That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
Romans 10: 9 - 11 NKJV
Whenever it is that I get to talking to someone about knowing Jesus the question always comes up. "What do I need to do in order to be saved?" For me, knowing the man Jesus is less about obtaining my salvation and more about knowing that I am. Yet, many will continue to wonder just how it is that they can achieve the assurance which I seem to have. Let me tell you, that assurance did not come easy or cheap. I could tell anyone that all they need do is believe in Jesus, but that is only half of the issue. The apostle Paul spoke to the truth of confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouths and believing Him in our hearts in order to guarantee our own salvation. First off, why is it that we even need to be saved? I mean, most of us have lived a good and righteous life...right? Yeah, keep telling yourselves that. The scriptures point to something different. We're told that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God {Romans 3:23}. The Concordant scripture tells us a little differently, that "All have sinned and are wanting of the glory of God." So, believe it or not, no matter how many accolades you may have achieved, you've sinned somewhere along the line. I have , you have, we all have. That is a part of our history going back to the garden of Eden, where mans choice led to a false belief that he could somehow be like God. Spoiler alert...He ALREADY WAS like God! How could man, created in Gods own image {Genesis 1:27}, and having His breath of life {Genesis 2:7} be anything but one with the Lord? From the beginning, God has been a intimate part of who we are. So entered sin into the world. Now, God could have left things where they stood. Could have punished Adam and Eve and been done with it. The problem is, had He done that the sin issue would never have been dealt with. For that we needed a Savior.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5: 11 - 12 NKJV
And this is the testimony, that God gives us life eonian, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who has not the Son of God has not the life.
1 John 5: 11 - 12 Concordant Scripture
Jesus was Gods answer to our sin issue. It was Jesus who became sin on our behalf{2 Corinthians 5:21}. Jesus took upon Himself that punishment that was meant for me...and you. Through Christ Jesus we are assured that our sin issue has been dealt with {Romans 6:6-11}. Where many Christians fall short in their own pursuit to know Jesus is knowing the truth in their own hearts. There is a reason that Paul tells believers to confess with their mouths and to believe in their hearts. For unto the heart...we believe. Our assurance comes from a knowing that what Jesus has accomplished in us is real. We understand that the old man I used to be is no longer alive. Again it is Paul who assures us that the old man has passed away and what remains is a new creation in Christ {2 Corinthians 5:17}. Now, remember I mentioned the spoiler alert from earlier? How Adam and Eve fell for the lie of the accuser that they could somehow "Be like God?" Well, aside from the fact that they were intimately created by God, through Christ Jesus we are assured that we are one with God today. Paul assures us of this in Galatians {Galatians 2:20}. How is it that I can be confident in knowing Jesus? Because I believe in my heart what is true. My mother used to have a saying, "God spoke it...I believe it!" Well, God has indeed spoken to our union in Him. I suppose that I could incorporate that into my answer the next time someone asks me why I believe in Jesus. God spoke it...I believe it.
"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4: 12 NKJV
~Scott~
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