Tuesday September 8, 2020 - Righteousness by Faith
That if you confess 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 confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9–10)
Here is a contrast of righteousness by works and righteousness by faith. The righteousness by works says “do this and live.” The righteousness by faith is what we see in today’s verses. Through faith, we confess that Jesus is Lord. We understand and believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead to pay for our sins. We don’t do anything to receive this kind of righteousness. It is simply given to us.
The righteousness that comes by works requires perfection. It requires that the one who is doing the works must do them all the time. There is no short cut or time that doesn’t count. From the time that the person is borning to the day that they die, there must be complete and total perfection.
But none of us are capable of that, so we need a different way of receiving righteousness. That’s where the righteousness by faith comes in. Jesus earned righteousness for us by being completely obedient to the law. As true God, he passed that righteousness on to us. So through faith, we confess with our mouths that he is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead. Through his resurrection, we are justified and are saved.
Don’t be afraid to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Believe that he has given you the righteousness by faith. Amen
Our song for today is “Jesus Is Lord [Live]” by Spring Harvest