Deep Dive

Romans 10:9

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

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brownv. 9

That if thou shalt, &c.--So understanding the words, the apostle is here giving the language of the true method of justification; and this sense we prefer (with CALVIN, BEZA, FERME, LOCKE, JOWETT). But able interpreters render the words, "For," or "Because if thou shalt," &c. [Vulgate, LUTHER, DE WETTE, STUART, PHILIPPI, ALFORD, Revised Version]. In this case, these are the apostle's own remarks, confirming the foregoing statements as to the simplicity of the gospel method of salvation. confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus--that is, probably, "If thou shalt confess Jesus [to be] the Lord," which is the proper manifestation or evidence of faith (Mat 10:32; Jo1 4:15). This is put first merely to correspond with the foregoing quotation--"in thy mouth and in thine heart." So in Pe1 1:10 the "calling of believers" is put before their "election," as that which is first "made sure," although in point of time it comes after it. and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised--"that God raised" him from the dead, &c.--(See on Rom 4:25). In Rom 10:10 the two things are placed in their natural order.

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John Gill Bible Commentaryv. 9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,.... That is, if a man shall make a good, sincere, and hearty confession to God, before the church and people of God, and before the world, that Christ is his Lord and Saviour, whom he desires to serve, and to be saved by; and this as arising from a comfortable experience of the grace of God in his soul, and from a true faith in Christ in his heart, wherefore it follows, and shall believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved; for this article of Christ's resurrection includes the several other articles of faith: it supposes his death, and that supposes his life, and the obedience of it; and his life implies his being here on earth, and that his coming down from heaven to do the will of his Father; and this is the rather mentioned, which is here ascribed to God the Father, though not to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit, because that Christ is risen again for our justification, with which true faith is principally concerned; for such a faith is intended, not which lies in a mere assent to the truth of this, or any other article of the Christian religion; but which is concerned with Christ for righteousness, life, and glory; and with such a faith salvation is certainly and inseparably connected.

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Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 9

The dissolving of the peculiar church-state of the Jews, and the rejection of that polity by the repealing of their ceremonial law, the vacating of all the institutions of it, the abolishing of their priesthood, the burning of their temple, and the taking away of their place and nation, and in their room the substituting and erecting of a catholic church-state among the Gentile nations, though to us, now that these things have long since been done and completed, they may seem no great matter, yet to those who lived when they were doing, who knew how high the Jews had stood in God's favour, and how deplorable the condition of the Gentile world had been for many ages, it appeared very great and marvellous, and a mystery hard to be understood. The apostle, in this chapter, as in the foregoing and that which follows, is explaining and proving it; but with several very useful digressions, which a little interrupt the thread of his discourse. To two great truths I would reduce this chapter: - I. That there is a great difference between the righteousness of the law, which the unbelieving Jews were wedded to, and the righteousness of faith offered in the gospel (Rom 10:1-11). II. That there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles; but, in point of justification and acceptance with God, the gospel sets them both upon the same level (Rom 10:12 to the end).

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Cross-references

Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.

Luke 12:8rank 130

I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God.

Acts 16:31rank 106

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Philippians 2:11rank 90

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I Peter 1:21rank 43

Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.

Romans 8:34rank 36

Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.

Romans 14:11rank 32

It is written: “As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.”

I Corinthians 12:3rank 25

Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

II John 1:7rank 23

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, refusing to confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

John 9:22rank 18

His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.

Acts 2:24rank 16

But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.

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