declare and believe

Paul had a simple, two-part way to salvation. He wrote it in Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth,‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Of course, this is simple to say and understand, but it’s not that easy to do. Believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? Many scoff at me for believing this. Libraries full of books and magazine articles have been written trying to clarify the “myths” of the Christian religion and determine who Jesus the man really was.

In our day of science and skepticism, do I really believe that God came to earth as an immaculately-conceived human baby, that he walked the earth for roughly three decades teaching and performing miracles, that he was tortured to death but then rose from the dead and ascended back into heaven? And if I do believe that, do I believe that it was enough to save me?

I do, but some days it’s hard.

If I believe it, though, I have to say it. Declare with my mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” I declared it in my profession of faith, but I should declare it anew over every day, every new job, ever new house, every trip, every act of service. In my declaring and in my doing and living I should shout emphatically that I’m committing it all to my Lord Jesus.

Declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe God raised him from the dead. In other words, put my faith in Jesus, and then serve him.

I can do that. I have done that.