What does confessing have to do with salvation? This post is the next installment on the bigger topic of becoming a Christian--being saved.
Confessing is a topic rarely discussed by most evangelical Christians. I suspect that it's from a conscious or subconscious effort to not overlap with the Catholic concept of confession and a works-based salvation. Even while writing this post, I gave careful thought to the phrasing for that exact reason.
But when it comes to confession as it relates to salvation, there are three big questions:
1. Is confessing/confession a requirement for salvation?
2. Is that confessing Jesus is Lord and/or confessing our sins?
3. Is confessing/confession a work?
With those questions in mind, let's look at the Bible verses on the topic. All verses are NASB.
”But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13
1 John 4:15-7 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
These verses shed light on the fact that confessing Jesus as Lord is a requirement for salvation. Since we know from Ephesians 2:8-9 that we're saved by grace, not works, and that the Bible doesn't contradict itself, any salvation requirement must not be considered a work. Bible verses don't just cancel each other out (except when talking about the New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant, which was brought to completion through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.)
So does that mean that if we confess Jesus as Lord and that we are sinners, we're saved, and that no other salvation verses apply? No. Again, the Bible should be read as a whole, with context and understanding.
Some people find it offensive to say that any effort on our part means that we're saved by works, not grace. I would argue that we aren't saved when we're passively sitting by. Would you agree?
Check out my upcoming blog post, a continuation of the in depth series on salvation.