…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. (Romans 10: 9-10, ESV)
We all know our fair share of fellow golfers who are walking commentaries. Endlessly pontificating on some aspect of their poor play seems to provide solace to their souls. Apparently, they have a bottomless reservoir of excuses on why their game is not up to snuff. The ceaseless flow of words emerging from their mouths would be comical if it weren’t so annoying.
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard, “if I could putt, I would…,” I would rival Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos for the richest man in America. If club professionals charged for the time spent listening to their members describe the shot-for-shot details of their rounds, they could easily double their compensation package.
In fact, one of the least appreciated characteristics of great club professionals is their ability to feign interest as countless members relive every shot from a miserable round. If the PGM-program doesn’t offer a class in psychology, they should.
A disproportionate number of golfers are notorious for rehearsing their rounds to anyone who will listen. I watch in amusement as club professionals patiently listen to members go over the finer details of their scorecards. More times than not, it occurs unsolicited.
Beyond dispute, it is innate to human nature to eventually give voice to whatever resides in one’s heart. Whatever content is nurtured in the soul will invariably make its way through the mouth. Whatever resides internally will unalterably manifest itself externally.
This is why, among other considerations, Paul teaches us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, that we will be justified (declared righteous) and saved.
Confessing with our mouths what we believe in our hearts is not a mechanical formula nor is it a mindless mantra. It is certainly not something we parrot at a revival and then conclude we are “good to go.”
When we confess that Jesus is Lord, we are publicly announcing our deepest loyalty to the Lordship of Christ. When we believe in our heart, we are, from our very core, committing to Jesus Christ as the center of our identity.
Paul is asserting two non-negotiable truths: When someone confesses Jesus as LORD, he is confessing agreement with Jesus’ own self-assessment—Jesus is God. And, secondly, whoever confesses Jesus as Lord is announcing his allegiance to him as King. The first is a declaration about Jesus’ identity. The second is a pledge of loyalty to the risen King.
What we spend our time thinking about, we talk about. What we spend our time cherishing, we verbalize. If Christ is the center of your existence (which is his exclusive right and explicit demand), you will publicly acknowledge him in the board room, ball room, and bedroom.
Jesus is, indeed, Lord. As such, there is no place in our private or public life that is off limits to his authority. He is Lord everywhere and at all times. He is Lord at home, at work, and at play! Which is to simply say, as “God of very God,” Jesus cannot be your Savior without being simultaneously your Lord.
The unauthorized attempt to drive a wedge between Jesus as Lord and Jesus as Savior is not biblically warranted. In bowing our knees to Jesus, we discover the benevolent, immortal King of kings who gave his life to redeem us. He alone is worthy of our deepest loyalties and bravest confessions.
Prayer – Jesus, open our hearts to your majesty and empower us to boldly proclaim our loyalty to you.