“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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
What is the process of becoming a Christ follower? How are you actually “saved?” The Bible says it simply. We need merely to believe and declare. This is not a matter of uttering a certain prayer, raising a hand, or filling out a card. As Romans says, it is a matter of the heart. We simply believe Jesus is Who He says He is and did for us on the cross what He did, paying the penalty for our sins. This belief is called faith—believing something is true even though you were not there to physically see it and then living your life based on that belief.
Even the faith to believe in Jesus is something that God provides. But the second part is no less important. Twice in Romans 10:9-10, the believer declares and professes with his mouth. Why is that important? Because it’s a public declaration. It’s not just an internal decision of the heart. It’s stating that belief out loud before others and then living out that faith in public. Both your words and your actions declare to the world what your life is about. If you are a person who has surrendered to following Jesus Christ, you’ll declare it not only with your words but also with how you conduct every moment of every day.
Becoming a Christ follower is simple. But it is not easy. Living by faith requires a steadfast commitment to the One Who saved you. The process of belief and declaration is straightforward; and the Bible says that when we do this we can be assured, “you will be saved.” Then begins a life that is lived, from that point forward, in love for and obedience to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
God, thank You for saving me through Your Son, Jesus. May my life declare You as Lord in the way that I live, the choices I make, the way that I treat others, and the mission of my life in keeping with Your mission for Christ followers on earth. May each moment I live declare to others that Jesus is Lord. In His name I pray, Amen.
Topics: Salvation
