That 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 (Romans 10:9).
The opening scripture reveals the fundamental requirement to receive salvation. Anyone desirous of salvation must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord over his or her life. No one can be born again by merely wishing to be. The reason for this is simple: Jesus consciously did something to become our Saviour and Lord. He fulfilled the righteous demands of justice that consummated salvation for all mankind.
Hence, to be born again, you have to consciously confess the Lordship of Jesus over your life; that’s the principle that guarantees salvation. You’ll have to say: “I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead; I confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life.” That confession is key to salvation.
It doesn’t matter that you’re the ‘nicest’ person around. You can’t trust in your good deeds to save you. The words of Jesus in John 3:7 when he said “ye must be born again,” is not a cliché or a suggestion; niceness and good deeds don’t save. There’s a definite act required for salvation; you’ve got to “receive” (Greek: lambano) or “take hold of” the eternal life that Christ brought.
Christ already made salvation available to everyone; it’s your responsibility to reach out and receive your salvation. How? By confessing His Lordship! So you see, the key is in your mouth! No wonder the Bible says, “…The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8).
If you’re not yet born again, you can do this right away by praying this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I ask that you come into my heart and be the Lord of my life from this day forward. I confess with my mouth that you are Lord of my life, and believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead; therefore I declare that I am saved.”
I thank your Godly work for producing leaders who spread God’s word to us without getting tired.
I like John 3:16 better. There is even less required to be saved, “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” You don’t have to believe God raised him from the dead, or that he is Lord, let alone ‘Lord of your life’, you don’t have to trouble yourself with leading an immoral life, lying, cursing, going to church, pornography, respecting your parents or any of those bothersome “works of thel law.” Just believe brother-you are saved by faith alone.