Confessing Christians
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thineheart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. – Romans 10:9
There’s a site hereabouts that I’ve just started reading, and today’s ‘devotional’ there really sparked something in me that I have to ‘write’ out… The devotional can be found in entirety here. But I’ve copied the section that spoke to me:
Faith must have expression. One way to do this is to give voice to God’s Word by speaking what God says… this is what we call “confessing the Word of God.” According to Hebrews 3:1, Christianity is called the “great confession.” In Hebrews 10:23, we are encouraged to hold fast to the confession of our faith. The Greek word “confession” translated means “saying the same thing.” Another way of saying this is “agreeing with God in our testimony.” In other words, when we confess God’s Word we are testifying or agreeing with what He says.
This strikes up my ‘hellfire n’ brimstone’ side like a match starts a fire, I’ll tell ya… because of the amount of ‘christians’ (small ‘c’) that claim the name, but don’t fulfill the definition of salvation. They believe, and that’s good enough for them. Too bad it’s not good enough for God.
Well, it’s not! The Bible (in James 2) says that even demons believe… so what does that say for you? Not a heck’uv a lot, that’s for sure! Besides, there are two definitions of ‘believe’, and from the context around the verses using the word ‘believe’ and the whole key meaning of salvation per scripture, believing isn’t a simple acknowledgment… it’s a commitment – a placing of full trust in someone or something. So to be a true Christ follower, acknowledging doesn’t cut it. Demons do that, and they’re going to Hell. What a surprise to those who think ‘believing’ in God and/or Jesus will get them into Heaven!
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus… if we say the same things Jesus said, and do the same things Jesus told us to do, and uphold His testimony, we are authentic Christians. True, salvation is not of works, but of grace. But that grace is manifested thru works as an evidence of the salvation after the salvation is obtained. If you aren’t declaring the Lord, if you aren’t teaching what He taught – are you His follower, or are you His spectator? Ouch, right? Well, it’s true! That’s why Christ said ‘ye shall know them by their fruits’. Do you confess Christ – say what He said – to the world? Or are you a ‘closet Christian’ who prefers not to ‘offend’… and therefore refuses to ‘let your light so shine in the darkness’? I’m gonna write about Matthew 25 (parable of the ten virgins) after I’m done with Daniel… five of the virgins (the virgins symbolize Christ’s followers) had oil for their lamps. Five didn’t, and missed the marriage feast because of it. What kind of ‘Christian’ are you…?
If thou shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead… if we commit ourselves to the completed work of Christ on Calvary, and place full trust in the Lord as our deliverer and master, we are His followers. Which is (yet again) the reason I completely denounce Catholicism – they do not fulfill this. By partaking of the euchrist they uphold the belief that Christ’s work on the cross was not complete, for they must continue to sacrifice Him again and again. I repeat – big surprises in store for a LOT of people… because this behavior and upholding of contradictory practices from scripture does not fit within the definition of salvation, even just citing this one verse in Romans! Scary thought – they deny Him as Savior and make Him continue in the act of saving… which in turn denies His gift of grace, for it is yet incomplete if they must continue to sacrifice Him. Ack.
Amazing how much impact one verse – one thought – can make. How much it can clarify… how much it can expose. Lukewarmness. False doctrine. Truth. Authenticity. Whoa.
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