Romans Bible Study (The Righteousness of God Revealed) General Studies

Confessing Jesus (Romans 10:9-10)

Click here to listen to this lesson.

Romans 10:9-10 is a popular set of verses in the

Christian world in teaching people about salvation.
What is typically done with this text is to say that all a
person needs to do is confess that Jesus is the Lord
and believe and that person will be saved. So then the
person is directed in some sort of prayer asking to
receive Jesus. Is this what Paul meant when he taught
the content of the message of salvation in these
verses? I believe Romans 10:9-10 have been
oversimpliHed and taken out of their context so that
the meaning has lost its original punch which Paul
intended.
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 Notice in the Hrst place that verses 9-13 of Romans 10
are all explanations and are not stand alone
statements. Each verse begins with the word
“because” or “for.” The NASB and NKJV use the word
“that” in verse 9. The HCSB lets us down here by not
translating these connecting words. The point is that
verses 9-13 are all explanations of what Paul taught in
verses 6-8. I will quickly summarize what Paul is doing
in quoting Moses in these verses. For a more detailed
study of these verses, please listen or read the lesson
entitled, “Salvation To The Ends of the Earth (Romans
10:5-21).” In that lesson there is a deeper look at what
Paul is doing. In summary, Paul is teaching that the
righteousness of faith says that we can know God’s
will and God’s will is not too diacult to obey. God’s will
can be known because Christ has come down and
revealed God’s will to us through his covenant. God’s
will is not too diacult to obey because Christ has died
and raised from the dead, offering grace and mercy to
those who fall short will striving to serve him. The
context of Moses’ message that Paul is reaching for
in these quotations is that people are to love the Lord
with their heart and obey his commands. Moses told
Israel that they could do it. Paul is saying that we can
do it because Christ has descended and ascended.

The content of God’s will is the very message that the

apostles were proclaiming (10:8). The apostles were
teaching not only about who Jesus was and what he
did, but also what Jesus expects us to do because of
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 his life, death, and resurrection. We do not have the
time to trace through the whole of the New
Testament, but much of the writings of Paul, John,
and Peter are teaching how we are to live, love, and
obey God because of the sacriHce of Jesus. This is
the point of the quotation in Romans 10:8. God’s will,
word, and commands have been revealed to us
(through the apostles). God’s commands have been
brought near to you. They are to be in your mouth and
in your heart.

This thought parallels what Moses taught Israel

regarding what God demands.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And
these words that I command you today shall be on
your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your


house, and when you walk by the way, and when you
lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as
a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets
between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the
doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:5–9; ESV)

In giving the instructions for the Passover and feast of

unleavened bread, as Israel was about to leave Egypt,
God commanded,
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 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a
memorial between your eyes, that the law of the
LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand
the LORD has brought you out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:9;
ESV)

When God instructed the people to have something in

their heart and in their mouth, this never meant some
sort of vain repetition. This instruction never meant to
just say a formula. God does not mean for us to just
say, “Jesus is Lord,” and that is the end of the story. If
this was all that God was wanting, God is going to get
that simple confession from us on the day of
judgment. Paul wrote these words later in this very
letter:

For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to
God.” (Romans 14:10–11; ESV)

God is not calling for us to say three words for

salvation. Every tongue is going to confess that Jesus
is Lord when he comes in glory. So what does it mean
for us to confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord
and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the
dead (10:9)?

Table of Contents
:
 1. Confessing Jesus is Lord
2. Believing In Our Heart That God Raised Jesus
From The Dead

Confessing Jesus is Lord

The phrase, “Jesus is Lord,” is so short that it is easy
for us to pass over it and say it quickly without digging
out the full meaning. First, to testify that Jesus is Lord
means that we know and accept who Jesus truly is.
Jesus is not just an ordinary person. Jesus is not
merely a prophet. Jesus is a not a good moral human
who had some good teachings. What we are telling
others and accepting within our own hearts that the
Jesus who lived around 30 AD is God. He is full
divinity. Paul would write to the Corinthians, “There is
but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things
came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6).
The apostle John also wrote similar of him, “All things
were made through him, and without him was not any
thing made that was made” (John 1:3). When Jesus
was born, the angel declared, “For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ,
the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Second, when we acknowledge Jesus is Lord, then we

are accepting that he is in charge. Jesus is Lord
means that he has rule. He is ruling over all rulers and
powers. Jesus is ruling over his people. Jesus is ruling
over all people. He is the king and we are the subjects.
He is the master and we are the servants. Jesus is
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 Lord is not just something that we say, it is something
that we believe. Jesus is in charge. If I believe that
Jesus is Lord, then I must Hnd out what he wants me
to do because he is over my life also. We have an
unusual way of seeing Jesus. We see Jesus as Lord
over the world, but somehow that excludes our lives.
We think we can say that Jesus is Lord, yet live our
lives how we want. This is the problem with what I see
going on in the Christian world. People are claiming
Jesus is Lord, but no one is changing their lives to
redect that truth. You say, “Jesus is Lord” but it does
not look like in the way we live our lives. Remember
that the gospel show us that even demons confessed
Jesus to be the Holy One of God (Luke 4:34). It is not
the mere uttering of words that saves. What Paul
means is that if Jesus is Lord, then we will submit to
his rule. He will be in charge of our lives, not us. We
will act as he wants us to act. We will do what he
says. We will yield our will to his will.

We say these things and we hear these things, but I

don’t know that it is always sinking in. So I want to
press this thought even further.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over our minds.

We will not think about sinful, impure, and
unholy things. Our minds will be put under his
rule so that we are thinking on things that are
pure, holy, and excellent.
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 If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over our ethics
and values. We will behave as Jesus wants us
to behave. We will not moved by what the world
thinks is right. We will not be swayed by
political correctness. If Jesus is Lord, then our
values match his values in what is right and
what is wrong.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over our

careers. We cannot detach what we do to earn
a living as if there is some sort of exemption.
Jesus is Lord over us all day, every day, not just
when we are not working. Jesus must be
placed Hrst in everything that we are doing. I
cannot do things for work that are contrary to
the commands of Jesus. I cannot lie for my
job. I cannot swindle for my job. If Jesus is not
Lord over our careers, then we are not
confessing that Jesus is Lord.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over this local

church. We cannot what we want to do as a
church. We must do as Jesus instructs. We
could have a lot of fun having rock bands,
festivals, parties, and other forms of
entertainment. We could spend the Lord’s
money on all sorts of things that we think are
fun or good. But if Jesus is Lord, then we do
what he says. This is his body, and we must act
like it. We must behave like his servants. We
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 must worship him as he has told us. We must
use the money as he has instructed.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over my

relationships. We are going to win souls to
Jesus if Jesus is Lord. We are going work to
save people’s souls and teach them about the
good news of Jesus. I am not going to be
friends with people who pull me into sin. I will
be friends with people to pull them out of sin
and to Jesus. But I cannot let me love for
people cause them to pull into sin.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over my

marriage and family. Husbands will love their
wives as Christ loved the church and not be
insensitive warlords. Husbands will lead their
families in the ways of righteousness, not in
paths that will lead their families to hell. Wives
will yield to their husbands and will not act like
they are the head. Fathers will train their
children to love the Lord and show them that
the Lord comes Hrst, not school, not sleep, not
sports, not anything else. Mothers will nurture
their children and care for them, setting an
example of godliness.

If Jesus is Lord, then he is Lord over my body.

We will not be sleeping around. We will not
have sex outside of marriage. We will not live
with the opposite gender who is not our
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 spouse. We will not look at pornography. We
will not use our bodies for self-gratiHcation. We
will not commit adultery. If Jesus is Lord, then
we will stop engaging in these sinful activities
immediately. If Jesus is Lord, then we will
control our bodies. We will not engage in
sexual activities before marriage and we will
keep our sexual activities conHned to marriage.

Confessing Jesus is Lord is not just uttering three

words. It is confessing that Jesus is number one in
everything in my life.

Believing In Our Heart That God

Raised Jesus From The Dead
God wants your heart. God wants you to believe with
your heart. This is not just a mental assent that Jesus
raised from the dead. It is a life changing belief. Jesus
raised from the dead. That means Jesus is who he
said he was. He is God. He is Lord. He is alive. He is
ruling. He is in charge. He will bring judgment on his
enemies. We are not serving a dead god. We are
serving a risen Savior!

The resurrection means that we can have forgiveness

of sins. Jesus has experienced death on our behalf so
that God save us from our sins. We deserve the
punishment for our sins. Jesus died and raised from
the dead. This means we that through Jesus we can
be forgiven of our evil and wicked ways. Through
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 Jesus we are able to know God’s word and let it sink
into our minds and hearts so that we can be saved.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your

mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith
that we proclaim); because, 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 justi^ed, and
with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans
10:8–10; ESV)

God is not asking you to say the words. God asking

you to live it. Live like Jesus is Lord. Believe in your
heart that Jesus is Lord so that it transforms what you
say, how you act, and how you live. For with the heart
one believes and is justi^ed, and with the mouth one
confesses and is saved.

Lesson adapted from sermon given by Brent

Kercheville

Brent Kercheville

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 View more studies in Romans Bible Study
(The Righteousness of God Revealed),
General Studies.

Previous: Romans 10:5-21, Salvation To The

Ends of The Earth
Next: Romans 11:1-15, Has God Rejected
His People?
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