remain trapped in it. Christ has truly set you free.

Central to everything is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the firstfruits of those who rise from the dead, and His rising guarantees a living hope. Because He lives, the one who believes in Him, though physically dying, will live. If you live and believe in Him, you will never experience the final death. This is not a distant theory; the resurrected Lord is present now, and the new life you walk in is His life.

As you step forward, remember to ground yourself daily in the Scriptures. Reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is wise counsel, and beginning with John will place you directly before the glory of the Son of God, written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and, by believing, have life in His name. There you will see clearly that He is the One who came by water and blood, whose blood keeps on cleansing from all sin those who trust in Him.

Confessing sin honestly brings continual cleansing, not because of personal perfection, but because He is faithful and just. The life born of God does not make a practice of sin or live comfortably in it. When you stumble, the remedy is not to doubt your salvation but to come quickly to the light, confess, and receive His forgiveness. The only truly fatal step is to reject completely the witness of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the Savior. God has made no other provision for eternal life apart from Him.

Take confidence in this security. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Every knee will one day bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, but you have the privilege of bending the knee now, gladly, willingly, in the day of grace. Your labor in following Him is not empty, and the Lord knows those who are His. Let everyone who takes the name of Christ depart from iniquity, not in fear, but because they belong to the risen King.