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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman Your
Declaration of Faith Many people are
declaring themselves to be a Christian these days, but are they
Christians? In some instances
their Christian claim promotes their social/political cause, so I ask.
Does a verbal confession of Christian faith alone constitute a
valid claim to be Christian? Look
closely at what Paul taught about a confession of faith as we read in
Romans 10:9. "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." Paul wrote that "if
you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord."
A valid declaration of faith must state that Jesus is Lord, the
ultimate universal authority over all things material and all things
spiritual. That being so, your
confession must be personalized, stating that you have submitted your life
to Jesus because He is your Lord. He,
not you, controls your life. In
fact, He owns you. He
purchased you with His blood, His human life (1 Corinthians 6:20).
This is a serious confession. It's
not a flippant claim to promote a social/political cause.
Paul then wrote that if
"you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead." A valid verbal
declaration of faith must be backed by a heart-felt conviction that Jesus
is alive, ruling from His heavenly throne over all things, including you.
Believing (Greek pisteuo - to trust) in your heart implies you
trust Jesus with your life. That's
a spiritual matter. It is not
a mere declarative matter of the mind.
Being a spiritual matter means God's Spirit lives within you,
prompting you to make your confession.
You are a born again person (John 3:3 - 5).
You are a brand new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
You are a valid Christian. Apart
from this, you are not a Christian (Romans 8:9). Once declaring with your
mouth and believing in your heart as explained above, "you will be
saved." The Greek future,
passive, indicative verb tense here states it emphatically.
Without any doubt, God Himself, and certainly not you, will save
you, making you a Christian.
Don't be fooled.
Not all who confess to be Christian are Christian. A
mere verbal confession, a claim alone about anything, does not prove the
validity of that claim. The
proof of a claim to be Christian is validated by a Biblical-based, Holy
Spirit lived life, visible for all to recognize.
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