IS PUBLIC CONFESSION NECESSARY FOR SALVATION? IS ROMANS 10:9 THE GUIDELINE ON HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN?
Many have taught that for anyone to be born-again or inherit eternal life, confessing, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ in accordance with Romans 10:9 and believing in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is all that is required. (Rom 10:9-10) “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.” They have misunderstood this passage to mean that we are saved only by means of public declaration of the lordship of Jesus alone; whereas in Matthew 7:21 Jesus made a striking statement: (Matthew 7:21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall inherit the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” He made it clear that merely acknowledging, declaring or confessing Jesus Christ as Lord saying “Lord, Lord” is not sufficient for anyone to inherit the kingdom of