Sep 17
17
The Heart and The Mouth
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The faith itself is not righteousness, but it is UNTO righteousness because it connects us to Christ, Who is our righteousness. Salvation is an eternal act of God’s will in its origin and it is a powerful work of God on the heart of a sinner, in its application. With the heart man believeth. Not with the heart of flesh, for the flesh profiteth nothing (John 6:63). But that new heart that God promised He would give His people. The new man is the one who believes, not the old. The one created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
And then, what happens in the heart is expressed by the mouth. The Psalmist exhorted in Psalm 107:2, Let the redeemed of the LORD say [so]. And we do and shall. The Lord instructed the man, out of whom He had cast the legion of devils, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” And we do and shall.
Confession includes everything that is believed. It is owning our sin as Job did when he said, “behold, I am vile!” It is acknowledging our helplessness as Peter did, when he cried, “Lord, save me!” It is declaring His sufficiency as the leper did who begged, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” It is proclaiming the power of His blood, like the publican who prayed, “God, be propitious to me, the sinner.” It is bowing to His sovereignty as the thief who said, “Lord, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.”
Chris Cunningham