The Gift of Salvation…..Romans 10:8b-13.….March 9, 2025
(8b) “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart.” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); (9) because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For one believes with the heart leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth leading to salvation. (11) The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. (13) For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Background to Romans: After working for at least ten years spreading the gospel throughout the Mediterranean basin, Paul saw that the Christian church was well established there and turned his sights farther afield. He wanted to go to Spain, the farthermost outpost of the Roman Empire, and take the Gospel there. First, though, he needed to go to Jerusalem to take the proceeds of an offering, collected by the new churches to help the parent church in the holy city. After that he hoped to fulfill a lifelong dream to go to Rome on his way to Spain. His letter to the Romans was his way of introducing himself to the Christians there ahead of time, and countering many false rumors that were circulating about him. He wrote the letter during a three-month period while staying in Corinth with his friend Gauis. He had some well-founded misgivings about going to Jerusalem. Once there he was arrested and eventually sent to Rome for trial. He was kept under house arrest in Rome for at least two years. Ultimately, according to reliable tradition, he was executed outside Rome. He never made it to Spain.
Paul’s letter to the Romans is a complex and remarkable work, in which Paul seeks to deal with the question of how God will judge each person on the final day. He brilliantly makes his argument in a way that synthesizes Greek and Hebrew thought. In this book we have our clearest picture that salvation is a free gift from God, no one can earn it. It is only to be received by faith (for Paul faith is simply trusting God to receive us as we are). Gratitude for this gift changes ones whole life. Today’s text is taken from a longer section (9:30 – 10:21) that deals with understanding the role of the Jews in God’s plan. He sees life as divided into two pathways; the way of the Law and the way of Grace. In these verses he tries to help readers grasp the nature of the way of Grace.
Word Study
Vs. – 8b – “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart.” – This is a quotation from Moses’ final speech to the people of Israel as they prepare to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. Moses knows that he will not go with them. He knows, too, how dependent they have been on him and his relationship with God. In that passage he reminds them that the way of intimacy with God is not too difficult for them. It is not hard to grasp or outside their reach. Paul wants to make the same point for his readers. Neither the Law nor the Christ to whom it points have to be searched for high and low. Christ is at hand, it is in the very air we breathe.
Word of faith – Paul boldly connects the word of Deuteronomy 30:14 with Christ himself. They are not two separate things. Jesus was the word made flesh.
Vs. 9 – confess with your mouth – that is to say out loud what you believe and stand for.
Lord – Roman emperors in Paul’s day claimed the title of Lord. It was a word used some 6000 times in the Greek Old Testament for the name of God. Here, Paul uses the word to mean “to acknowledge that Jesus shares the name and nature, the holiness, the authority, power, majesty and eternity of the one and only true God.” (C.E.B. Cranfield)
Raised from the dead – in Paul’s theology, this was the distinctive claim of the Christian church. It verified and demonstrated the claim of Lordship. “His resurrection was no mere resuscitation of a corpse only for it to die again, but God’s decisive and irrevocable sealing of him who was crucified as the eternal Lord” (Cranfield)
Saved – means eternal wholeness. It is a kind of wholeness that results from sharing life with Christ here and now, and in the future in fullness in heaven.
Vs. 10 - confesses – For Paul being a Christian involves not only inner belief but also witness to that belief. To confess faith is to publicly take a stand.
Vs. 11 – “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” This quote comes from Isaiah 28:16-17. In Isaiah, this is a passage about righteousness. Here, Paul wants us to recognize that Jesus himself is our righteousness. Paul intends for us to understand that a choice must be made in our lives. Those who trust in Jesus as our righteousness will never be put to shame. Those who trust in the Law (works) will be put to shame. Understand clearly that it is not the nature and values of God’s law that is to be rejected. Rather it is our belief that on our own we are capable of consistently living those values down to the minute details that have been articulated to help people do so.
Vs. 12 – For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek – this quotation from Joel 2:32 states that the gospel of Christ is open for all.
Vs. 13 – This is a quotation from the Psalms.
Questions for Personal Reflection
- What does the phrase “to be saved” mean to you? From what are you saved? For what are you saved?
- How do you understand salvation to happen? Do you think that you have to do anything to be saved? Do you ever feel like you have to do something to convince God that you are worth saving or loving? What are those things? Take a moment to pray and ask God to help you understand God’s unconditional love.
- This is a passage of great comfort and assurance. In what ways do you most need to be comforted and assured of God’s love and your salvation?
- Paul says that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. What do you think he meant by that? Why was that important to the church in Rome? Why is that important to you?
- Why do you think it is appropriate to consider this verse as we begin the season of Lent? How do you imagine the Lenten journey opening you to the ‘atmosphere’ of Jesus and walking in it with him?