A Right Confession
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Jan. 10, 1964
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
What are the evidences of salvation? Some say that confessing belief in Jesus is what saves but in this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “A Right Confession,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that confession only comes after a heart has been changed. This sermon shows that confessing Jesus as Lord is the confirmation of salvation but it is not what saves the person from their sin. The church in Acts gives an example that true salvation has evidence: one confesses that Jesus is Lord, turns away from their sin, follows the teaching of the Bible, and continues in fellowship with other believers. If one does not have these as marks in their life, confession is pointless because the heart has not been changed. By applying Paul’s letter, one sees that the work of a Christian is to proclaim Jesus as Lord by words and lives, not by parading Him around as a bumper sticker or Christian T-shirt. The work of God is much deeper than just outward signs and He works on the person in their entirety.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is expounding Romans 10:9-10 which defines saving faith.
- Saving faith involves believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth.
- Believing in your heart refers to genuinely accepting the gospel message internally. It's not mere intellectual assent.
- Confessing with your mouth refers to proclaiming your faith externally through your words and actions. It confirms and proves your internal faith.
- For Jews, confessing Jesus as Lord was difficult because it contradicted their monotheistic beliefs. For Gentiles, it contradicted the cult of emperor worship. So confessing Jesus as Lord showed true faith.
- In the early church, confessing Jesus as Lord involved:
- A statement of belief in Jesus as the Son of God and savior.
- Baptism which publicly proclaimed faith in Jesus.
- Joining the Christian church and fellowship.
- A changed life that turned from idols to God which showed true repentance.
- Willingness to suffer persecution and even martyrdom for faith in Jesus.
- Today, confessing Jesus as Lord should not be done in a merely mechanical, parrot-like or showy manner. It should not be done just by wearing badges or peculiar clothing.
- Genuine confession of Jesus as Lord involves proclaiming faith through a total changed life that clearly shows you belong to Jesus. It should be obvious without showy displays.
- There is a difference between proclaiming your faith and parading your faith in a Pharisaical manner. Your faith should be shown in a genuine, humble manner through a changed life.
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.