Introduction

What is the best news you have ever received? Maybe you were elated when your favorite political candidate won a close election. Maybe you were thrilled to hear that we finally took out Osama Bin Laden. On a far less serious note, I celebrated profusely when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.

Hopefully, some kind of personal news trumps all that. I was not surprised, but I was pretty excited when Heidi said yes after I proposed. And I’ll never forget a cold January morning in Michigan. I was working hard in my office, and Heidi called to say she was sick, and she wanted me to come home. Of course, my heart flooded with compassion for my miserable wife. No, I thought, “I’m busy. Take some medicine and go to sleep.”

But when I walked in the door, Heidi had a huge smile, and she told me she was pregnant! I was shocked. This was great news! Heidi cried, we hugged and kissed. Heidi said she was so glad to feel nauseous. I told her to feel better, and I went back to work.

Everyone enjoys receiving good news. So, listen up because today’s passage announces the best news sinners like us could ever receive (read). God promises that a sinner like you can enjoy a relationship with a holy God. And it’s not impossibly difficult; instead, it is so simple that it sounds too good to be true. All you must do is believe the gospel. This is great news. I’ve been praying all week that someone will believe today.

And if you already believe the gospel, I hope you will rejoice over what God has given you and that you will leave better equipped and more motivated to share this great news with others. Our passage gives two reasons the gospel is good news. First…

I.  All you must do is believe (vv. 9–10).

I’d like to ask and answer 3 questions of vv. 9–10. The 1^st question is…

What must you believe (in order to be saved)? Josh Groban says, “Believe in what you feel inside and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need if you just believe.” That sounds lovely, and it reflects how many people understand faith. Faith is a feeling, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be rational or based in reality.

But that’s not biblical faith. God is not saying that merely having faith or even religious faith necessarily pleases him. Rather, vv. 9–10 mention two very important gospel realities—the Lordship and resurrection of Christ—that you must believe. This list is not exhaustive. There are other essential gospel truths that the NT says every true Christian must believe.

But for now, I especially want to focus on the two in v. 9 because Paul chooses them strategically. I want to begin with the 2^nd If you want to receive God’s salvation, you must believe that…

Jesus rose from the dead. I imagine we are all familiar with the resurrection of Christ. It has its own holiday, and it’s one of the best-known biblical stories.

The Bible teaches that Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty for human sin. The sky was dark for 3 hours as Jesus bore God’s wrath against the world’s sin. Then Jesus died. It looked like Satan and death had won. But 3 days later, God raised Jesus from the dead!

It was a climactic moment in world history. Christ won the victory over our sin and the judgment we deserve. He also defeated the curse which has ravished the world since the Fall. And the resurrection definitively proved that Jesus is no mere man. He truly is the Son of God!

So, the resurrection is good news. You can be saved because Jesus rose again. And you must believe in the resurrection to be saved. I hope that you do. And the resurrection is vitally connected to the 2^nd essential truth in v. 9.

Jesus is Lord. Jesus is eternal, sovereign God; therefore, he has always been Lord. But the Bible teaches that the resurrection declared Jesus’ lordship in a new and dramatic way (1:3–4). Again, Jesus has always been the Son of God. But when we studied this text, we saw from several passages that the resurrection affirmed and declared Jesus’ sonship, and it qualified him to rule as Lord over his creation.

Peter said at Pentecost that because Jesus rose from the dead, he has been exalted to the Father’s right hand, and he is awaiting the day when he will return and “make his enemies a footstool for his feet” (Acts 2:33–36). Christ will judge evil, and he will hold every person accountable for his actions.

This is a vital piece of the gospel. A lot of people believe in some kind of higher power. But many of them don’t really believe that Jesus is their Lord or that they are accountable to him.

Just think of the Gentiles in Paul’s day. As polytheists, and it didn’t really damage their theology to believe that Jesus is another Hercules, of sorts. But to acknowledge him as the one and only Lord to whom I am accountable as my Lord, that’s entirely different. Even a lot of people who call themselves Christians resist this reality, or at least their life doesn’t reflect it.

Why do we resist? We want to be our own lord and make our own rules. We also know we are in trouble if we are accountable to a holy God. We know we have broken his law, and we know we deserve judgment. So, the lordship of Christ is one of the hardest gospel truths for sinners to accept, but God says is critical to the Christian message.

So, God won’t accept just any kind of faith. You must believe that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, he truly died, and he truly rose from the dead. And you must also believe that he is Lord of creation and Lord over me. That brings me to the 2^nd question we must answer…

How do I believe? Verses 9, 10 answer with two actions. You must “confess with your mouth” and “believe in your heart.” I must emphasize that order is not important. We know that because v. 10 reverses order—belief then confession. So, vv. 9–10 uses the common Roman literary device of a chiasm or an ABB’A’ structure. Here it’s confession, belief, belief, confession. A chiasm always emphasizes the middle item.

So, getting saved, fundamentally involves “believing in your heart” that God raised Jesus from the dead as well as every other essential gospel truth. So, Paul once again teaches that we are saved by faith, not by works (3:28, 4:4–5). God couldn’t be clearer. I don’t earn my place in heaven; instead, salvation is a gift that God gives when I believe. That’s all God requires for you to be saved. Believe on Jesus.

Now, I want to be clear that truth faith is more than giving God a thumbs up. It’s certainly more than faith in Santa Claus, where you know he’s not real, but it feels good to imagine he is real. No, you must believe “in your heart.” In biblical thought, the heart is the center of who I am. So, this is more than a feeling; rather, the heart is the seat of the intellect, will, and emotions.

So, to believe in my heart is to be convinced that the gospel is true. It is a deep conviction that is anchored reality and transforms all of life. So, do you “believe in your heart that God raised (Jesus) from the dead”? Do you believe Jesus is Lord? Are you trusting in him alone for salvation?

As well, Paul says you must “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord.” You might read this and think, “I thought we were saved by faith alone. Is confession a work? What does it add to faith?” We know Paul doesn’t view confession as a saving work, because he has been so clear that we are saved by grace alone. Rather, notice that vv. 9, 10 borrow “mouth” and “heart” from v. 8. So, Paul is not adding something to faith; he’s simply building off the language from his quotation of Deuteronomy 30:14.

So, confession is simply the outward expression of the conviction in a believer’s heart. If you truly believe the gospel, you won’t be ashamed to confess it. That’s why we require a verbal confession to be baptized. We don’t invite anyone to get in the water. We want to hear and evaluate someone’s confession first. That confession doesn’t save, but it is important validation of what God has done in the heart.

And the specific content of our confession is significant. A genuine believer will verbally confess that “Jesus is Lord.” The old KJV simply has “confess… the Lord Jesus.” But the NASB better reflects Paul’s goal of emphasizing the lordship of Christ. Getting saved demands more than a general belief in the Lord Jesus. No, you must believe that Jesus is Lord.

It’s an essential piece of the gospel. Did you know that the NT calls Jesus Savior 10xs, but it calls him Lord 700xs? Why? For one, it’s easier to accept him as Savior than as Lord. I’ve met lots of people who want Jesus to be their Savior, but they don’t want him to be their Lord. So, the apostles emphasized who Jesus is before emphasizing what he provides. You must understand that he is Lord and specifically, your Lord before you can appreciate his salvation.

I know that the idea of “lordship salvation” has sparked a lot of controversy among Christians. People rightly want to protect against works salvation. As well, if you’ve been raised in a theology based on crisis decisions, lordship sounds like perfectionism or a higher life that is impossible, especially for a new believer. Maybe there is a better term.

But to be clear, the Bible teaches that spiritual growth is a lifelong process. You don’t have to fix everything to get saved. In fact, you don’t have to fix anything. You just come to Jesus and rest. But if you really believe that Jesus is the Lord and you have sinned against his will, it’s going to transform the direction of your life.

It may take a new Christian time to fully appreciate the implications of Jesus’ lordship. But if someone believes that Jesus is Lord, he will respond as the Spirit teaches and convicts. If you believe Jesus is Lord, you can’t look his commands in the eye and continually say “no.” You must bow the knee.

Have you obeyed Romans 10:9? Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and he is Lord? Will you admit that you have sinned against his will, and that you need a Savior. Have you put your faith in Jesus to give you a salvation you can never provide for yourself?

Does it show in what you say and in how you live? No one’s perfect, but are you responsive to Jesus’ lordship? When God speaks through his Word, is your heart to respond and obey? Please believe on Jesus. That’s because the promises of the gospel are incredible. The 3^rd question I want to answer is…

What does God promise? Verses 10, 11 make 3 promises. The first is imputed righteousness. God says that when you believe the gospel it “results in righteousness.” Earlier, we read in Romans 4:5 that God “justifies the ungodly.” So, God doesn’t wait for us to become righteous before he declares us righteous. No God saves us while we are still ungodly sinners.

So, this righteousness is not our righteousness; it is God’s. He credits or imputes his perfect righteousness to our account when we believe. It’s great news because if my eternity depended on my righteousness, I’m in big trouble. But everything changes when you believe the gospel. You stop trusting in what you can do, and you begin trusting what Jesus did. My eternity no longer depends on my righteousness but on God’s. And God will always be satisfied with his own righteousness. Imputed righteousness is a wonderful gift. The 2^nd promise is…

Salvation from Judgment: You won’t every understand that the gospel is the best news unless you first accept the bad news it includes. Specifically, you have rebelled against a holy and just God. You have not obeyed all that the Scriptures demand. You don’t have to commit a terrible crime to be guilty; instead, Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 adds, “The wages of sin is death.” That’s specifically, eternal death under God’s judgment.

That’s heavy. But it’s only when you admit that you are a sinner, hopelessly condemned under the judgment of God that you will admit that you need a Savior. Only then will be appreciate the wonderful salvation that God provides. God promises that when you believe and confess, “you will be saved.”

This promise is in the future tense. So, it is looking ahead to your final judgment before God. The Bible says that physical death is not the end. You will stand before God someday with eternity in heaven or hell in the balance. That’s scary. But if you have believed the gospel, God promises that you will be saved in that day. That’s good news. On top of that, v. 11 gives a 3^rd

Satisfaction at the Judgment (v. 11): A more precise translation of “disappointed” would be “ashamed.” If you are still in your sin, God’s judgment will be a miserable time of shame and disappointment. But if you stand in the righteousness of Christ, you will not be ashamed because God will accept you with a smile and welcome you into heaven.

You “will not be disappointed.” No Christian is going to walk away from that judgment thinking, “I am so disappointed. I wish I had remained in my sin.” We especially won’t be disappointed in God’s fulfillment of his promise. No, you will be overjoyed at the salvation God provided and satisfied in God’s faithfulness to his word.

So, please believe in your heart that Jesus rose from the dead and provided a full salvation. Confess to Jesus that he is Lord. You can quietly call out to him in your heart right now and say, “I believe that you are the Lord, and I have sinned against your will. But I also believe that you have paid the price for my sins. I want you to be my Savior and my Lord.” If you do that, God will save. Please receive him right now.

But maybe you are thinking, “I’m not sure God would accept me. I’ve done some horrible things, and I’m in a terrible place. I think I need to clean some things up before God will accept me. Or maybe he would never accept me.” Paul thought you might say that. So, he emphasizes a 2^nd reason the gospel is good news.

II.  Anyone is welcome to believe (vv. 11–13).

The universal language really stands out in those verses. Notice that the basis of God’s universal invitation is…

The Character of the Savior (v. 12): We’ve talked a lot about the harsh divide in Paul’s day between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews claimed that God belonged to them, and the Gentiles weren’t welcome. But v. 12 points out that Jesus is not a local deity; he is “Lord of all.” He made all of us, and we all live in his creation. He is your Lord.

Paul doesn’t intend for that to be scary. Instead, it is supremely comforting because it doesn’t matter where you are from or how you were raised. You can be an atheist who grew up in the furthest corner of the earth from Christian influence, and Jesus is still your Creator and Lord. Therefore, he can be your Savior too, if you simply believe. So, don’t use your background as an excuse. Come to Jesus and be saved.

This statement is also significant as we think about world missions. Sometimes we want to give up on certain parts of the world as too far gone for the cause of evangelism and church planting. But Jesus is Lord over China, Pakistan, Russia, Sudan, and every other corner of creation. He is saving people everywhere. So, we should be zealous to bring the gospel to all places.

Then notice that not only is Jesus “Lord of all”; he is “abounding in riches.” Maybe you have been thinking, “Everyone only has so much patience. I don’t think God has enough patience or grace for me. I’m stubborn. I’ve done some awful things. God surely won’t receive me as I am.” Again, God knew you might say that, so he emphasizes that God is “abounding in riches for all who call on Him.”

Christ has more than enough grace to cover every sin. And he is not stingy with his grace; he is generous. He gives freely and abundantly. So, take whatever excuse you have or whatever guilt you feel, crumble it up in a ball, and toss it out. Jesus is a generous Savior who is ready to save you.

And Christian, if you are discouraged about the prospects of God saving someone you love, don’t give up. Jesus is “abounding in riches for all who call on Him.” So, keep pleading with them to be saved. In sum, we have a great Savior. As a result, notice…

The Universal Promise of the Savior (v. 13): This is such a wonderful, simple promise. It’s wonderful, first of all, because no one is excluded. In fact, vv. 11, 12, 13 all emphasize the universal availability of salvation—“Whoever believes,” “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek,” and “Whoever will call.” God says you are welcome to be saved. He couldn’t be clearer.

And I love the simple description of how you can be saved. Verses 12, 13 both invite the sinner to “call on the name of the Lord.” That simply means to cry out to him in prayer. You ask him to save you.

It’s not complicated. God doesn’t demand some grand emotional display. You don’t have to walk through some precise theological prayer. There’s no required posture or place. In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the tax collector simply said, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner” (Luke 18:13). And the thief on the cross said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). What really matters is what is in your heart. If you believe the gospel and believe that Jesus is Lord, just call upon him. Ask God to save you.

Because if you do, God promises to save. Verse 13 is so clear. God makes a plain promise, and God never breaks his promise. So, please receive Jesus if you have never done so before. He will change your life and change your eternity. He demands everything from you, but he is worth it all. Jesus is inviting you to come. Don’t ignore his invitation. You can pray to him right now, or we would love to counsel you afterwards.

Or maybe you have called on the Lord to save, but you struggle to be sure that God really saved you. I was there as a kid. I was always worried that I had said the wrong thing, or maybe I wasn’t sincere enough. I’ve heard others worry that they aren’t growing fast enough, or they still struggle with sin.

If you are struggling with doubts, I’d love to speak with you, but I also hope that you will rest in God’s simple promise. If you sincerely call upon Jesus to save you, God promises, “(You) will be saved.” Trust God’s promise. It matters far more than how you feel, what you said, or anything else. Look to God and rest in him.

Conclusion

The gospel is the best news in the world. Believe it, rejoice in it, and share it with everyone.