A Right Confession
A Sermon on Romans 10:9-10
Originally preached Jan. 10, 1964
Scripture
9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Sermon Description
What are the evidences of salvation? Some say that confessing belief in Jesus is what saves but in this sermon on Romans 10:9–10 titled “A Right Confession,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows that confession only comes after a heart has been changed. This sermon shows that confessing Jesus as Lord is the confirmation of salvation but it is not what saves the person from their sin. The church in Acts gives an example that true salvation has evidence: one confesses that Jesus is Lord, turns away from their sin, follows the teaching of the Bible, and continues in fellowship with other believers. If one does not have these as marks in their life, confession is pointless because the heart has not been changed. By applying Paul’s letter, one sees that the work of a Christian is to proclaim Jesus as Lord by words and lives, not by parading Him around as a bumper sticker or Christian T-shirt. The work of God is much deeper than just outward signs and He works on the person in their entirety.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is expounding Romans 10:9-10 which defines saving faith.
- Saving faith involves believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth.
- Believing in your heart refers to genuinely accepting the gospel message internally. It's not mere intellectual assent.
- Confessing with your mouth refers to proclaiming your faith externally through your words and actions. It confirms and proves your internal faith.
- For Jews, confessing Jesus as Lord was difficult because it contradicted their monotheistic beliefs. For Gentiles, it contradicted the cult of emperor worship. So confessing Jesus as Lord showed true faith.
- In the early church, confessing Jesus as Lord involved:
- A statement of belief in Jesus as the Son of God and savior.
- Baptism which publicly proclaimed faith in Jesus.
- Joining the Christian church and fellowship.
- A changed life that turned from idols to God which showed true repentance.
- Willingness to suffer persecution and even martyrdom for faith in Jesus.
- Today, confessing Jesus as Lord should not be done in a merely mechanical, parrot-like or showy manner. It should not be done just by wearing badges or peculiar clothing.
- Genuine confession of Jesus as Lord involves proclaiming faith through a total changed life that clearly shows you belong to Jesus. It should be obvious without showy displays.
- There is a difference between proclaiming your faith and parading your faith in a Pharisaical manner. Your faith should be shown in a genuine, humble manner through a changed life.
Sermon Q&A
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans 10:9-10: Questions and Answers
What is the definition of saving faith according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, saving faith as defined in Romans 10:9-10 has three essential components that must be present together:
- The correct content of faith - believing that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead
- The experiential aspect - believing "with the heart," not merely intellectual assent
- Confession with the mouth - the outward expression and proof of genuine faith
As he explains: "There is no true saving faith unless the three are there. There must be the true content. There must be the experimental aspect, the experiential aspect. The heart must be involved. And equally, it is true to say that this confession with the mouth is also involved."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the difference between remorse and repentance?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses Christ's parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28-31 to illustrate the difference between remorse and repentance:
"A man suffering from remorse is sorry that he's done that thing, and he's annoyed with himself. He's suffering the consequences, and he says that he was a fool, but then he gets up and goes and does it again. Now that's just a useless remorse. Repentance means that you not only change your attitude towards something, but that you give proof of it by doing the exact opposite."
True repentance involves not just feeling sorry or changing one's mind, but demonstrating that change through action. The son who initially refused but later "repented and went" showed true repentance, while mere words without corresponding action would not constitute genuine repentance.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the relationship between confession and salvation?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones clarifies that confession with the mouth doesn't save a person but rather confirms and gives evidence of salvation. He refutes the Sandemanian view that the mere act of confessing saves:
"If that was so, well, then the apostle is contradicting not only the whole of his teaching, but particularly his teaching in this 10th chapter of the epistle to the Romans. The whole point of the entire epistle is to show and to demonstrate that justification is by faith only."
He explains that "a man shows that he is saved by making the confession" and "with the mouth, he confirms and makes known the fact of his salvation." Confession is the "ultimate proof as to whether a man really has saving faith or not" rather than the means of obtaining salvation.
How did early Christians confess Christ according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies several ways early Christians confessed Christ:
- Verbal statement of belief - Like the Ethiopian eunuch who said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"
- Submission to baptism - As seen throughout Acts when believers were baptized in Jesus' name
- Belonging to the Christian church - "The moment these people believed they were added to the church"
- Changed lives - Thessalonians "turned to God from idols" and followed the apostles
- Standing firm under persecution - Being willing to suffer and even die rather than deny Christ
He emphasizes how radical this confession was in its context: "For a Jew to say that Jesus is Jehovah was a tremendous thing" and Gentiles had to refuse to say "Caesar is Lord" and instead confess "Jesus is Lord," often at great personal cost.
What concerns does Dr. Lloyd-Jones express about external displays of Christian identity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones cautions against mechanical or showy expressions of faith, noting several concerns:
- Repetitive phrases without context - People who constantly say "praise the Lord" in ordinary conversation "almost like parrots"
- Wearing Christian badges or distinctive clothing - Questioning whether external symbols are necessary
- The line between proclaiming and parading - "It is one thing to proclaim, it is another and a very different thing to parade"
He suggests: "It should not be necessary for us to wear badges in order to show that we are Christians. We should show that we are Christians. It should be obvious to anybody who meets us by the totality of the impression we make upon them that we are Christians."
The danger is becoming like the Pharisees who "made broad their phylacteries and stood at the street corners proclaiming that they were very godly men," which can ultimately undermine rather than advance Christian witness.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.