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I thank God for all the Christians that do the work of evangelism. While much gospel truth is going forth, I have noticed that one aspect of the gospel needs to be communicated better. We need to teach unbelievers that God desires actual or practical righteousness and that He sent His Son to make that a reality in the lives of His people. If we communicate this properly, unbelievers will more likely understand that God is not pleased with their current way of living. To help Christians understand the importance of this in our evangelism efforts, I have produced a two-part video series which you can view here.

Let us be preachers of righteousness Part One:

Let us be preachers of righteousness Part Two:

To view the 2019 Stones Cry Out and Dearborn Bible Fellowship annual report, click this link.

NEW:   The Gospel of John, SCOT Giant Print Edition

• Designed for use in evangelism
• Giant print (12-point font) paperback
• Five-page summary of the Bible’s salvation message in the back.
• More literal, “word-for-word” translation style
• Based upon the Byzantine N.T. Greek textform sometimes referred to as the Majority Text.

The SCOT Gospel of John, Giant Print edition (12 pt. font), was produced by Stones Cry Out Ministries to fill a special evangelism ministry need. For mass evangelism, smaller, cheaper gospels are probably better suited because of their low cost. But in some situations, a nicer, Giant Print gospel may be worth the extra cost. For people who seem to have a genuine desire to learn about God and His salvation plan, the SCOT Gospel of John, Giant Print edition is perfect. Not only does it include a solid version of the Gospel of John, it also includes a concise summary of the Bible’s redemption message after the gospel concludes. If God the Father is drawing a person to Jesus, the SCOT Gospel of John provides all the truth necessary as he or she transitions from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.

The SCOT Gospel of John is a translation from the original Greek Byzantine Textform, sometimes referred to as the Majority Greek Text, specifically Family 35. It is a precise translation of the original Greek text. It is translated directly from the original Greek text. It is not a revision of a previous English version, nor is it a paraphrase. The SCOT translation is more literal, word-for-word as opposed to the thought-for-thought approach utilized in many other versions today.

To help Christians evaluate the SCOT Gospel of John text, the Kindle version is offered (99-cents) with more detailed information (for evaluation purposes), including many critical notes. (Many of those notes would not be appropriate for a Gospel that is used for evangelism, so they do not appear in this paperback edition.)

To read the “Kindle” version for free as an HTML file click this. (You can click on all the internal links and read all the notes. Each note will appear in the top of the screen. Then, click the back arrow on the browser to get back to where you were reading in the book of John.

For very detailed description and understanding of the conventions used in translating, click on this link to read the detailed preface found only in the Kindle evaluation version.

Link to the Amazon page for the SCOT Giant Print Edition.

Link to the Amazon page for the SCOT Kindle Edition.

The mini videos on this page are designed to call attention to the fact that God has preserved each and every word of the original Greek New Testament. Being intentionally brief, they do not go into detail or show all the supporting evidence for the claim being made in them. If After a person has viewed these videos he is curious to learn more, he can go to the page that deals with this in detail by clicking the link below the two videos on this page.

Video Part One

Video Part Two

Click the following link to go to the page that goes into more detail with evidence to support the claims made here. God has preserved very word!

If you have a comment, you can share it below.

 

Recently, I had a conversation with a neighbor who claims to be a Christian. I told him about a friend who attends our church meetings who claims to be an unbeliever (not a Christian). Being curious, my neighbor began asking a series of questions about the things my friend believes. Using the Apostles’ Creed as a basis, he began asking if he believed the various statements contained in it. After completing his questions, he realized that my friend assents to every statement in the Apostles’ Creed. My neighbor stood there momentarily with a puzzled look on his face. He didn’t understand why my friend did not consider himself a Christian (since he assents to every statement in the Apostles’ Creed).

Below is the Apostles’ Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

A person can assent to the statements in this creed and still end up in hell. How is this possible? Inherent in the gospel, is a demanded response to it. In other words, part of the gospel is a command to repent and believe it. Any so-called gospel that does not include this demand is a false gospel.

 

True faith (evidenced by works) is required by the New Testament Gospel

Many people who claim to be Christian do not have a biblical view of what it means to believe the gospel. To many, faith seems to be not much more than a philosophy. If a person assents to a set of sound biblical statements, he is assumed to be a Christian.

From late 2001 to about 2006, I evangelized door to door weekly in a mainly Caucasian neighborhood. I spoke face to face with over one thousand people and kept records. About 70% of these people claimed to be “born again, Bible-believing Christians.” But based upon the conversations I had with them, only about 5% of those who claimed this were living according to its teachings. The rest had no interest in reading the Bible, living for Jesus, being a part of a church, etc. They seemed content to live autonomous lives, seeking pleasure their own way.  In spite of this, they considered themselves Christian because at some point in their lives, they “made a commitment” to Jesus, prayed a “sinner’s prayer,” were baptized, or some such thing. They did not seem at all concerned about the coming judgment. They don’t realize that according to the New Testament, they appear to be headed for hell (based upon their current way of living). They do not appear to possess saving faith as the New Testament describes it.

We must all take heed. Saving faith always results in a Christ-like life. The true believer loves Jesus and shows it by his obedience to Him. When Jesus lives inside a person, characteristics such as humility, caring love for others, purity and righteousness abound and continue to increase throughout his lifetime. For more specifics, see my article Salvation is Conditional.

Note: By the word “salvation” in this article, I mean the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, as Peter describes it in I Peter 1:5. (As opposed to the idea of being born again and being justified when a person first believes.) This salvation takes place when Jesus executes judgment as He promised in John 5:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.  ²⁶ “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;  ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.  ²⁸ “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,  ²⁹ and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.  ³⁰ “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 5:25-30).

To keep terms straight, I will refer to this “resurrection of life” as the glorification of the saints. All who are not glorified on that day will spend eternity in hell. (These are the ones receiving the “resurrection of judgment.”)

I suspect that many Christians will object to this article. Some might assume that it teaches a works-based salvation. Therefore, I wish to set the record straight at the beginning. I believe that we are saved by grace through faith which is a gift from God. It is not of works lest any man should boast. There could be no other way of salvation because it would be unrighteous for God to share His glory with anyone.

That being said, the New Testament clearly teaches that salvation is conditional. For example, IF Jesus did not die as a substitute sacrifice for sins, no human could ever be saved because God is absolutely righteous and each and every sin must receive its punishment. God is holy and cannot have sinful flesh in His presence. In order to save sinful humans, God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die as the perfect sacrifice for sins and when He died, God received His death as full payment for sins. Jesus paid it all!

Not everyone receives the benefit of this salvation that was purchased by Jesus’ death. It is conditional. Only those who believe the gospel from the heart are justified and ultimately glorified. (in the Greek, this believing never stops.)

Now let me progress to the part that might be objectionable to some. In addition to the requirement to believe the gospel, the New Testament speaks of many other conditions that are required for salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Below is a partial list. At the conclusion of this article are some of the verses in the New Testament that speak of these conditions.

We will receive the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time IF the following things are fulfilled in us (as a way of life, ongoing, does not stop)

-If we believe the gospel (and continue believing it)

-If we do not give up (if we endure to the end)

-If we do the things Jesus tells us to do[i]

-If we do not practice such sins as immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  envying, drunkenness, carousing

-If we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh by the Spirit

-If we confess Jesus before men

-If we suffer with Jesus

-If we forgive others from the heart

-If we call upon the Lord as a way of life (live in dependence on Him)

-If we seek for glory by persevering in doing good

-If we have a personal relationship with Jesus

-If we are willing to die for Jesus

-If the cares of this world do not choke out the fruit in our lives

According to the New Testament, only those who DO these things will be glorified. The rest will spend eternity in hell. Jesus came not just to deliver us from the penalty for sin which is hell. He came also to deliver us from the bondage to sin. Through His death on the cross, Jesus reconciled us to God. If any man believes the gospel from the heart, he receives remission of sins and is reconciled to God. But in addition to this, he receives eternal life and this life is the life of Jesus Himself in us.

If any man believes the gospel from the heart, all of the conditions listed above will be fulfilled in him. In other words, these actions are the product of new life in Christ. All who observe these things being fulfilled in them do not take credit for them. They believe that it is God who is at work in them both to do and to will of His good pleasure. (See Philippians 2:13.)

Following are verses that clearly talk of these conditions for salvation (glorification).

-If we believe the gospel (and continue believing it) John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

 -If we do not give up (if we endure to the end) Hebrews 3:6  ⁶ but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.  Hebrews 3:14   For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end  Hebrews 10:38-39  But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”  ³⁹ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Matthew 10:22  you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

-If we do the things Jesus tells us to do   Matthew 7:21-23  ” Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  ²² “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  ²³ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

-If we do not practice such sins as immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  envying, drunkenness, carousing  Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

-If we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh by the Spirit  Romans 8:13  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

-If we confess Jesus before men   Mark 8:38  “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  Romans 10:9  if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

-If we suffer with Jesus   Romans 8:16-17  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

-If we forgive others from the heart   Matthew 18:34-35  “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  ³⁵ “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

-If we call upon the Lord as a way of life (live in dependence on Him)  See my article, What Does it Mean to Call Upon the Lord?

-If we seek for glory by persevering in doing good Romans 2:5-10  But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,  ⁶ who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:  ⁷ eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;  ⁸ but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath,  ⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;  ¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

-If we have a personal relationship with Jesus Matthew 7:21-23  ” Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  ²² “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  ²³ “And then I will declare to them,  ‘Depart from Me I never knew you.’

-If we are willing to die for Jesus  Luke 14:27   whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

-If the cares of this world do not choke out the fruit in our lives  Matthew 13:19-23  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.  ²⁰ “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  ²¹ “yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  ²² “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  ²³ “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

[i] Jesus told us to do many things. Some examples include loving others (with action, not mere emotion), getting baptized, making disciples, and the list goes on and on. In other words, we gladly submit to Him as Lord of our lives and do the things He wants us to do.

Note: Most people do not know the definition of certain words used in this article. I used them just in case a reader does know them and desires to validate what I said. It is okay if you do not know them. You can read this article without knowing them and still get an understanding of what I am mainly trying to communicate.

I recall a conversation with an unbeliever. Though unbelievers do not generally believe many claims of the Bible, I called attention to John 20:28 just to show him that the Bible ascribes deity to Jesus. Here is that verse with its immediate context.

The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”  And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

I pointed out to him that Jesus did not correct Thomas’ assessment. (There are other places in the Bible where people attempt to worship angels or men of God and those being worshiped tell them to stop doing so because they are only angels or men.)

After pointing these things out to the unbeliever, he gave a response that I was not expecting. He said that Thomas was not addressing Jesus as deity but merely expressing amazement that Jesus was alive. He said that Thomas’ expression was similar to what many people say when they are amazed… like “Oh my God!  It is you Jesus! It is true, you are alive.” Because I never heard of such an interpretation, I was caught off guard and the conversation came to an end because of other circumstances.

It has been a few years since that conversation. Because John 20:28 seems so clear to me, I did not see any reason to revisit the issue with that unbeliever. I have found that even if a person were to hold up absolute proof to an unbeliever, he would not believe. (“But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead’ ” -Luke 16:31).

During the past two years, I applied myself to acquiring knowledge of New Testament Greek. I am amazed how much precision the N.T. Greek afforded the authors of the New Testament to accurately express their thoughts. God saw to it that His message was expressed precisely and N.T. Greek made that possible. Of course, God arranged for Greek to be available at just the right time. (At the fullness of time, to be exact.)

In case you would like to see an example, I would now like to revisit John 20:28 using the Greek. Though this explanation still would not be able to cause my unbelieving friend to repent, it might encourage my Christian friends to see how much God cares about the preservation of His Word. 

ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου (John 20:28).

Here are the main words along with the English translation

Θωμᾶς              Thomas

ἀπεκρίθη          answered

καὶ                     and

εἶπεν                 said

αὐτῷ                 him

μου                    my

κύριός               Lord

θεός                   God

I now wish to point out a few things that more precisely indicate what these Greek words imply. In the Greek, the spelling of words give precise clues that unlock the meaning of the author.

Him (αὐτῷ) The Greek spelling indicates that this pronoun is of the dative case. The dative case (as compared to the genitive, nominative, accusative, vocative cases) was used purposely to tie the action of the verbs (“answer” and “said”) to the pronoun “him.” In other words, the actions of answering and saying were aimed at the recipient “him” (“him” being none other than Jesus in this context.) So, the dative spelling shows that  αὐτῷ is accurately translated “to him.”  This proves that Thomas was addressing his exclamation (my Lord and my God) directly to Jesus.

Thomas was responding directly to Jesus by answering Jesus’ words, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  To which Thomas answered Jesus directly, “My Lord and my God.”  This was a response directed to Jesus. It was not directed to God the Father. It was directed to Jesus as represented by the dative pronoun “him” (αὐτῷ). Besides this, John included the word ἀπεκρίθη (answered) in addition to the word εἶπεν (said). So, there can be no doubt that Thomas was answering Jesus directly.

Lord, God (κύριός,  θεός) The spelling of these Greek words indicate that they are both in the nominative case. In the Greek of those days, if a noun or pronoun was being directly addressed,  it would normally be in the vocative case and the spelling would reflect that. But in this verse,  κύριός,  θεός (Lord, God) are both in the nominative case. It just so happens, probably due to Semetic influence, that the New Testament writers chose to use the nominative[1] case instead of the vocative case when God is the One being addressed. It was a more formal expression because it was addressed to God. This is John’s way of stressing the idea of Jesus’ deity as it was expressed by Thomas.

My (μου)  The spelling of my (μου)  indicates the genitive case indicating possession. Since this response is directed to Jesus, Thomas is telling Him that He is his Lord and his God.

Hopefully, this consideration of how Greek words with precise spelling were chosen by the human authors (as they were moved by the Holy Spirit) to convey exactly what they wanted to say.

[1] except for one verse with a special situation

Because I occasionally reference the Greek in my writings, let me set the record straight about its relative importance as I view it.

God has enabled me to gain some knowledge of N.T. Greek. In some passages, this knowledge helps me ascertain more accurately what the N.T. authors were trying to communicate. While I think such knowledge would benefit any Bible student, there is something for more important available to anyone, regardless of their language skills.

The main goal of our study of the Bible should be to know God personally- possess an intimate personal relationship with Him.

The most important asset a man can have in this pursuit is a humble, seeking heart!

One man might be a master of the Greek and Hebrew languages but not have a humble, seeking heart.  Another man might have only a New International Version of the English Bible and limited English skills (and no computer)…but have a humble, seeking heart. It is the second man who is in a better position to gain an intimate relationship with God.

So, when I reference the Greek language, please just consider it merely my feeble attempt to convey things that might add to the matter under consideration.

The text:

 ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:8-14)

Have you ever asked yourself what Paul meant by the word “saved” in Romans 10:9? The Greek word translated “saved” is the word from the Greek root sozo. The noun form translated salvation is from the Greek word soteria. This word could mean many things depending on the context where it is used. For example, in some verses, it means “of sound physical health.” A person is “made well” or healed physically. But usually, the New Testament authors used soteria in a spiritual sense. This is what we are thinking about when we sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

In this song verse, “saved” is in the past tense suggesting that at some time in our past, we were “saved.” In what sense have we been saved? After all, we are still walking around in bodies that will expire some day. I think most Protestants would say that this saving took place when God first made them spiritually alive, or “born again.” (See John 3:3-8 and Ephesians 2:1-4.) They think back to when they first believed. They can identify with the rest of that song verse, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

If we are going to use the word “saved” to describe what happened to us at some time in our past, we are speaking about concepts like regeneration, faith and justification. All those that God makes alive (regenerates) believe the gospel from their hearts. When this happens, God justifies us. This means that He declares us righteous. In this sense, we can say that God has “saved” us. He has made us spiritually whole.

When most Protestants read Romans 10:9-10, they read into it this idea of salvation. But is this what Paul meant when he used the word “saved” in Romans 10:9?

The point of this article:

I wrote this article to demonstrate that in Romans chapter ten, Paul was not thinking about the salvation that occurs when a person is regenerated by God and first believes. Rather, Paul was talking about the salvation that will take place when Jesus comes back and raises us from the dead. At the judgment, the wrath of God will be poured out on myriads of people who did not believe. But we who believe the gospel from the heart will be saved from the wrath that is coming upon all those who do not believe.

“Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

Before going further, let me rewrite the passage with notes in italic font that reflect what I believe to be the correct understanding of what Paul meant:

 ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith which we preach: ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (from God’s wrath that will be poured out at the judgment).¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness (justified by God when the person first believes), and with the mouth confession is made (throughout his life after he first believes) unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:8-14)

If you are a Bible student that is serious about knowing the truth, you will at least acknowledge that my interpretation is definitely a valid possibility. In other words, you cannot prove that it is incorrect. What I plan to show now is that not only is my interpretation a valid possibility, it is more likely the correct view.

1. My interpretation is more consistent with Paul’s theology.

Most English translations translate the Greek preposition eis as “unto” or something that conveys the idea of result. In other words, when a person believes, the result is justification (righteousness). Using this translation as the basis, we can see a cause and effect relationship being expressed by Paul.

Consider the cause and effect relationship in Romans 10:10 according to my view.

Believing results in righteousness (justification).

This of course, is in complete harmony with the rest of scripture. For example, “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him as righteousness.”

Confessing (throughout one’s life) results in salvation (from God’s wrath).

This is in complete harmony with our Lord’s teaching concerning the confessing of our allegiance to Jesus. Namely, unless a person confesses Jesus before men, he will not be saved from the wrath of God when Jesus comes back.

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

 

Consider the cause and effect relationship according to the other view:

Believing and then confessing results in righteousness (justified).

In this view, confessing, which is a work, results in being justified (being declared righteous by God when a person first believes). But according to Paul, a man is justified the moment he first believes solely on the basis of him believing.

 

2. My interpretation is more consistent with the context of the immediate passage and the rest of the book of Romans.

Consider Romans 5:9-10:

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be  saved by His life” (Romans 5:9-10).

I have presented the idea that in Romans 10:9-10, Paul is speaking about two phases relating to salvation. Romans 5:9-10 (immediately above) is clearly presenting the same two-phase idea. Paul says that justification and reconciliation takes place first. Then, because of Jesus’ life, we will be saved from wrath (a future event). The future sense of salvation Paul describes in Romans 5 is in harmony with Paul’s words in chapter 13.

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11).

If you do a word search on the word wrath, you will realize that this is a major theme of the book of Romans. If you study the book of Romans with an open mind, you will notice that in general, when Paul uses the word salvation (soteria), he is referring to the salvation that occurs when Jesus comes back. Throughout the book, he talks about the wrath of God that will be poured out when Jesus comes back. The arguments he makes throughout the book pertain to our great need as condemned sinners to be saved from the wrath of God that is coming.

 

3. Consideration of sozo (saved) in Romans 10:9-10

In the Romans 10:9 text, the word saved (σωθήσῃ) is in the future tense, passive voice.

If we base our interpretation of sozo (saved) in Romans 10:9 solely upon the word form that Paul used, either way of interpretation is possible. Either the salvation that occurs at conversion or the future salvation from God’s wrath is a possibility because sozo (saved) is in the future tense.  Therefore, to properly interpret this passage, we must look beyond the form of the word sozo (saved) in Romans 10:9 & 10 and consider the immediate and overall context. The word sozo (saved) here seems to be better understood as referring to salvation from God’s wrath (when Jesus comes back).

The interpretation I suggest, (that Paul is referring to the salvation from God’s wrath) is in full harmony with Paul’s quote from Joel (Romans 10:13) and his deductions supported by that quote.

There can be no question that Joel was referring to the salvation that takes place on judgment day when he said, “Whoever calls upon the Lord will be saved.” (See Joel 2:30-32 below[1] and you will agree.)

In my article, “What Does it Mean to Call Upon the Lord?” I demonstrate that “calling upon the Lord” is not a one time act but involves a way of living in dependence upon God through continual prayer. So, Paul believed that those who “call upon the Lord” as a way of life are the people who will be saved from the wrath of God on judgment day.

Who are the ones who call upon the Lord as a way of life? According to Paul, they are the people who “believe.” How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:14). People must first believe. And all those who do believe call upon the Lord as a way of life from that point on.

Since Paul is clearly talking about salvation from God’s wrath in verses 13 and 14, why should we assume he is talking about anything different in Romans 10:9 and 10? He seems to be presenting parallel thoughts here. Just as calling upon the Lord accompanies believing, so also confessing Jesus as Lord accompanies believing. Both the calling and the confessing are THE RESULT of regeneration, not vise versa.

Summary

As I see it, Paul seems to be purposely setting forth different events in Romans 10:9 and 10.

First, in verse 9, he says that in order to be saved from the wrath of God, a person must believe the gospel from his heart and that believing must be evidenced by confession that shows allegiance to Jesus. If he believes the gospel from the heart and confesses the Lord Jesus, he will be saved from the wrath of God that will be poured out at the judgment.

He then spells out the sequence in verse 10:

1. When a person believes, he is justified. (This is in full harmony with his teaching in the earlier chapters of Romans.)
2. Because he believes, he confesses with his mouth (in the threat of persecution) his allegiance to Jesus. This confession is evidence that he truly believes. Without such evidence, a person will not be saved from the wrath of God that will be poured out when Jesus comes back. But because a person confesses Jesus (and continues to throughout his life[2]), he will be saved from that wrath.

Why is this important?

In my opinion, many Protestants have a myopic view of salvation as mainly something that took place in their past. Wonderful doctrines like God’s sovereign grace and eternal security are viewed through this prism by many. As a result, they have little sense of urgency. They seem content to sit back passively and think “I’m all set.”

The Apostle Paul taught about God’s sovereign grace and eternal security but he also had a great sense of urgency. Though he considered the Holy Spirit as God’s pledge and guarantee[3] to us, he did not view his ultimate salvation from God’s wrath as a done deal.

Philippians 3:8-14  I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,  ¹¹ if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  ¹² Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  ¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  ¹⁴ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul taught that if a person is not actively battling against sin and living under Jesus’ authority, he should not expect to be saved from God’s wrath. (See Romans 8:13.) The lack of these things in a person’s life is evidence that they might not actually believe. He taught that we should examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. (See II Corinthians 13:5.)

If we share Paul’s view of salvation, we will be motivated to press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. If we do not share it, we may be leaning toward a passive unbelief that results in eternal destruction.

 

[1] “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls (Joel 2:30-32)

[2] The Greek verb form for “confess” in verse 9 does not imply in itself the idea of confessing until the day you die. I added this idea in my parenthetical note on the basis of many other scriptures that allude to this idea. For example: “He that endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). 

[3] 2 Corinthians 5:5  Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. Obviously, Paul understood that the gift of the Holy Spirit is a solid guarantee on God’s part. But Paul evidently thought that our believing, as evidenced by a righteous life and enduring faith, might in some way still be in question. He lived in such a way to make sure that in the end, his faith would be proven as real at the judgment.