Romans 10 9

Romans 10:9 kjv

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9 nkjv

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 niv

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.

Romans 10:9 esv

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9 nlt

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10 verses

Romans 10 9 Meaning

Romans 10:9 concisely presents the two essential components for salvation through Christ: confessing Jesus as Lord with one's mouth and believing in one's heart that God raised Him from the dead. It emphasizes that a public declaration of faith, stemming from a genuine inner conviction concerning Christ's identity and His victorious resurrection, is the pathway to divine salvation. This statement outlines both the active human response to God's grace and the divine assurance of a salvific outcome.

Romans 10 9 Context

Romans 10:9 is a pivotal statement within Paul's impassioned argument concerning God's righteousness and salvation. Chapters 9-11 address the complex issue of Israel's rejection of Jesus as Messiah, contrasting their pursuit of "a righteousness that is based on law" (Rom 10:5) with God's provision of "righteousness that is by faith" (Rom 10:6). Paul transitions from lamenting Israel's stumbling (Rom 9) to explaining the simplicity and accessibility of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. Romans 10:6-8 sets the stage, echoing Deut 30:14 by stating that "the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (Rom 10:8), thus directly linking the Old Testament promise of accessible righteousness to the gospel message of faith in Christ. Verse 9 then concretely defines this "word of faith," making explicit what "near" and "in the mouth/heart" mean in the Christian context—a clear departure from the pursuit of legalistic obedience. Historically, declaring "Jesus is Lord" was a profound and often dangerous confession in a Roman world where Caesar was revered as dominus et deus (lord and god). For Jews, confessing Kyrios for Jesus connected Him to Yahweh (LORD) of the Old Testament. This verse therefore carries both spiritual and counter-cultural implications.

Romans 10 9 Word analysis

• Because, (Gk: hoti - ὅτι): A causal conjunction, indicating the reason or explanation for what precedes. It connects this declaration of salvation directly to the "word of faith" previously mentioned in Rom 10:8, serving as the practical application of that principle.
• if you confess (Gk: homologeseis - ὁμολογήσῃς): From homologeō, meaning "to speak the same thing," to agree, to assent, to acknowledge, to profess. It implies a public, open declaration, not merely a private admission. This act is more than lip service; it's a profound agreement and identification with Jesus. It's an open commitment, particularly significant in a hostile environment where such a confession could be costly.
• with your mouth (Gk: tō stomati sou - τῷ στόματί σου): Emphasizes the oral, outward nature of this confession. While belief is internal, confession is external and visible, making faith explicit to others. This verbal profession is an essential aspect of the saving response to the gospel.
• that Jesus is Lord (Gk: Kyrios Iēsous - Κύριον Ἰησοῦν): "Kyrios" (Lord) is a monumental title. In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), Kyrios often translates the Hebrew divine name YHWH. For Paul and early Christians, declaring Jesus as Lord meant acknowledging His full divine authority, sovereignty, and supreme headship over all things. It proclaimed His authority not only as Messiah but also as God. It also stood in stark contrast to Caesar's claims of deity and lordship.
• and believe (Gk: kai pisteusēis - καὶ πιστεύσῃς): From pisteuō, meaning to trust, to be convinced, to have faith in. This refers to a deep-seated conviction and unwavering reliance, not just intellectual assent. It's a surrender of the whole person—mind, will, and emotion—to the truth.
• in your heart (Gk: tē kardia sou - τῇ καρδίᾳ σου): In ancient Jewish and Greek thought, the heart was not merely the seat of emotion, but also the center of intellect, will, and conscience. To believe "in your heart" signifies genuine, profound conviction, the core of one's being, utterly sincere and transformative, going beyond mere head knowledge.
• that God (Gk: hoti ho theos - ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς): Emphasizes that the resurrection is a divine act, God's powerful endorsement of Jesus. It is not a human-engineered event.
• raised him from the dead (Gk: ēgeiren auton ek nekrōn - ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν): The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of Christian faith. It validates His claims, proves His victory over sin and death, demonstrates God's power, and secures the believer's justification and hope for eternal life. It transforms belief into certainty, authenticating Jesus as the Son of God.
• you will be saved (Gk: sōthēsē - σωθήσῃ): A passive voice, indicating divine action ("you will be saved" by God). This is a certain future outcome. "Saved" (from sōzō) means to be delivered from God's wrath, sin's penalty and power, spiritual death, and to be brought into eternal life, right relationship with God, and fellowship with Him.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "if you confess...with your mouth": This highlights the outward expression of faith. It implies testimony, public alignment with Christ, and active witness. It's a statement of loyalty, akin to pledging allegiance to a king, particularly potent in the early Christian context amidst persecution or pressure to conform to pagan practices.
• "that Jesus is Lord": This specific confession is loaded with theological and practical significance. It defines the object of the confession—Jesus' supreme authority and divine nature—and inherently separates Christian belief from other systems. It is an affirmation of His deity and absolute rule.
• "and believe...in your heart": This specifies the internal and deeply personal aspect of faith. It's not just intellectual agreement but a profound, inner conviction and trust that leads to a transformed life. The heart represents the entirety of one's inner being—the mind, will, and emotions.
• "that God raised him from the dead": This is the critical content of saving belief concerning Jesus' work. The resurrection is not just an event but the foundation of the Christian message, signifying victory over sin and death, validation of Jesus' claims, and the guarantee of the believer's own future resurrection and new life.
• "confess... and believe... you will be saved": This sequence establishes the twin conditions (confession and belief) and the divine consequence (salvation). It reveals that salvation is an act of God received through human faith, involving both internal conviction and external declaration. The "and" implies that both aspects, though distinct, are intertwined and necessary, arising from genuine saving faith.

Romans 10 9 Bonus section

The juxtaposition of "mouth" and "heart" in Rom 10:9 is a deliberate echo of Old Testament wisdom, particularly Deuteronomy 30:14, where the law and God's word are described as "very near you, in your mouth and in your heart." Paul takes this ancient promise and applies it Christologically. He is asserting that the righteousness and "word" which were near Israel in the Law are now definitively present and accessible through faith in Christ. This makes salvation not an elusive quest (searching for Christ in heaven or the abyss, Rom 10:6-7) but an immediate reality for those who believe. The verse subtly underscores that the God who raised Jesus is the same God of the Old Testament covenant, unifying God's redemptive plan across testaments. It also points to the holistic nature of saving faith: it engages both our inner being (heart) and our outward expression (mouth), indicating a faith that is alive and active in acknowledging Christ before a fallen world.

Romans 10 9 Commentary

Romans 10:9 distills the essence of the gospel message into two interconnected truths, both of which stem from genuine faith in Jesus Christ. The "confession with the mouth" is not a separate work, but an overflow of the "belief in the heart." One cannot truly believe in the heart without an inclination to confess, nor can mere lip service save without genuine inner conviction. This belief centers on Jesus' identity as Lord—meaning divine authority and sovereignty—and the historical reality of His resurrection, which validated His Lordship and redemptive work. The resurrection of Jesus is the central, decisive act that establishes His divine power over death and secures the believer's justification. Salvation, therefore, is portrayed as a certain, divinely granted outcome for those who authentically embrace these truths. This verse emphasizes accessibility to salvation through faith, rather than by human effort or adherence to Law. It democratizes salvation, making it available to all who genuinely confess and believe, contrasting sharply with the limited access of Temple worship or strict adherence to a specific legal code.