A Change of Heart
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Nov. 29, 1963
Scripture
9That 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. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
Is salvation merely an intellectual endeavor that begins and ends with the mind or does it include the heart? In this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “A Change of Heart,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines what the apostles preached in their missionary journeys and what true salvation looks like. Throughout the New Testament, the apostles preach that saving faith is not only in the mind, but that it must include a change of heart. In the Old Testament, God promises to change the heart of stone into a heart of flesh. The question now is not whether or not the mind believes, but if the heart believes that Jesus is Lord. In today’s age many believe that one must only make a decision in order to be saved. Yet if this decision does not stem from a heart burdened by sin and seeking repentance from God, then it is not saving faith. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows the hope of salvation that can only be given by God through the Son, a salvation that is so miraculous it changes a wicked heart into one that loves God.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul makes a statement in Romans 10:9-10 that saving faith involves both believing in one's heart and confessing with one's mouth.
- The "heart" refers to the center of one's personality, including one's emotions, feelings, and intellect. Saving faith involves more than just intellect.
- Unbelief is also a matter of the heart, not just the intellect. Many unbelievers ridicule Christianity not just intellectually but emotionally.
- The Roman Catholic Church teaches that one becomes a Christian simply by assenting intellectually to the Church's doctrine. This is the opposite of what Paul teaches.
- "Sandemianism" was an 18th-century teaching that said if you accept teaching intellectually and confess it with your mouth, you are saved, even without any inner experience. This view can lead to a lack of spiritual life and power.
- Some today think you can reason yourself into becoming a Christian or that making a decision or confession alone saves you. But Paul says faith must be "with the heart."
- Mere theological knowledge or orthodoxy is not enough. You must have a living faith in Christ, not just believe facts about him.
- Constantine's conversion of the Roman Empire led to many nominal Christians without changed hearts. The Church has never been the same.
- Regeneration, or a changed heart, is essential to salvation. No one can have saving faith without it.
- Many Scriptures show that faith and salvation are matters of the heart, not just the intellect (Ezekiel 36:25-27; Romans 2:28-29; Acts 16:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 3:12; 1 Peter 1:22).
- Our hearts must be purified and opened by God to have true faith. We must love God with our whole being (Mark 12:30).
- Mere belief in God is not enough; even demons believe in God (James 2:19). We must have faith from the heart.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.