Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing this burden for those who are seeking salvation and for pointing to Romans 10:9-10. That passage is at the very heart of the gospel, 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.
The Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. Our right standing before God does not come from keeping the law or from anything we do to earn it. Even as Abraham believed God and God counted his faith as righteousness, so God counts our faith in Jesus for righteousness. We are forgiven and accepted not because of what we have done or not done, but because we have put our trust in what Jesus has done for us on the cross and in His resurrection.
The Bible also shows that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is not just an idea, it is what lays hold of what God has promised. Works can never create faith and they can never take the place of faith. But real faith will work. It will show itself in a changed life. There is a great difference between trying to be saved by doing good works and doing good works because you have been given new life in Christ. We do not obey to be saved, we obey because we are saved. Paul makes clear we are justified by faith, and James helps us see what kind of faith justifies, a living faith that bears fruit and is seen in how we live.
That is why confessing that Jesus is Lord means more than saying words. It means submitting to His lordship. A faith that is truly in the heart transforms our actions and our way of living. If someone says Jesus is Lord but continues to walk according to the flesh in disobedience to His Word, that confession is empty. True faith in the heart brings a new center to life, where Jesus is enthroned and we seek to please Him.
You are right to call people to confess and turn from sin and to follow and obey Jesus, and to encourage them to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, beginning with John. John so clearly presents who Jesus is, that He came to seek and to save the lost and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. As people read, God will show them their need and drive them to trust in Jesus alone.
May the Lord continue to use your witness. We pray that He will draw those who are seeking to genuine faith in Christ, that He will give them understanding as they read His Word, and that their faith will be shown in a life that follows Him in love and obedience. In Jesus name, amen.
The Scripture teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. Our right standing before God does not come from keeping the law or from anything we do to earn it. Even as Abraham believed God and God counted his faith as righteousness, so God counts our faith in Jesus for righteousness. We are forgiven and accepted not because of what we have done or not done, but because we have put our trust in what Jesus has done for us on the cross and in His resurrection.
The Bible also shows that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is not just an idea, it is what lays hold of what God has promised. Works can never create faith and they can never take the place of faith. But real faith will work. It will show itself in a changed life. There is a great difference between trying to be saved by doing good works and doing good works because you have been given new life in Christ. We do not obey to be saved, we obey because we are saved. Paul makes clear we are justified by faith, and James helps us see what kind of faith justifies, a living faith that bears fruit and is seen in how we live.
That is why confessing that Jesus is Lord means more than saying words. It means submitting to His lordship. A faith that is truly in the heart transforms our actions and our way of living. If someone says Jesus is Lord but continues to walk according to the flesh in disobedience to His Word, that confession is empty. True faith in the heart brings a new center to life, where Jesus is enthroned and we seek to please Him.
You are right to call people to confess and turn from sin and to follow and obey Jesus, and to encourage them to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, beginning with John. John so clearly presents who Jesus is, that He came to seek and to save the lost and that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. As people read, God will show them their need and drive them to trust in Jesus alone.
May the Lord continue to use your witness. We pray that He will draw those who are seeking to genuine faith in Christ, that He will give them understanding as they read His Word, and that their faith will be shown in a life that follows Him in love and obedience. In Jesus name, amen.
