Romans 10:8-10

Romans 10:8-10

Thoughts from Stuart Poteet

Dive Deeper

Armor of God- Swipe
Slide

“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 are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:8-10

Armor of God- Behind the Scenes
Slide

In this passage, Paul, a Hebrew scholar trained to know the Torah inside and out, draws the listener back to Deuteronomy 30:14 where God had been commanding the Israelites in how they should act and promising that He would be the one to change their hearts and bless their nation. God had been delivering His promise that He would not command them to something that they could not do, nor would He leave them to accomplish His expectations on their own. He promises that He Himself will “circumcise” their hearts (not in a literal sense, but in a spiritual one, basically meaning that He would set them apart permanently for His glory).

Slide

Paul pulls this scripture in as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to not only provide a way for salvation, but also the means by which to achieve it. See, the truth has always been that we could never do it on our own. Even from earliest of human history, God has always been making a way and salvation has always come through Him alone. In the Old Testament, what provided salvation for people was not animal sacrifice, it was the choice to follow God and the belief in Him alone for Salvation.

Slide

And that is still the same today. Salvation is not about works or deeds we can do, whether that be animal sacrifices or acts of righteousness. Salvation comes through God alone... always has, always will. And the expectation is the same today as it was then... We are called to receive the truth of who God is, who Christ is, and believe in our hearts.

Slide

But salvation was never meant to be just an inward emotion. In fact, I would argue (and I think both Paul and James would agree) that faith that can stay hidden inside is not true faith at all. If it can stay hidden away, not expressed and never affecting us outwardly, then can we really say we have received the true Gospel? How could something that HUGE, that powerful, that amazing stay hidden inside? It just can’t! Thus, Paul reminds us that we are called to believe in our hearts AND confess with our mouth. One without the other (either outward confession or inward belief) is missing something.

Armor of God- Make it Real
Slide

I have heard people tell me more than once that they believe, but their belief in God is private and they don’t talk about it. I have heard people talk about faith as if it’s a secret, something personal that is just for them. I have heard people profess to be Christians but then refuse to talk about Jesus or what they believe. And I always wonder, how can this be?

Slide

When we truly grasp the Gospel, the REAL Gospel, it is impossible for it to stay hidden in some corner of our minds or hearts. It is just too big for that. See, the authentic Gospel, when received, changes everything. When the Holy Spirit is invited into our hearts and we receive the Word implanted there, He begins to clean house. He starts shaping and molding us, removing that which is contrary to the person of God and growing us in that which lines up with God.

Slide

In fact, earlier in Romans, we learn that God works all things together for our good to make us look more like Christ (8:28-19). This process is not something that happens in secret, and it is not something that stays hidden. My entire identity starts to change, and I cannot help but look, act, speak, and think differently.

Slide

James speaks to this throughout his letter to believers when he says that faith without works is dead. It’s not that we are saved through works. But if your faith produces no outward change, is it really the true Gospel? I just can’t imagine the God of the universe, the God who breaths out stars and speaks life into existence, taking up residence inside a human soul but never changing anything. I mean, it’s God! How could we ever expect that big of a miracle to stay hidden, never affecting anything.

Slide

So that leads me to ask... How big is our faith? How big is our God? If we walk through life with just head knowledge or just lip service, but no outward change, then I truly believe that we’ve missed the true Gospel. Instead, we’ve swallowed the enemy’s counterfeit gospel- the one that says you can believe but never act, accept but never confess.

Slide

See, I truly believe this is one of the enemy's tactics against the Kingdom of God. He peddles a false gospel, one that says you can have Jesus and still stay the same, one that says you can receive but never let go of the world. He tries to convince us that it’s okay for you to define your own truth and you can still have your “fire insurance” that protects you from hell. He whispers that faith is personal and individual, that it looks different for everyone, and no one has the right to tell you that you have to do or say anything. He lies and tells you that a passing knowledge is enough.

Slide

But the truth of the true Gospel is just too big for that. It is too life altering. When we truly grasp the magnitude of God with us and God within us, we cannot stay the same. We cannot help but be changed. And that truth, when fully received in our hearts, cannot help but overflow out our mouths in confession of faith. When we have been changed, it cannot stay silent and inactive.

Armor of God- End in Prayer
Slide

Jesus,

I believe and I want to let you change me from the inside out. I don’t want any part of my faith to stay hidden or dormant. Lord, mold me and make me into Your messenger to the world around me. Lord, I give You all of me.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen!

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“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 are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 

Romans 10:8-10 

Behind the Scenes

In this passage, Paul, a Hebrew scholar trained to know the Torah inside and out, draws the listener back to Deuteronomy 30:14 where God had been commanding the Israelites in how they should act and promising that He would be the one to change their hearts and bless their nation. God had been delivering His promise that He would not command them to something that they could not do, nor would He leave them to accomplish His expectations on their own. He promises that He Himself will “circumcise” their hearts (not in a literal sense, but in a spiritual one, basically meaning that He would set them apart permanently for His glory). 

Paul pulls this scripture in as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to not only provide a way for salvation, but also the means by which to achieve it. See, the truth has always been that we could never do it on our own. Even from earliest of human history, God has always been making a way and salvation has always come through Him alone. In the Old Testament, what provided salvation for people was not animal sacrifice, it was the choice to follow God and the belief in Him alone for Salvation. 

And that is still the same today. Salvation is not about works or deeds we can do, whether that be animal sacrifices or acts of righteousness. Salvation comes through God alone… always has, always will. And the expectation is the same today as it was then… We are called to receive the truth of who God is, who Christ is, and believe in our hearts.  

But salvation was never meant to be just an inward emotion. In fact, I would argue (and I think both Paul and James would agree) that faith that can stay hidden inside is not true faith at all. If it can stay hidden away, not expressed and never affecting us outwardly, then can we really say we have received the true Gospel? How could something that HUGE, that powerful, that amazing stay hidden inside? It just can’t! Thus, Paul reminds us that we are called to believe in our hearts AND confess with our mouth. One without the other (either outward confession or inward belief) is missing something.  

Make It Real

I have heard people tell me more than once that they believe, but their belief in God is private and they don’t talk about it. I have heard people talk about faith as if it’s a secret, something personal that is just for them. I have heard people profess to be Christians but then refuse to talk about Jesus or what they believe. And I always wonder, how can this be?  

When we truly grasp the Gospel, the REAL Gospel, it is impossible for it to stay hidden in some corner of our minds or hearts. It is just too big for that. See, the authentic Gospel, when received, changes everything. When the Holy Spirit is invited into our hearts and we receive the Word implanted there, He begins to clean house. He starts shaping and molding us, removing that which is contrary to the person of God and growing us in that which lines up with God.  

In fact, earlier in Romans, we learn that God works all things together for our good to make us look more like Christ (8:28-19). This process is not something that happens in secret, and it is not something that stays hidden. My entire identity starts to change, and I cannot help but look, act, speak, and think differently.  

James speaks to this throughout his letter to believers when he says that faith without works is dead. It’s not that we are saved through works. But if your faith produces no outward change, is it really the true Gospel? I just can’t imagine the God of the universe, the God who breaths out stars and speaks life into existence, taking up residence inside a human soul but never changing anything. I mean, it’s God! How could we ever expect that big of a miracle to stay hidden, never affecting anything. 

So that leads me to ask… How big is our faith? How big is our God? If we walk through life with just head knowledge or just lip service, but no outward change, then I truly believe that we’ve missed the true Gospel. Instead, we’ve swallowed the enemy’s counterfeit gospel- the one that says you can believe but never act, accept but never confess.  

See, I truly believe this is one of the enemy’s tactics against the Kingdom of God. He peddles a false gospel, one that says you can have Jesus and still stay the same, one that says you can receive but never let go of the world. He tries to convince us that it’s okay for you to define your own truth and you can still have your “fire insurance” that protects you from hell. He whispers that faith is personal and individual, that it looks different for everyone, and no one has the right to tell you that you have to do or say anything. He lies and tells you that a passing knowledge is enough.  

But the truth of the true Gospel is just too big for that. It is too life altering. When we truly grasp the magnitude of God with us and God within us, we cannot stay the same. We cannot help but be changed. And that truth, when fully received in our hearts, cannot help but overflow out our mouths in confession of faith. When we have been changed, it cannot stay silent and inactive.

End in Prayer

Crystal Garnett

Crystal Garnett

Director of Operations

Jesus, 

I believe and I want to let you change me from the inside out. I don’t want any part of my faith to stay hidden or dormant. Lord, mold me and make me into Your messenger to the world around me. Lord, I give You all of me. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen! 

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