Why can only a born-again believer sincerely confess that Jesus is Lord?
Only a born-again believer can sincerely confess Jesus as Lord because the Holy Spirit is the evidence that Jesus is Lord. An unbeliever may say the words, but it amounts to nothing and has no truth in it; only the believer can genuinely claim Christ as Lord.
Les explains that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord except by the Holy Spirit. An unbeliever may say it, but it does not amount to anything because there is no truth in it. The only person who can genuinely claim Christ as Lord is the believer. Coming to Romans 10:9, confession “with thy mouth the Lord Jesus” takes on its full meaning for the believer: he knows Jesus is Lord, is in control of his life, the One in whom he eats and sleeps and moves, and without Him he is nothing. Only a true, born-again, saved individual can make that statement with all sincerity of heart, because the Holy Spirit is the evidence that indeed Jesus is Lord.
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
More Questions
How can a person genuinely say that Jesus is Lord?
No one can say that Jesus is Lord and really mean it except by the Holy Spirit.
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.
Can an unbeliever say that Jesus is Lord, and does it count for anything?
An unbeliever may verbally say that Jesus is Lord, but it does not amount to anything because there is no truth in it; only the believer can genuinely claim Christ as Lord.