It has been my observation that Paul presents a clear, unmistakable path for restoration with God in Romans. In Romans 10:9-10 he defined the restoration in simple unambiguous terms. God assures an amazing outcome for every scared timid soul who approaches the one true living God with their head hung in submission, seeking forgiveness. Our redeemer clears the path, we are forgiven. Then, in parallel, the Holy Spirit helps us to slowly assimilate the message until our heart is flooded with a brilliant light that only God can make. In this essay, I want to examine this remarkable path.

Romans 10:9-10 says — 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (NIV).

In the first sentence of our quote we find a classic logic construct. If A and B then C. If A happens and B happens then C will happen. The focus of this passage is on C. A and B are the conditions that enable C. The outcome defined within C is guaranteed if A and B occur.

What does A and B represent in real life? In A, our mouth is moving, we are saying something. We are declaring that Jesus is Lord — aloud. In B, our heart is changed to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The new covenant is built on the resurrection. The resurrection is a key outcome from the death and burial of Jesus. If there is no resurrection, there is no forgiveness, the new covenant has no purpose. If we reject the resurrection, we are rejecting the new covenant.

Let us take a closer look at A. What does it mean to say Jesus is Lord? I think it conveys two things. First, we are saying — Jesus is God. In this statement, we align with John’s teaching in his Gospel. Second, we are accepting him as our leader. Jesus says to us to take on his yoke, learn his plan for us (Matthew 11:28-30). He clearly states he is gentle; he will not be a taskmaster. But things will come up and we will have an opportunity to be of service. Within this service comes a sense of peace, being one with God as we allow him to work through us and help others.

Take a look at John 1:1-5,14.  He says — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (NIV).

We can clearly see that Jesus is God in this section. Once you see the creator (Jesus) in action, we note in verse fourteen that the word became flesh (human) and lived among us. God with us, living as a human. In his life on earth, he does one thing we cannot achieve; he lived without sinning. This set the stage for our ransom, our reconciliation, our redemption. The path to God is discernable. We can see the goal.

Matthew 11:28-30 says — Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (NIV).

Once we yield to the notion that Jesus is Lord over our life, we learn quickly to hear the voice of God, we embrace the Holy Spirit and walk with Jesus to serve others. The burden is light. The Yoke is easy. When we say Jesus is Lord, we are agreeing to put on the yoke, to learn, and to be available. Please understand, we do not do stuff for God. Rather, God works through us to do stuff.

This yielding thing is an exercise of trusting God and embracing everlasting life. This yielding thing is assurance that God will keep his word. This yielding thing helps us to say — it is not I but Christ in me who serves others. I am merely a vessel for God. Jesus chooses the path, the Holy Spirit guides us on the path, and the actions accomplished will glorify God (implied in Galatians 2:20-21).

We can do nothing on our own to please God or earn salvation. We cannot garner the acceptance of our actions from God. We come just as we are. We can be troubled, ornery, judgmental, narrow minded, braggards, slothful, self-centered, hateful, egotistical, or arrogant (just to name a few of the sin’s we might have).

What do we need to do? Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will teach us what we need to know. We learn who God is. We learn how we got to this place. We learn about the nature of sin, rebellion, and the isolation from God caused by sin. We learn about the devil’s influence on our life, our family, our neighborhood, and our culture. We seek the stirring of the Spirit of God inside of us. We learn about the essential elements of the new covenant. We learn about Jesus. During all this learning, our heart softens. If we respond, we are giving space in our heart for God.

We are told in scripture over and over — there is a better way, if we stay on our current trajectory, we are walking on a path towards forever death. Yet, there is an alternate path that leads to forever life.

Now comes the logical statement — If A and B then C. (A) we declare that Jesus is Lord. We speak it aloud — we confess the presence of Jesus in our life. (B) We embrace the resurrection as truth and all that it proclaims. We know he died for our sin — our personal, individual sin. (C) We can boldly conclude — we are saved. We are now, at this very moment transformed, re-born, and we are symbolically handed a one-way ticket to Heaven. What does this ticket mean — when we lay down for the last time (death), we are instantly transported into Heaven. The one-way ticket is our guarantee of our redemption.

Say what?? Paul is very clear. He tells us — when our heart can say we believe Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead; then we are justified by the faith he has given us. This faith is a gift. We do not generate faith. God plants faith in our heart. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Romans 10:10). This is the Gospel. This is the Good News. This is grace in action. This is the arrest of sin. We can move freely in the presence of God. We have been redeemed. We are all ransomed, redeemed, and restored by Jesus.  We are made complete in Jesus. We are safe… I choose Jesus