Romans 10

Two observations:

(1) Paul continues to insist that salvation comes by faith to Jews and Gentiles alike. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" (vv 9-10).

Paul here is not saying that salvation takes place in two steps, as verse 10 would suggest. It is better to think of justification and confession as parallel. Not because they mean the same thing (they don't), but because they go together: if you have faith in your heart but no confession of your sin then it is no faith at all. Conversely, if you confess your sin but it does not stem from a heart of faith then it becomes merely formal. As far as Paul is concerned, faith and confession go hand in hand; you cannot have one without the other.

(2) Even though Paul spent so much of chapters 8 and 9 insisting that salvation does not depend on human will or exertion, but on God's mercy, it does not stop him from insisting in chapter 10 that sinners must still believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths. Furthermore, he says faith comes through hearing, so we who have faith are to go and tell of the great things God has done in our lives.

Get out a piece of paper and write down 3 great things that God has done for you. Be as specific as you can. Read back over them a few times and thank God for what he has done for you. Remember them throughout the rest of this week, and perhaps God will lead you to share them with others.