Confess and Believe

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 (NIV)

Raised in the Church by Christian parents, Moore, a young member of an evangelical church, never understood what conversion was. He considered himself a Christian and believed with all his heart that he was one of God's chosen ones and that on the last day, he would meet his Savior. One day, during a conference on repentance, the pastor asked him at what point in his life he had encountered Jesus. For a moment, he was speechless, having never had such an experience.

Sensing that Moore's silence masked a reality he could not explain himself, the pastor rephrased the question and asked him: "When did you make the decision to welcome Jesus into your life?" Embarrassed by the question, Moore replied that he didn't need to, because his parents had raised him in the presence of God and taught him the Bible. For him, this answer would spare him the shame of his life. Yet, that was not the case. The pastor placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "My child, despite all these years and this knowledge of God's Word, you are still a lost sheep for Jesus."

The number of years spent serving the Church, the leadership position, a good knowledge of God's Word, and the number of souls brought to repentance cannot guarantee our salvation and eligibility for the Kingdom of God. The Bible is clear on this point: we must confess Christ with our mouths, which means admitting that we are sinners and that He is the only One who can save us. Then, we must believe with all our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, which means that He died for our sins. If you have never made this decision in your life, now is the time to do it, because God has been waiting for you all this time.

May God's grace and peace be with you all.