That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).
The acknowledgement and confession of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the God-ordained way to receive salvation. As simple as this is, many find it too difficult to do. There’re many who believe that for a sinner to be saved he must confess all his sins (from the time he was born till now) to God, but that’s not true. You don’t receive salvation by confessing your sins. The Bible doesn’t say “if thou shall confess with thy mouth all your sins, then thou shall be saved”; rather, it says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved….” This is the simple prayer of salvation.
When you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead, you’re made right with God. But then, to enjoy what you have believed – to enjoy the full benefits of salvation, you’ll have to confess, that is, affirm with your mouth, the Lordship of Jesus. That you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for you is not enough. Even the devils, according to the Bible also believe and tremble (James 2:19), but that doesn’t mean they’re saved.
Believing is not enough. You’d have to announce your believing; say it with your mouth, for “with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” Once you make that proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus, it catapults you into salvation! Thus that which you believe – the Lordship of Jesus Christ – becomes real to you, and changes everything about your life. You become awakened to the fatherhood of God. What if you are deaf and dumb? Then let your actions do the confession for you.
It doesn’t matter that you’re the “nicest” person around. Some people try to do as much good as they can to cancel their wrongs but you can’t trust in your good deeds to save you. Jesus said in John 3:7 “ye must be born again”; this is not a suggestion but a command. There’s a definite act required for salvation; it’s the confession of the Lordship of Jesus. So, if you’re not yet born again, you can do so right away by praying this prayer of salvation:
“Lord Jesus, I ask that you come into my heart and be the Lord of my life from this day forward. I confess with my mouth that you are Lord of my life, and believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead; thank you that I am saved now.”
Amen