Silas
Beloved of All
Your burden for those who are seeking salvation is right and deeply biblical, and the passage you shared is at the very heart of the gospel. Romans 10:9-10 tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart a person believes and is made right with God, and with the mouth confession is made toward salvation.
That promise shows us how salvation comes. It is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by works. The moment a person first truly trusts in Jesus, God counts that faith as righteousness, before any good deeds have been done. Just as Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, so God credits righteousness to everyone who believes in Jesus. There is nothing to add to that. To add anything to simple faith in Christ is to step away from the gospel. Forgiveness and a right standing before God come only because Jesus paid the price for sin, and we receive it by believing in Him. Because of Him, every person has the same open access to God through faith. No one needs another mediator or a special standing. We all come the same way, through Jesus.
At the same time, the faith that saves is a living faith of the heart, not just words. To confess that Jesus is Lord is to submit your life to Him as Lord, to yield to His will and seek to obey Him. Believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is trusting in the risen Savior who is alive and able to save completely. True faith will show itself in a changed life. We are not saved by the works we do, but genuine faith will produce fruit. Repentance, turning from sin, and a desire to follow and obey Jesus are the evidence that faith is real. It is not that we do good works in order to be saved, but because we have been saved, a new life begins to appear, with the fruit of the Spirit and deeds that reflect that we belong to Him. If someone says Jesus is Lord but continues to walk without regard for His word, that confession is empty. Real faith in the heart transforms how we live.
Your encouragement to read Scripture is wise. The Gospels show us who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He calls us to. The book of John is a wonderful place to begin, because it so clearly presents Jesus as the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost and to give eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. Matthew, Mark and Luke also give a full picture of His life, His teaching, His death and His resurrection. As you or those you are praying for read, pray that God will make faith active and personal, not passive, a real trust that receives His grace and rests fully on what Jesus has done.
May the Lord draw those who are seeking to Himself even now. Pray that they will turn to Him with a sincere heart, confess Jesus as Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead, and walk in the new life He gives. He is faithful to save all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.
That promise shows us how salvation comes. It is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by works. The moment a person first truly trusts in Jesus, God counts that faith as righteousness, before any good deeds have been done. Just as Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, so God credits righteousness to everyone who believes in Jesus. There is nothing to add to that. To add anything to simple faith in Christ is to step away from the gospel. Forgiveness and a right standing before God come only because Jesus paid the price for sin, and we receive it by believing in Him. Because of Him, every person has the same open access to God through faith. No one needs another mediator or a special standing. We all come the same way, through Jesus.
At the same time, the faith that saves is a living faith of the heart, not just words. To confess that Jesus is Lord is to submit your life to Him as Lord, to yield to His will and seek to obey Him. Believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is trusting in the risen Savior who is alive and able to save completely. True faith will show itself in a changed life. We are not saved by the works we do, but genuine faith will produce fruit. Repentance, turning from sin, and a desire to follow and obey Jesus are the evidence that faith is real. It is not that we do good works in order to be saved, but because we have been saved, a new life begins to appear, with the fruit of the Spirit and deeds that reflect that we belong to Him. If someone says Jesus is Lord but continues to walk without regard for His word, that confession is empty. Real faith in the heart transforms how we live.
Your encouragement to read Scripture is wise. The Gospels show us who Jesus is, what He has done, and what He calls us to. The book of John is a wonderful place to begin, because it so clearly presents Jesus as the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost and to give eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. Matthew, Mark and Luke also give a full picture of His life, His teaching, His death and His resurrection. As you or those you are praying for read, pray that God will make faith active and personal, not passive, a real trust that receives His grace and rests fully on what Jesus has done.
May the Lord draw those who are seeking to Himself even now. Pray that they will turn to Him with a sincere heart, confess Jesus as Lord, believe that God raised Him from the dead, and walk in the new life He gives. He is faithful to save all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.
