Believe and Be Saved

There is a fundamental reality of human existence specifically regarding our spirituality. We either believe in works or we believe in faith. Now we can easily substitute these words and still arrive at the same basic point. We could also just as easily say that we either believe in law or we believe in grace.

One of the reasons that God chose the people of Israel was so that they might serve as a example to the rest of the world. When we read the Old Testament stories we are reading about a people who must choose to either trust in their own righteousness or by faith depend upon the righteousness of God. God gave them every possible chance to prove their own righteousness through the Law.

God operated with this people in this way not so that we could laugh at their failures but so that we can clearly see our own. Israel serves as a microcosm for all of us, and we would do well to pay attention.

Israel has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that a works based system can never be effective in the life of a sinner. We will always fail. This in no way surprised God. It was always part of the plan. The law and the works it required prepared us for the coming of Christ. It brings us to the end of ourselves, and “Christ is the one who is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (v. 4).”

The Great Contrast

Righteousness Based on the Law

Moses because he is the writer of the Torah becomes the human representative of the law. This is not to say that he wont be in heaven. He was a man of great faith. However, because God used him to write it he is forever attached to it.

God used Moses and the law to present to us what it would take for us to be holy as God is holy.

What is the conclusion we come to when we consider the law and the righteousness it offers?

It is at best, temporary. It is a shadow of the atonement that Christ offers in reality.

Hebrews 10:1–4 “For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Hebrews 10:11–14 “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Paul’s point here is that if you are going to commit yourself to the law for righteousness you have to “live by it.” James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” When it comes to righteousness in the law it is an all or nothing reality.

Righteousness Based on Faith

Verse 6 serves as the contrast to verse 5.

Paul does something interesting in this verse, he personifies the righteousness that is based on faith by giving it a voice.

It says “Do not say in your heart... - a warning

This faith based righteousness points us to the Old Testament as Paul quotes from Deut. 9 in giving this righteousness a voice.

In the context of Deut. 9 Moses warns the people of Israel that when they take possession of the promised land they must not think that it was because of their own righteousness that they succeeded.

This is a warning not to think something that you will be tempted to think.

Who will ascend into heaven?”

Paul then adds this from Deut. 30 “who will ascend into heaven.?”

In the context of Deut. 30 Moses is rebuking the people of Israel for making the excuse that God’s law is not attainable and therefor cannot be followed. The excuse they are making is that “who can ascend into heaven and read God’s law?”

How does this have anything to do with the righteousness by faith that Paul is talking about?

To be honest scholars disagree.

I believe that the point Paul is making is that we do not have to ascend into heaven to attain faith based righteousness. As God brought His law to His people so too does God bring His grace to both Jews and Gentiles through His Son Jesus Christ.

Like Israel in the Old Testament we cannot plead ignorance.

There is no need

To ascend into heaven to bring Christ down because He has already done that. That work has already been accomplished in the incarnation o Christ. He has made Himself known.

There is no deed to descend into the abyss because He is not there (v. 7). We have a holiday celebrating the fact that He is not there. We worship on Sundays because He is not there.

I hope you hear that and have a sense of gratitude because you could not know God unless He first made himself known. We don’t have to go searching for Him because He first loved us and revealed Himself to us.

But what does it actually say? (v. 8)

Faith based righteousness does not say that you need to ascend into heaven to know Christ nor would it ever tell you to descend into the grave for He is not there.

What it does say is that “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”

This is again a quotation from Deut. 30.

The word that brings us to Christ is accessible and understandable.

That is the word, the gospel , that we proclaim.

The Fundamental Truth

Why do we proclaim it? “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.” These are the words that bring life, and the only conditions attached are that you confess and believe.

Confess

Calling or confessing will be the primary focus of next weeks message. Today we will focus on believing.

One thing that we must point out from this verse is the necessity of making a declaration of faith.

There must be a moment in your life when you declare “I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”

It is a necessary confession for salvation. It is not a work it is an acceptance.

Believe

The second condition of faith based righteousness is that we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Paul uses the resurrection as the foci of belief. If you don’t believe that then everything else crumbles. It doesn’t matter what else you believe if you reject the resurrection.

What does it mean to believe something in your heart?

I believe that this is another way to describe faith.

The truth is I cannot scientifically prove to you that Jesus is God, that He was born of a virgin, lived, died and rose again.

Faith is the evidence of things unseen, unprovable.

It is something that we believe in our hearts.

It becomes a fundamental part of who we are and what we are like, and how we view the world.

It influences every choice we make.

The Essential Explanation

One Coin, Two Sides

Sometimes we can get a bit lost in the weeds with all the language we use to describe our salvation experience.

Faith

Belief

Accepting

Repentance

Calling

Confessing

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Salvation has always been more than just head knowledge or mental accent. Mere head knowledge doesn’t change you. Millions of people know that the cigarettes they smoke everyday are slowly killing them. They need more than just head knowledge to stop.

We come as we are to salvation, but God simply loves us too much to leave us where we were after salvation.

When God justifies us He does so at the heart level. This is no skin deep righteousness.

Simultaneously, to the justification that is occurring in our hearts is a declaration of faith from our mouths.

One Gospel, One World

It doesn’t matter who you are, the gospel is freely offered.

Romans 10:11–12 “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.”

Benediction: Eternal God, be our refuge, a rock beneath us, a shelter above us, and a tower around us. Until that day when Your Son returns and calls us home. May we be faithful and true. Amen