Romans 10
Israel needs to understand new way to Godverses 1-4
Brethren – my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is
that they might be SAVED
FOR I bear them record that they have a zeal of God
but not according to knowledge
FOR they – being ignorant of God’s righteousness
and going about to establish their own righteousness
have not submitted themselves to the
righteousness of God
FOR Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that BELIEVES
Heart relationship is necessaryverses 5-13
FOR Moses described the righteousness which is of the law
That the man which does those things shall live by them
BUT the righteousness which is of FAITH speaks on this wise
Say not in your heart – Who shall ascend into heaven?
(that is – to bring Christ down from above)
OR – Who shall descend into the deep?
(that is – to bring up Christ again from the dead)
BUT what says it? The word is nigh you – even in your mouth
and in your heart – that is – the word of FAITH
which we PREACH
That if you shall CONFESS with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and shall BELIEVE in your heart that God has raised
HIM from the dead – you shall be SAVED
FOR with the heart man BELIEVES to righteousness
and with the mouth CONFESSION is made to SALVATION
FOR the Scripture says
Whosoever BELIEVES on HIM shall not be ashamed
for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek
for the same Lord over all is rich to all that
call on HIM
FOR whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be SAVED
Preachers necessary to spread the gospelverses 14-15
How then shall they call on HIM in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in HIM of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher?
and how shall they preach – except they be sent?
As it is written
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the GOSPEL of peace
and bring glad tidings of good things
Isaiah’s statementverses 16-18
BUT they have not all obeyed the GOSPEL
for Isaiah said
Lord – who has believed our report?
So then FAITH comes by hearing – and hearing by the word of God
but I say – Have they not heard?
Yes verily – their sound went into all the earth
and their words unto the ends of the world
Moses’ messageverse 19
BUT I say – Did not Israel know?
First Moses said
I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people
and by a foolish nation I will anger you
Isaiah’s second statementverse 20
BUT Isaiah is very bold and says
I was found of them that sought ME not
I was made manifest to them that asked not after ME
God’s statement regarding Israelverse 21
BUT to Israel he says
All day long I have stretched forth MY hands to a disobedient
and gainsaying people
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (2205 “zeal” [zelos] means heat, earnest concern, eager rivalry, fervent mind, jealous over, excitement of mind, ardour in embracing, or fervour of spirit)
DEVOTION: Paul is dealing with the difference between legalist Jews and Christians. The legalist Jews believed that if they obeyed the external laws of God they would be saved. Paul was one of them before his conversion. He had a earnest concern that everyone follow the LORD the way he thought they should follow God. If they obeyed the external rules the Jewish leaders had laid down – they would be a true follower of God. One of the things that Paul was sure of is that the Jews were excited about religion.
They, however, were excited in the wrong way with the wrong beliefs. They were excited without full understanding of the message of God. The message came through Jesus Christ. The Jews didn’t accept Jesus Christ. HE taught things that were contrary to their ways.
It took the Damascus way to convince Paul/Saul that he was heading in the wrong direction. Here he wished that he would not be saved if all of his fellow Jews could be saved. That was not possible but it was his wise.
We find many in our world that are excited about their religion. Some are willing to commit suicide for their religion. Some are willing to make social changes for their religion. Some are willing to change the teachings of the Bible for their religion. Some are writing their own Bible for their religion. Some are obeying a set of rules for their religion. They are all heading in the wrong direction. They are trying to do it without a full knowledge of what Christ taught and what the Word of God teaches.
Can we be excited with the wrong beliefs? Can we be doing things that we think God wants us to do and still not be saved? Many are going to stand in front of Jesus on judgment day and say “Have we not done many wonderful works in thy name” and Jesus is going to say “Depart from ME.” Make sure you beliefs are Biblical and not just tradition. Make sure that you are not just having an external religion instead of an internal relationship with Christ.
Don’t follow a religion as the Jews were in Paul’s day. The Jews were trying to establish their own righteousness. Are we?
CHALLENGE: Continually check your actions with the teachings of the Word of God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised HIM from the dead you shall be saved. (4982 “saved” [sozo] means make whole, heal, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment, rescue, or deliver into divine salvation)
DEVOTION: These two verses are used in the Romans road to salvation. This verse states that everyone coming to God has to confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord in their life.
This means that they want HIM to control their life in every aspect. They will study HIS word, the Bible, and apply what they learn to their life for the rest of their life.
Confession of sin is just the starting point of the Christian life. Trying to sin less comes through maturity. There is the realization that they will never reach sinlessness while they are here on the earth. There is also the realization that work is needed to be successful each day.
This verse continues to state that there has to be a heart change. God doesn’t just want external changes in our life. HE wants to have us change from the inside out. HE wants to turn our world right side up.
Our normal way of doing things is to want our own way. That is not what God wants. HE wants our normal to be doing what HE wants. Then we can apply the fact that we are in proper relationship to HIM.
The Bible uses the word “saved” to describe someone who was walking away from God in the direction of a cliff where we will fall into eternity to a place called the lake of fire. We need to do an about face and start walking toward God to a place called heaven.
CHALLENGE: This change of direction saves us and all those who make this decision from falling into the lake of fire for eternity.
: 10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (3670 “confession is made” [homologeo] means acknowledge, to make open and free declaration of, admit, agree, to promise, to speak the same language, or to profess one’s self the worshipper of one)
DEVOTION: Again this verse is used as well to show that we are headed in the right direction toward eternity in heaven. This walk is described as doing things that are right in the eyes of the LORD. Right living is the opposite of living for us. Right living is living according to the directions we receive from the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and our prayer life.
Also attached to our heart change is a difference in our speech. We want to confess our sins and when we meet others we want to tell them about a change that has happened in our life.
We are not only speaking to God in our prayer life about turning toward HIM but we are telling others that we have moved from our old life to a new life in Christ. This is not easy for some because they had established relationships with people they considered friends who would not look well on this change and would like to cause them to go back to their old life with them.
Decisions have to be made daily regarding which direction the newly saved individual will go. There will be times that they will think that it would be easier to go back to the old life rather than to confess Jesus to their old friends.
CHALLENGE: Again it is a choice regarding our commitment to Jesus. A genuine choice means a change of attitude and action on our part with the help of the ministry from the Holy Spirit.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 But to Israel he says, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. (471 “gainsaying” [antepo] means to speak against, oppose, talk back, contradict, refute, be rebellious and obstinate, or to declare in opposition.)
DEVOTION: Isaiah describes what is going on in Israel in his day. The children of Israel were disobedient to the Word of God. They had received many warning from the true prophets of God but wanted to worship the gods of the land. They didn’t want to have anything to do with God except receive HIS blessings. They thought as long as they had the Temple and the priesthood they were OK in the sight of God. They were wrong.
Isaiah also stated that they were individuals who liked to say the opposite of what God said. They were a people that liked to talk back to God because they had a better idea.
So they were a people who by their actions and by their speech didn’t agree with God. They didn’t think they needed HIM. Life was good without HIM or so they thought.
When an enemy came to take over their territory they would go to God to protect them. God had a better idea. HE said they didn’t want me in their times of blessing but when times of trouble came they wanted HIM. So HE stated through Isaiah that they could seek HIM but HE would not be found during their times of trouble.
Many nations who have claimed to follow the LORD have turned their backs to God when they had times of plenty. Now that they have times of trouble with everything going in the wrong direction they thought it would be nice to go back to church and see what God would do for them. That is not how God works.
HE wants us to serve HIM in times of plenty as well as in times of trouble. Our nation wants to cancel all of God’s standards but also wants to have HIS blessing in their life. It doesn’t work that way. Revival is possible if God’s people truly repent and seek HIS face. I think it is about time for this to happen. What do you think?
CHALLENGE: Talking back to God has never worked. Talking to HIM with a true sign of repentance for neglecting HIS standards is a good place to start.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Paul prays for Israel’s salvation verse 1
Call on the LORD shall be saved verses 13, 14
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law verses 4, 5
Scripture says verse 11
As it is written verse 15
Gospel verse 16
Isaiah verses 16, 20
Word of God verse 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God verse 1-3, 9, 17
Zeal of God verse 2
Righteousness of God verse 3
God raised Jesus from dead verse 9
Lord verse 16
Word of God verse 17
Stretched out MY hands verse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Christ verses 4, 6, 7
Christ is the end of the law of righteousness verse 4
Lord verses 9, 12, 13
Jesus verse 9
Lord Jesus verse 9
Raised from the dead verse 9
Believe on HIM verse 11
Same Lord for Jew and Greek verse 12
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Greek verse 12
All the earth verse 18
Ends of the world verse 18
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Ignorant verse 3
Establish own righteousness verse 3
Not submitting verse 3
Not believed verse 14
Not heard verse 14
Not obeyed the gospel verse 16
Jealousy verse 19
Foolish verse 19
Not seeking Lord verse 20
Ask not after Lord verse 20
Disobedient verse 21
Gainsaying verse 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Saved verses 1, 9, 13
Knowledge of God verse 2
Submit verse 3
Righteousness verses 3-6, 10
Believes verses 4, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16
Faith verses 6, 8, 17
Word of faith verse 8
Preach verse 8
Confess with mouth verses 9, 10
Belief in heart verses 9 , 10
Heart belief to righteousness verse 10
Righteousness verse 10
Salvation verse 10
Mouth used to confess verse 10
Believe on Jesus verse 11
Not ashamed verse 11
Call on the LORD verses 12, 13
Obey the gospel verse 16
Faith comes by hearing verse 17
Hearing by the Word of God verse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Brethren verse 1
Israel verses 1, 19-21
Zeal of God verse 2
Not according to knowledge verse 2
Ignorant of God’s righteousness verse 3
Moses verses 5, 19
Jew verse 12
Isaiah verses 16, 20
Church (New Testament people of God)
Heart’s desire verse 1
Preaches word of faith verse 8
No difference between Jew or Greek verse 12
Preacher verses 14, 15
Preachers sent verse 15
Preach gospel of peace verse 15
Bring glad tidings of good things verse 15
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Romans 10:9–10 has long served as one of the most helpful portions of Scripture for pointing out the way of salvation. In an A-B-B-A format it lays out both the necessity of believing from the heart and the role of public confession. What must be believed is that “Jesus is Lord.” This quintessential affirmation is perhaps the earliest Christian confession of faith (cf. 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11). It proclaims in the simplest possible words that Jesus of Nazareth is in fact God. The Greek word used throughout the LXX for Yahweh (over six thousand times) is here applied to Jesus.50 The implications of this are staggering. Primarily it means that Jesus’ authority is absolute, unlimited, and universal. Those who come to Christ by faith are acknowledging that they have placed themselves entirely and without reserve under his authority to carry out without hesitation whatever he may choose for them to do. There is no such thing as salvation apart from lordship. Although our level of obedience may falter from time to time, that does not imply that we can view our responsibilities as if they did not matter. Those who say that they intend to have a good time on earth and take a back seat in heaven do not realize that there are no “back seats” for those who approach salvation with this attitude.
Outward confession stems from a profound inward conviction. Those who come to Christ must believe in their hearts that Jesus was raised from the dead by God the Father. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very center of the Christian faith. Apart from the resurrection Christianity would be little more than a well-intentioned ethical system. It is a fact that within history God did something that defies all the laws of nature as we know them. He raised Jesus from the dead. It is the reality of this resurrection that lends credence to all that Jesus did and taught throughout his earthly life. It is God’s way of authenticating to us that Jesus is the Son of God (cf. 1:4). The truth of the resurrection was at the very center of the apostolic preaching.
When Paul wrote in v. 10 that believing leads to justification and that confession leads to salvation, he was not speaking of two separate processes. Justification and salvation are being used interchangeably in this context.53 To believe with one’s heart means to commit oneself at the deepest level to the truth as revealed and experienced. Confession is giving expression in words to that conviction. Phillips says of the one who believes, “It is stating his belief by his own mouth that confirms his salvation.” Those who genuinely accept the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and therefore his deity are willing to go public with their conviction. That kind of commitment will never lead to disappointment. Calvin’s picturesque comment regarding those who would consider the confession of the mouth as superfluous is that “it is quite nonsensical to insist that there is fire, when there is neither flame nor heat.”56 The prophet Isaiah said, “No one who places his trust in him will have cause for shame” (Isa 28:16). The promise extends to Gentile as well as to Jew.58 God does not have alternate methods of salvation for groups from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The one Lord is Lord of all. He is rich in blessing (cf. 2 Cor 8:9; Eph 3:8) to all who call upon him. Turning to the prophet Joel, Paul reminded his readers that salvation is for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord (Joel 2:32). Nowhere in Scripture is the universal scope of salvation presented with greater clarity. Although God’s redemptive plan was worked out in history through one particular race, it was meant from the beginning for the benefit of all people everywhere. (Mounce, R. H. (1995). Romans (Vol. 27, pp. 209–211). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
9, 10 “The word of faith” or gospel message is something to confess as well as to believe (cf. 2 Cor 4:13, 14). “Confess” (ὁμολογέω, homologeō) when used of sin means to say the same thing about it that God says; when used in the creedal sense, as here in v. 9, it means to say the same thing that other believers say regarding their faith. This was done within the Christian group especially by new converts in connection with their baptism; when it was done “before men” (Matt 10:32) it had an evangelizing function. The oddity that in our passage confession is given prior mention over believing is simply due to Paul’s preservation of the order given in Deuteronomy 30:14, which he had just quoted, where “mouth” is mentioned before “heart.” The influence of the OT passage is likewise evident in that, whereas it provided a point of contact for citing the resurrection of our Lord (vv. 7, 9), there was nothing to provide a basis for mention of the saving death of Christ (contrast 1 Cor 15:3, 4). The concentration on the resurrection is understandable also when it is recognized that the creedal statement before us pertains to the person of Christ rather than to his redeeming work. “Jesus is Lord” was the earliest declaration of faith fashioned by the church (Acts 2:36; 1 Cor 12:3). This great truth was recognized first by God in raising his Son from the dead—an act then acknowledged by the church and one day to be acknowledged by all (Philippians 2:11).
It was natural for the church to have a fundamental confession of this sort, since at the beginning it was Jewish / Christian in its composition and therefore had in its background the example of confession in Israel, “The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut 6:4). The incarnation necessitated the enlargement of the confession to include the Lord Christ. “For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Cor 8:6).
Paul’s statement in vv. 9, 10 is misunderstood when it is made to support the claim that one cannot be saved unless he makes Jesus the Lord of his life by a personal commitment. Such a commitment is most important; however, in this passage, Paul is speaking of the objective lordship of Christ, which is the very cornerstone for faith, something without which no one could be saved. Intimately connected as it was with the resurrection, which in turn validated the saving death, it proclaimed something that was true no matter whether or not a single soul believed it and built his life on it. (Harrison, E. F. (1976). Romans. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans through Galatians (Vol. 10, p. 112). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
If thou shalt confess (ἐαν ὁμολογησῃς [ean homologēsēis]). Third class condition (ἐαν [ean] and first aorist active subjunctive of ὁμολογεω [homologeō]). With thy mouth Jesus as Lord (ἐν τῳ στοματι σου Κυριον Ἰησουν [en tōi stomati sou Kurion Iēsoun]). This is the reading of nearly all the MSS. But B 71 Clem of Alex. read το ρημα ἐν τῳ στοματι σου ὁτι Κυριος Ἰησους [to rēma en tōi stomati sou hoti Kurios Iēsous] (the word in thy mouth that Jesus is Lord). The idea is the same, the confession of Jesus as Lord as in 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 2:11. No Jew would do this who had not really trusted Christ, for Κυριος [Kurios] in the LXX is used of God. No Gentile would do it who had not ceased worshipping the emperor as Κυριος [Kurios]. The word Κυριος [Kurios] was and is the touchstone of faith. And shalt believe (και πιστευσῃς [kai pisteusēis]). Same construction. Faith precedes confession, of course.
Romans 10:10
Man believeth (πιστευεται [pisteuetai]). Impersonal construction, “it is believed” (present passive indicative of πιστευω [pisteuō]). The order is reversed in this verse and the true order (faith, then confession). Confession is made (ὁμολογειται [homologeitai]). Impersonal construction again, “it is confessed,” “man confesses.” Both καρδιᾳ [kardiāi] (heart) and στοματι [stomati] (mouth) are in the instrumental case. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ro 10:9–10). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
In these verses Paul stated the content of that message concerning faith. Confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord is mentioned first to conform to the order of the quotation from Deuteronomy 30:14 in Romans 10:8. The confession is an acknowledgement that God has been incarnated in Jesus (cf. v. 6), that Jesus Christ is God. Also essential is heart-faith that God raised Him from the dead (cf. v. 7). The result is salvation. The true order is given in verse 10: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (lit., “it is believed unto righteousness”), and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (lit., “it is confessed unto salvation”). Yet these are not two separate steps to salvation. They are chronologically together. Salvation comes through acknowledging to God that Christ is God and believing in Him. (Witmer, J. A. (1985). Romans. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 481). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
“You may have obeyed it outwardly,” Paul would reply, “but you did not believe it from your heart.” He then quoted Deuteronomy 30:12–14 and gave the passage a deeper spiritual meaning. The theme of Moses’ message was “the commandment” (Deut. 30:11), referring to the Word of God. Moses argued that the Jews had no reason to disobey the Word of God because it had been clearly explained to them and it was not far from them. In fact, Moses urged them to receive the Word in their hearts (see Deut. 5:29; 6:5–12; 13:3; 30:6). The emphasis in Deuteronomy is on the heart, the inner spiritual condition and not mere outward acts of obedience. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 547). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
10:9 confess … Jesus as Lord. Not a simple acknowledgment that He is God and the Lord of the universe, since even demons acknowledge that to be true (Jas 2:19). This is the deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is that person’s own master or sovereign. This phrase includes repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus for salvation, and submitting to Him as Lord. This is the volitional element of faith (see note on 1:16). believe in your heart. See note on 1:16. God raised Him from the dead. Christ’s resurrection was the supreme validation of His ministry (cf. Jn 2:18–21). Belief in it is necessary for salvation because it proved that Christ is who He claimed to be and that the Father had accepted His sacrifice in the place of sinners (4:24; cf. Ac 13:32, 33; 1Pe 1:3, 4). Without the resurrection, there is no salvation (1Co 15:14–17). See note on 1:4. will be saved. See note on 1:16.
10:10 confesses. This Gr. word basically means to say the same thing, or to be in agreement with someone. The person who confesses Jesus as Lord (v. 9), agrees with the Father’s declaration that Jesus is Savior and Lord. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ro 10:9–10). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, &c.] That is, if a man shall make a good, sincere, and hearty confession to God, before the church and people of God, and before the world, that Christ is his Lord and Saviour, whom he desires to serve, and to be saved by; and this as arising from a comfortable experience of the grace of God in his soul, and from a true faith in Christ in his heart, wherefore it follows, and shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; for this article of Christ’s resurrection includes the several other articles of faith: it supposes his death, and that supposes his life, and the obedience of it; and his life implies his being here on earth, and that his coming down from heaven to do the will of his father; and this is the rather mentioned, which is here ascribed to God the Father, though not to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit, because that Christ is risen again for our justification, with which true faith is principally concerned; for such a faith is intended, not which lies in a mere assent to the truth of this, or any other article of the Christian religion; but which is concerned with Christ for righteousness, life, and glory; and with such a faith salvation is certainly and inseparably connected.
Ver. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, &c.] The apostle here explains the nature and use both of faith and confession; as true faith does not lie in the bare assent of the mind to the Gospel, or any truth contained in it, respecting the person and office of Christ, so neither does it lie, as not in the brain, so not in the tongue, but in the heart; it is not a notional knowledge of things to be believed; nor is it saying that a man believes; but it is heart-work, a believing with all the heart; such a faith in which all the powers of the soul, the understanding, will, and affections, are concerned, it is a seeing of the son, a beholding of the glory, fulness, suitableness, ability, and willingness of Christ as a Saviour, with the eye of the understanding spiritually enlightened; it is a going out of the soul to Christ, in various acts, such as venturing into his presence, prostrating itself at his feet, resolving if it perishes it will perish there; a giving up itself unto him, determining it will have no other Saviour, leaning and relying on him, and living upon him; which faith works by love to Christ, moves the affections, stirs up the desires of the soul to his name, and endears him and all that belong to him to it. The use of this grace is, unto righteousness; it is not instead of one, for faith is not our righteousness; nor is it in order to work out one, for this grace puts a soul on renouncing its own righteousness; but its use is to receive one, even the righteousness of Christ, which when it spies, it admires, receives, lays hold on, and rejoices in looking on itself as righteous through this righteousness, and so has peace with God through Christ: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. This is to be understood not of confession of sin, though that is proper and requisite to be made, both with respect to the participation, and enjoyment of salvation, particularly pardoning grace and mercy, and to an admission to Gospel ordinances; but of confession of Christ, as appears from the preceding verse, which lies in a frank and open acknowledgment of what Christ is in himself, as that he is truly and properly God, the son of God, the true Messiah, the Mediator between God and man, and the only Saviour of lost sinners, and of our faith in him, with respect to ourselves, to our pardon, justification, acceptance and salvation in him and through him; in ascribing the whole of our salvation to him, and giving him the glory of it; in declaring to the churches of Christ what he has done for our souls, and in subjecting ourselves to his ordinances. This confession must be made both by words and facts, must be open, visible, and before men; and also real, hearty, and sincere, the words of the mouth agreeing with the experience of the heart; and such a good profession made before God, angels, and men, highly becomes all that believe with the heart. This was the practice of the primitive saints; yea, all nations own, acknowledge, and profess the God they worship; and should not we confess our God, Saviour and Redeemer? Christ himself confessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, and is the Apostle and High-priest of our profession. So to do, makes both for the glory of God, and for our own real good and advantage. Yea, it is unto salvation; not as a cause of it, for Christ alone is the author of eternal salvation; but a sincere and well-made confession of Christ points out to all that know us where and from whom we expect to have salvation; it is what lies in the way, and is to be taken up by all that believe in Christ, and to be held fast without wavering until we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 520–521). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
IN CHRIST
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22
Paul draws a contrast between the union of the unbeliever with Adam and the union of the believer with Christ. This is the greater argument in Romans 5, which is repeated in 1 Corinthians 15:22,49. In Romans 5 the whole argument is that death passed on to all people because of Adam. Why? Because of their relationship to Adam; that is the whole doctrine of original sin. We are all condemned in Adam because of Adam’s sin. He was our representative, he was our federal head; and not only that, we are bound to him, we were in the loins of Adam when he fell. In Adam all died. In Christ all shall be made alive again. That is it. The relationship of the believer to Christ is the same sort of union and relationship as that old relationship of the whole of Adam’s posterity to Adam. We are all born in Adam, and we are related, we are joined in that way. Yes, but being born again, we are in the same sort of relationship to Christ.
Regeneration and union must never be separated. You cannot be born again without being in Christ; you are born again because you are in Christ. The moment you are in Him you are born again, and you cannot regard your regeneration as something separate and think that union is something you will eventually arrive at. Not at all! Regeneration and union must always be considered together and at the same time because the one depends upon the other and leads to the other; they are mutually self-supporting.
There is nothing that so strengthens my faith and fills me with a longing to be pure as He is pure and to live even as He did in this world as the realization of what I am and who I am because I am a Christian. I am a child of God, and I am in Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Regeneration and union must never be separated.
(From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 104-105, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Genesis 39
Joseph resists the advances of Potiphar’s wife.
INSIGHT
Mark Twain once wrote: “Always do right. It will gratify some and astonish the rest.” While we smile at that, there are greater reasons for doing right.
Joseph is a good example. When he resisted the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Joseph set himself on the road to the throne of Egypt. Had he given in, Joseph would have set himself on the road to ruin. Always do right. There is more at stake than you might think. (Quiet Walk)
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A Created People (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research) The union isn’t physical, but theological. Union with Christ implies three things: solidarity (Christ as the second Adam is our representative), transformation (Christ by the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out), and communion (Christ abides with us as our God). (p. 96, The Hole In Our Holiness by Kevin De Young) |
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We are the stewards of assets and resources. The financial health and wealth of your organization may not be the most important measurements of your leadership, but they are hardly irrelevant. The faithful leader knows that organizational assets are to be deployed in the service of the organization and its mission, and are to be invested and managed so that the wealth of the organization grows. This is not because we lead with the ultimate goal of financial growth, but because financial growth is needed if the organization is to fulfill its mission and extend its reach. (Albert Mohler)
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