This is a great chapter, Paul is going to clearly state the message of salvation that he has been really driving to for quite a while now. When we look at verses 8 through 13, we clearly see this:

“But what does it say?  “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”, (quoting from Duet.); 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 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.”

So, Paul is done beating around the bush on this and he really, clearly states hell saving grace is granted.  Now, it is potentially important to clear up a nuance with this that I have heard mentioned before.  I have heard people ask the question, or make the point, that if we are to confess Jesus and believe in Jesus in order to be saved, then we are technically being called upon to do something to save ourselves.  Based on everything Paul has said, I don’t think we can really interpret what he saying quite so literally.  It would be silly to say that Paul was literally making the point that a the physical act of stating one’s belief and act believing in one’s heart is the actual moment of being saved.  Sometimes people will look at passages like this in the Bible and try to draw literal conclusions from it. I don’t think that’s fair to the text. Paul is simply telling us that trusting in the message of Jesus, that he came and lived life that we could not live and died the death we should have died, and was raised from the dead…placing our faith in that sacrifice on our behalf is the act of being saved.

The outward expression, they mentioning it or speaking it or declaring it out loud is really serving the same purpose as baptism, and that is to tell the world what you believe, to make a public declaration.

This sets up an interesting question though, one that is raised by skeptics frequently, and that is this question, “What about all those people who never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus, and to receive this message and thereby be saved?”

That question, in someways, should hunt us. And, that’s the question that is addressed first thing when we resume tomorrow. Paul anticipated and he goes ahead and addresses it in the remainder of this chapter of Romans.

So the question I will be thinking about today is this, since I have declared my faith, and I trust in Jesus, do I really live a life that proves this belief? Could I be convicted of being a Christian if someone tried me on that charge in a court of law?  It is an interesting question.