IN THE WORD DAILY

with Brother Rick

Romans 10: 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.

This text has become known to the Bible student as part of the Romans Road. As we discussed yesterday, this epistle to the Romans church contains all of the doctrinal truth needed for justification and sanctification. Justification can be defined simply as, the act of God taking you out of the world. And sanctification can simply be defined as the process of God taking the world out of you. But this text is the life changing event when man comes to the crossroad and turns his heart and mind away from self, away from the world, away from the his own will, and turns toward the Savior in repentance and makes Jesus, Lord of his life.

There are three vital doctrines in this verse that lead us down the road to reconciliation with a holy God. Let us establish one thing. The idea we have adopted in the liberal circles that says, “God is love and only love and he hears every prayer of every person”, does not line up with scriptures. Psalm 66: 18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me:” Of course we know that God is omnipresent (all places at all times), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful), God sees and hears all things, but we are talking about acknowledgment, God hears the prayers of sinners, but God's acknowledgment of our prayers only comes when prayer is offered with the right motive. If you choose to ignore the word of God and live in your sin, and expect the God of heaven to acknowledge your every prayer, you are deceiving yourself and the truth is not in you.

Back to the text, the first thing we must acknowledge on this Romans Road is confession. The text implies that we must confess with the mouth. This is simply an outward acknowledgment of the fact that we have transgressed God's word, his law and his will. Obviously a deaf person could not speak this with their mouth, but all can make public acknowledgment that they are wrong and God is right. Bible confession and repentance is a change of attitude toward the rule of God. Jesus bore our reproach openly and we must bear his reproach openly. 2 Timothy 2: 12 says, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.” This outward confession comes with action. It will bring repentance. When we confess with the right motives, we will turn away from self and turn to the Savior.

Secondly, we must acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is Lord. Whether you accept it, believe it, or walk according to it. JESUS IN LORD!!! Did you read the paper yesterday? The front page of the Herald-Journal shows a disgraceful display of wickedness, not only in the world, but in the religious circles. The article says, “The Rev. David Poteat of Greenville said it's long been his ambition to perform the first gay wedding ceremony in South Carolina.” He goes on to say, “Love holds not bounds, For someone to say your love in not legal goes completely against  everything I was taught growing up in the church,” (Here's the problem, he's been led astray by a false teacher). Poteat said, “God is love. Therefore, we cannot put restrictions on love. End of story.” What a crackpot!! First, it is NOT the end of the story, God's love COMES WITH BOUNDARIES. Here is a man who has not confessed that he is a sinner, If you condone and promote sin, according to the BIBLE, YOU ARE A LOST SINNER. He has not accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we accept his Lordship, we accept his word as truth. John 14: 15 says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Yes, God is love, that's why he offered his own Son; so we would not be slaves to the sin this knucklehead is promoting. Jesus is Lord and his word is the final authority, not what you were taught as a child in some liberal church. READ YOUR BIBLE!!!

The last part of the verse gives the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of a virgin, he died on a cross, he was buried in the borrowed tomb, and he rose the third day. Being the firstfruits of the resurrection, he has opened the way for us to be raised with him. Praise God, I believe the Gospel, I believe God raised him from the dead. Hebrews 12: 2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father this morning, making intercession for us. Thank you Jesus!!

If you confess your transgression, acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and his word as final authority, and believe the gospel, God will save your soul. Please don't be misguided into thinking that you can have your sin and God will overlook it. It is a lie from the devil. Rev. Poteat is wrong, if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.

Have A Blessed Day!!!