Romans 10:9-13

The Powerful Proclamation of the Preached Word, pt. 2

Introduction:

Talk about evangelicalism in seeker sensitive churches and the gimicks.

You will find no gimicks at CFC. You get the preached word of God because that is what God uses to save sinners.

We get into the heart of proclaiming Jesus as Lord. There are no tricks involved. There are no additional works. There is no “complete x, y, and z, in order to be saved.” It is as simple as the very thing that Jesus Christ Himself taught in Mark 1:15 “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””

A Response of Conviction (?)

Romans 10:9 “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.”

Here we are given a condition to what has previously been stated. “If” this, then that. It is a standard if-then statement. And this condition is predicated on what Paul has established in Romans 10:8 “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);” The word of faith that we proclaim becomes the catalyst for the response of the Christian in verse 9.

The word of faith is the spoken word proclaimed, that is the Gospel. It was the word of faith, the Gospel, that Moses himself proclaimed. Romans 10:5 “For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.” It was the word of faith, the Gospel, that the prophets proclaimed, Romans 9:33, in quoting Isaiah, “as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”” And it is the word of faith, the Gospel, that Paul proclaims to us now.

The word of faith is the final revelation that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he saves sinners. This fits well in the opening of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 1:1–2“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” Jesus Christ, the Gospel incarnate, is the word of faith because, in Matthew 5:17 ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus is the perfect Saviour.

[v. 9a] So Paul states the condition, “that if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’”

What is meant by confess? To confess means to declare openly or to speak freely as a result of a deep conviction. It is the combination of two Greek words homo, meaning one, and logos, meaning word. It is one unified word of conviction. This is the same confession made by Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12 as Paul tells him to “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” The deep conviction Timothy had was that Jesus Christ is Lord.

It is a confession based upon an inner change. Paul is not listing here in verse 9 the order in which something happens. We know that in 1 Corinthians 12:3 “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” You must be reborn to see the kingdom of God (cf. John 3:3). Additionally, Paul reverses the order in verse 10 by grounding his argument with the preposition for. We are simply being given the necessary requirements, which is a genuine, authentic, confession that Jesus is Lord.

The combination of the two Greek words are where we get the scientific term homologous. As in chemistry, a homologous solution occurs when one takes all of the parts and portions in separate form, and mixes them together into a unified solution. Likewise this homologous solution is like the deep conviction in one’s inner most being, their very heart, that will illicit a heartfelt response by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of God, illumines your mind from depravity and deadness to sin and you are gifted, or granted, faith as a result. The recognition of one’s sin and the conviction that Jesus is Lord mix in perfect harmony with one another.

When you confess this truth, you are united with the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As the apostle John states in 1 John 2:23 “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 4:2–3“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” 1 John 4:15 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

This confession is assurance that Jesus Christ will not deny you. He will not forsake you. It is a confession of everlasting life in Christ Jesus. Matthew 10:32–33“So everyone who acknowledges [confesses, NKJV] me before men, I also will acknowledge [confess, NKJV] before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

What then is the response of this conviction? What is proclaimed by your mouth? That Jesus is Lord.

The statement that Jesus is Lord has implications that are far reaching. It is an acknowledgement that Jesus is supremely sovereign over all aspects of life. Evangelicalism in general has made the erroneous distinction that you can make Jesus your saviour but not your Lord. Meaning, you can make a confession of faith but continue to live your life in sin and rebellion because no matter what Jesus will love you, commonly known as once saved always saved.

While there is validity to the fact that once you are saved you are eternally held and secured by the Father, there is absolutely no indication that you have a free license to continue in your sins. Paul makes an explicit distinction between the deeds of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. And this is precisely what Paul has argued in Romans 10:1-8. You are not justified by your works but your works naturally flow from a life of one who is justified. The confession that Jesus is Lord indicates only one thing: you either serve Christ, or you serve another master. You cannot serve Jesus Christ as Lord and also serve sin.

The confession that Jesus is Lord encompasses all aspects of redemption. The Heidelberg Catechism q. 34 asks, “Wherefore callest thou Him our Lord,” and the answer is, “Because He hath redeemed us, both soul and body, from all our sins, not with gold or silver, but with His precious blood, and hath delivered us from all the power of the devil; and thus hath made us His own property.”

apply apply apply and move on to second point

[2]

Christ is Lord because He redeems us from our sins and has conquered sin and death. As the last Adam, Jesus has conquered sin and death once for all. 1 Corinthians 15:45 “Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” He conquered sin and death by paying the penalty on our behalf, Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” And because he is Lord, he conquers death once and for all. 1 Corinthians 15:54–57“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

No longer are we under the wrath of God but are given newness of life in eager anticipation for the full redemption to be revealed. 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Christ is Lord because He is the Head of the Body.

To confess means to declare openly by way of speaking out freely. It comes by way of a deep conviction within the heart of the confessor. Mounce says, “an outward confession stems from a profound inward conviction” (209).

Now Paul is not here listing the order in which something happens, for no one can say that Jesus is Lord apart from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). Similarly, Paul reverses the order in verse 10. Paul is merely pointing to the simplicity of the Gospel, confess and believe in the same way Jesus says “repent and believe.”

Faith and belief involve personal trust. That is what is being referenced here. Belief is not merely an ascent to some fact about God but a enduring, life-giving trust. Belief in some facts does not save. James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Demons believe and know God exists but they do not have a personal trust in him.

For example, if you are about to jump out of an airplane, you can believe that your parachute will open. But until you jump, you have not exercised faith. Belief and personal trust are diving head first out of the plane of sin and depravity and trusting upon Jesus Christ who will indeed save us.

Genuine faith manifests itself in belief in what God has done through Jesus Christ. Romans 4:17 “as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” Romans 4:23–25“But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

And so we are left with the essential truths of salvation.

Jesus is Lord. This proclamation is recognition that Jesus is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. Jesus Christ as Lord recognizes his sovereign power. It is the same witness as Peter in Acts 2:36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”” And even that of Paul in the opening of Romans 1:4 “and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

2. God raised him from the dead.

This demonstrates the supreme validation of Christ’s ministry. For is he did not rise from the dead, we are utterly hopeless. 1 Corinthians 15:14–17“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

Yet here is the thing, Jesus did die. He he rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. And so your faith is sure and steadfast because of what Christ has done on your behalf. Jmac, “The resurrection was the Father’s final stamp of approval on his Son and the final feature in procuring salvation to those whom he has effectually called.” Jesus is the only saviour, he is sovereign, he is our sinless Lord, our suffering servant, our spotless Lamb, our prince of peace, who paid the price for our redemption.

What is the result of belief and confession of these truths? Assurance that you will be saved. It is a present reality which anticipates the final judgment where we will be saved from the wrath of God in judging and condeming sinners. Romans 5:9 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9“For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

[10.10] “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Here Paul restates the very point he had made, but puts it into the order in which it manifests itself. “Belief with the heart precedes confession with the mouth demonstrating that a genuine confession is rooted in a heart conviction” (Murray 55-56). You cannot confess the truth about something until you have a heart change. Belief equals justification and confession equals salvation. They are not mutually exclusive terms but united with one another.

The claim that coincides with Scripture is that works do not save but faith does. This flows naturally into our second point which demonstrates the confession that Christ is the Saviour leads to our justification and sanctification, our perseverance, our adoption, and all the glories that Christ has conquered and delivered freely to us by his grace. And finally, the conclusion. The conclusion to call upon the Lord.

3. The Conclusion to Call Upon the Lord (v. 11-13).

Romans 10:11–13“For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

[10.11] The validity and truthfulness of Scripture is so astounding. Paul is constantly rooting and grounding everything in accordance with the Scripture, the very same posture we should take in our lives. And so Paul again quotes from Isaiah 28:16 as he did in Romans 9:33, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

There is no shame in Jesus Christ. Where he became a stumbling stone and rock of offense to the people of Israel, he becomes a beloved treasure and sure foundation for those who believe in Him. And this really serves as a summary of what Paul has already argued before. So naturally, Paul reminds the people that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.

[10.12]

The real barrier to salvation is not ethnic, racial, or cultural. The barrier is utter rejection of the Gospel. The barrier is the stumbling block, which is the Gospel. And this barrier between Jew and Gentile was self-induced. We see this

There is no distinction before conversion because all are united in Adam and therefore united in their sins and trespasses. Romans 3:22–24“the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

There is no distinction after conversion because all are united in the Second Adam, Jesus Christ and therefore by way of their union with Christ, are found in him blameless. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:29 “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,” Romans 3:30 “since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”

This occurs because the same Lord is Lord of all. Once again, an assertion to the Lordship of Christ. What does the Lord do then in return? He bestows his riches on all who call on him. Who’s riches are they? The Lords. Once again an affirmation that we cannot earn such riches. Yet God is the one who freely gives them. It means that God is plentifully supplying believers with these riches. They are not worldly or temporal riches, rather, they are true riches of heaven, redemption, adoption, justification, and glorification.

The same benefits we receive by means of our adoption as sons. Romans 8:16–17“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

[10.13] For all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved

There is no exclusivity in those who call upon the name of the Lord. This in and of itself is such a blessed treasure to grasp on to. As the hymn Rock of Ages says, “Naked come to thee for dress, helpless look to thee for grace.” We have nothing to bring to God except our sinful state but Christ Jesus takes our filthy garments and makes them white as snow so that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

In the Old Testament, the word name meant something much more than what a person was called. Name means reputation. It encompasses who the person is. And so when we call upon the name of the Lord, we are calling upon who he is, a thrice holy God, all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, almighty. We call upon the name of the Lord and his reputation for our salvation. We call upon Christ’s name because he alone is the one who purchased our redemption. He alone is the saviour.

This formula “call upon the name of the Lord” is a characteristic Old Testament way of expressing the worship that is addressed to God and applies specifically to the worship of supplication. When Paul applies the same to Christ this is another example of the practice of taking Old Testament passages which refer to God without qualification and applying them to Christ. It was the distinguishing mark of New Testament believers that they called upon the name of the Lord Jesus (cf. Acts 9:14, 21; 22:16; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Tim. 2:22) and therefore accorded to him the worship that belonged to God alone (Murray, 57).

“Calling upon the name of the Lord is a more inclusive act of worship that presupposes faith” (Murray, 58). To call upon the Lord is a gift of grace by the Spirit. Again, apart from the Spirit, no one can call upon the Lord. Yet the Lord lavishes his grace and goodness over objects and recipients of wrath and finds appeasement in the blood of Jesus Christ.

And this last bit of Romans 10:5-13 is really a reminder of the great coming together of the people of God as prophesied by Joel. In Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” There was prophesied a day when all peoples one come together and serve the Lord and call upon his name. This is precisely what was fulfilled in Acts. As the people had been separated and the nations dispersed from the tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11, in Acts 2 the people are united again. And Peter reiterates the exact thing Joel prophesied which Paul builds upon as well. Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”