Why does God expect us to verbalize our faith?
God expects verbalized faith because He is a communicator and requires confession with the mouth. Romans 10:9 shows confession is not merely mental assent; God wants believers to communicate these truths to Himself and to others, verbally acknowledging from Scripture that they are sinners.
Les explains that Romans 10:9 begins with confessing with thy mouth. In other words, God expects you to communicate this, not only to Himself, but to others. God is a communicator, and He expects us to verbalize some of these things. Too many people only make a mental assent and say, 'well yeah, I believe in God,' but that is not what God is looking for. God is looking for a verbalization of all of these various steps, such as telling God out loud, 'Lord, I'm a sinner,' recognizing from Scripture that you are a sinner.
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.
More Questions
Is just saying 'I believe in God' enough, or does God want more?
A mere mental assent—saying 'I believe in God'—is not what God is looking for.
Is mentally believing in God enough, or does God want more?
A mental ascent such as merely saying 'I believe in God' is not what God is looking for; God is looking for a verbalization of all the various steps.
What does it mean to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord?
Confessing with your mouth means God expects you to communicate your faith not only to Himself but also to others, because God is a communicator and expects us to verbalize these things.