Mar 19
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