Ask some people, “How do you know you’re saved?” They’d say, “I confessed all my sins,” but that’s not the Bible way to receive salvation. The principle for salvation isn’t the confession of your sins, but of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over your life. Nowhere in Scripture is it stated that if you confess all your sins, you’ll be saved. How is that even possible, remembering all the sins you ever committed and confessing them?
What you need is to be a new creation, and that’s what you become upon confessing with your mouth the Lordship of Jesus, believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has 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.” This is what ushers you into the new life in Christ.
One of the most remarkable salvation stories is that of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. Before his conversion, Saul caused mayhem on the early Church and mistreated Christians everywhere, until he had an encounter with the Lord. In 1 Timothy 1:13, he referenced his terrible treatment of Christians before his conversion, calling himself a blasphemer, a persecutor and injurious. This same apostle, who later became Paul, gave us the principle for salvation in Romans 10:9-10. Isn’t Jesus amazing!
The Ethiopian eunuch who was led to salvation by Philip in Acts 8:35-39 wasn’t made to confess his sins, but to confess his faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must always help people understand that the pronouncement and affirmation of the Lordship of Jesus Christ is the Bible way to receive salvation.
Prayer
Dear Father, I thank you for granting me the grace to hear and believe the Gospel of Christ, which is your power to save everyone who believes. I’m a partaker, and participator in the divine experience; your partner in bringing the unsaved into this glorious life of righteousness! Thank you for this great blessing and privilege, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
