What does it mean to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus in Romans 10:9?
Confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus in Romans 10:9 means a genuine believer sincerely acknowledges Jesus as Lord, not merely repeating words. The Holy Spirit enables this confession and is the evidence that Jesus is Lord. Such confession reflects a life under His control, in whom we live and move, without Him nothing.
Les explains that an unbeliever may say “Jesus is Lord,” but it amounts to nothing because there is no truth in it. Only the believer can genuinely claim Christ as Lord. In Romans 10:8-9, the word of faith is near, in the mouth and heart, and verse 9 says to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. This is where the term comes into its full meaning: as a believer, we know Jesus is Lord, He is in control of our life, He is the One in whom we eat and sleep and move, and without Him we are nothing. Les connects this to 1 Corinthians: only a true, born-again, saved individual, a believer, can make that statement with all sincerity of heart, because the Holy Spirit is the evidence that indeed Jesus is Lord. So the confession is not empty words but a Spirit-enabled acknowledgment from the heart.
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
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
What does it mean to confess Jesus as Lord in everyday life?
For the believer, calling Jesus 'Lord' means He is in control of our life, the One in whom we eat and sleep and move, and without Him we are nothing.
What is the condition for salvation in Romans 10:9?
Paul teaches in Romans 10:9 that salvation comes by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.