Romans 10:9

The terms "mouth" and "heart," which have been a source of confusion in the interpretation of this verse, come from Moses’ words that Paul quoted in the preceding verse. The statement quoted accounts for the unusual order of "confess" and then "believe" in this verse. The normal chronological order is that one believes and then acknowledges his or her belief (i.e., confesses; cf. Romans 10:10; 2 Corinthians 4:13-14).

"But the two formulations interpret each other, so that what is to be both believed and confessed is the more precisely defined." [Note: Cranfield, 2:527.]

"Confess" means to say the same thing about something as someone else does (Gr. homologeo; cf. 1 John 1:9). In this context it refers to saying the same thing about Jesus Christ as other believers in Him do. It is an acknowledgment of one’s faith in Christ. Obedient Christians in the early church made this confession verbally and in water baptism, as we do today (cf. Matthew 28:19-20).

In the early church the phrase "Jesus is Lord" was one of the most common and simple expressions by which believers confessed their faith in Christ (cf. Acts 2:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11). It is a confession parallel and very similar to Israel’s basic confession of faith in Yahweh: "Yahweh our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema). In the Roman world faithful citizens were increasingly being expected to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord (divine). So the original recipients of this epistle, especially, had to face the issue of who really is divine, Jesus or Caesar.

"We take it that, for Paul, the confession that Jesus is Lord meant the acknowledgment that Jesus shares the name and the nature, the holiness, the authority, power, majesty and eternity of the one and only true God." [Note: Ibid., 2:529. Cf. Bruce, p. 176; and Mickelsen, pp. 1214-15.]

"Paul’s statement in Romans 10:9-10 is misunderstood when it is made to support the claim that one cannot be saved unless he makes Jesus the Lord of his life by a personal commitment. Such a commitment is most important [cf. Romans 6:13-19; Romans 12:1]; however, in this passage, Paul is speaking of the objective lordship of Christ, which is the very cornerstone for faith, something without which no one could be saved." [Note: Harrison, p. 112. See also Ryrie, So Great . . ., pp. 70-73; idem, Balancing the Christian Life, pp. 169-81; Roy B. Zuck, "Cheap Grace?" Kindred Spirit 13:2 (Summer 1989):4-7; and Constable, "The Gospel . . .," p. 209.]

The fact that Jesus is Lord (God and Savior) became clear when He arose from the dead (cf. Romans 10:7). Jesus’ resurrection was the proof that He really was the divine Messiah, God’s Holy One (cf. Psalms 16:10-11). Belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ meant belief that Jesus is Lord. Paul was speaking of belief in His resurrection as an evidence of saving faith, not as a condition for salvation.

Jesus’ resurrection was not part of His saving work. His death saved us (Romans 3:25). While the resurrection is part of the good news of salvation, the gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), belief in the resurrection of Christ is not a condition for salvation. A person could experience regeneration if he only knew and believed that Jesus Christ died for his sins without knowing of His resurrection. What if a person heard the gospel, including the fact that Jesus arose from the dead, and did not believe that Jesus arose? If he disbelieved in Jesus’ resurrection because he did not believe Jesus Christ is whom He claimed to be, that person would not experience regeneration. However if he disbelieved in Jesus’ resurrection because he did not believe in the possibility of bodily resurrection, he probably would experience regeneration. In the latter case, he would just need teaching on this subject.