But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 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 10:8-10)
My life revolves around this message. It is not a word about human potential and progress. It is not a doctrine of self-reliance. It is not a delusional theory that exalts science as the door to knowledge about everything and the solution to every problem, although it cannot really know anything or solve anything. It is not a foolish and hypocritical argument for mutual understanding and tolerance. It is not an empty political promise about change and prosperity. Men continue to depend on these things, and so they continue to become worse and worse.
My message is altogether different and superior. It is the only message that is true. It is the only message that is good. And it is the only message that works. This is the message that men are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the word of faith. There is nothing technically difficult about it, but men cannot grasp or believe it unless they are enabled and drawn by God to embrace it. He has hidden it from men’s elite, so as to spite them, but he has revealed it to his chosen ones, so that even infants in Christ are more enlightened than the best of those who do not believe.
The message is this: Men need salvation. Jesus Christ came to save us. He died as a sacrifice for our sins. God accepted this sacrifice and vindicated Christ by the resurrection, demonstrating that he was not a criminal, but that he was the perfect man, even God in the flesh, that he acted as the head of those chosen for salvation, to lead them from wickedness and punishment to righteousness and heavenly glory. God has made him Lord over all, and salvation depends on the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God has raised him from the dead.
Therefore, faith does not say, “Who will bring Christ down?” The Savior has already arrived. And faith does not say, “Who will bring Christ up?” The Savior has been raised from the dead. Our message is not one that speculates or searches for some unknown truth. It talks about not a mere possibility but a fulfilled promise. There is no need for dialogue or investigation. Faith has the solution. It affirms the completed works of Christ in the reality of his incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. These things have been accomplished and are effective for salvation.
Man is broken down by sin and false religion. He is a hypocrite and a contradiction, so that even as he draws near to God with his lips, his heart is far from him. Faith integrates the human person and makes Christ the center of his life. As he believes in his heart that God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he confesses with his mouth, “Jesus is Lord! He is the incarnation of deity. He died for my sins and rose again for my justification. He is my Savior. He is the Shepherd of my soul. He is the author and finisher of my faith.” As we enthrone Christ in our hearts and declare him the master and center of our lives, faith replaces delusion and hypocrisy with wisdom, love, sincerity, and peace. And this is the word of faith, which we preach.