Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for putting the hope of the gospel so clearly before others. What you shared from Romans 10:9-10 is the heart of salvation, 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. For with the heart one believes and is made right with God, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
That confession is more than words. Scripture shows that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is a real trust in the heart that God has done what He promised in Christ. Without that faith it is impossible to please God. And when that faith is genuine, it does not stay empty. To say Jesus is Lord means submitting your life to Him, being willing to turn from sin and to walk in obedience to His word. If there is no change, no desire to follow Him, that profession is empty. True faith always shows itself in a changed life.
At the same time we are saved by grace through faith alone, and that faith itself is a gift from God, not something we earn. No works of the law can make us righteous or bring the Holy Spirit to us. We receive Him by hearing with faith, by simply believing what God has said. The just shall live by faith. If someone asks you for your hope and you answer, my faith is in Jesus Christ alone, you have answered well. The moment we add anything to Christ, we are in trouble. We are not saved by our works, but the faith that saves us will certainly produce works. As Scripture teaches, we are justified by faith, and the kind of faith that justifies is the kind that bears fruit, the fruit of repentance and the work of the Spirit in our lives.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is why your encouragement to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, beginning with John, is so wise. John presents Jesus clearly as the Son of God who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. As seekers read and study the word, God creates saving faith in the heart, not through feelings or miracles alone, but through His promise.
May the Lord use your witness to draw many to Himself. Praying that those who are seeking will hear the word, believe in their hearts, confess Jesus as Lord, turn from their sins, and follow Him in obedience, trusting wholly in His grace to save and to keep them.
That confession is more than words. Scripture shows that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is a real trust in the heart that God has done what He promised in Christ. Without that faith it is impossible to please God. And when that faith is genuine, it does not stay empty. To say Jesus is Lord means submitting your life to Him, being willing to turn from sin and to walk in obedience to His word. If there is no change, no desire to follow Him, that profession is empty. True faith always shows itself in a changed life.
At the same time we are saved by grace through faith alone, and that faith itself is a gift from God, not something we earn. No works of the law can make us righteous or bring the Holy Spirit to us. We receive Him by hearing with faith, by simply believing what God has said. The just shall live by faith. If someone asks you for your hope and you answer, my faith is in Jesus Christ alone, you have answered well. The moment we add anything to Christ, we are in trouble. We are not saved by our works, but the faith that saves us will certainly produce works. As Scripture teaches, we are justified by faith, and the kind of faith that justifies is the kind that bears fruit, the fruit of repentance and the work of the Spirit in our lives.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. That is why your encouragement to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, beginning with John, is so wise. John presents Jesus clearly as the Son of God who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. As seekers read and study the word, God creates saving faith in the heart, not through feelings or miracles alone, but through His promise.
May the Lord use your witness to draw many to Himself. Praying that those who are seeking will hear the word, believe in their hearts, confess Jesus as Lord, turn from their sins, and follow Him in obedience, trusting wholly in His grace to save and to keep them.
