Issue 20 - Day 7

Romans 10

Romans 10:8-11
8)  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9)  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.
10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The big difference between us as believers, and the Jewish nation pre-Christ, is that we are not bound to follow a set of laws in order to be part of God’s chosen people. All we need is the word of faith. There are two ways to treat this statement and both are a challenge.

Usually we emphasise the belief side of the equation. It is easy (we say) to say the right words, but unless you also believe in your heart then you will not be saved. It is my misfortune to recall a friend from school, he was part of the church youth group, said all the right things, prayed with us, say miracles of healing take place, and generally looked the part of a Christian. Sadly, meeting him in later years he said that it had all been a pretence to fit in as he felt so lonely as a kid. He said the words but it was not in his heart at all.

On the other hand I feel we are often stuck the other way round. We are happy to believe in our hearts as long as we never have to say anything. We are scared we will look stupid, we think we don’t know what to say. However scripture is clear. If we confess with our mouth, that involves telling others what you believe. The word is in our mouth to preach. So preach. I don’t mean everyone gets into the pulpit, but everyone must speak of his faith to his friends. Do not be ashamed, and in fact believe and you WILL not be ashamed.