Verse
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
Meaning of Romans 10:9
One of the most quoted verses by Christians, especially evangelical denominations, Romans 10:9, is also known as the confessional verse. The verse Romans 10:9, ‘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’ means if a person has a strong faith in Jesus in his or heart, it is not enough. In order to be a Christian or attain salvation, a person must also proclaim their faith out loud that they believe in Jesus Christ. The verse also means that he or she must also believe in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ as witnessed by the people in their time. Once recorded in historical texts and the Bible, the verse also applies to anyone who hears the Gospel message.
Interpretations of Romans 10:9
The verse Romans 10:9 is one of the important verses preached to invite people to accept Christianity and believe in Jesus. A few interpretations of Romans 10:9 is given below.
Interpretation #1 Christians must confess daily to show their faith
In this interpretation, the church mostly preaches about confession every Sunday during their sermon. Confessing daily or regularly is one of the important acts in Roman Catholicism. Hence the verse ‘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’ means that a believer must always be mindful of what he or she is doing and also speak to a priest or elder if they have done wrong, both thought and works. Thus, the person can display their faith among fellow Christians.
Interpretation #2 Only verbal communication is important in prayer
According to this version, the readers may believe that ‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,’ means a Christian can only display their undying faith in Jesus. Additionally, a church may use this phrase to invite the congregation to share their testimonies on Sunday. Each member can share their success stories or a miracle they have experienced or witnessed during the week or in the past. Also, the priest encourages the members to pray audibly so that the other members will understand their faith, and also, God will like the words spoken out loud more than the silent prayer.
Interpretation #3 Jesus is a replacement of God for Christians
This lesser-believed interpretation means that the reader will believe in Jesus Christ. He or she will only acknowledge Jesus as God or a sole divine figure. They may still acknowledge Heavenly Father as God but do not believe in the Holy Trinity. Hence, the verse ‘‘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’ means that Jesus is more important than God. That’s why the reader understands that they must pray and proclaim their faith in Jesus publicly and believe that God had given all authority for saving people to Jesus.
Interpretation #4 Faith comes from mouth and heart
In this interpretation, the reader understands that Paul is speaking about the Word of Faith. Thus, the churches also teach that to be a Christian, he or she must have two important things too. The verse Romans 10:9 is one of the salvation verses quoted in the New Testament. The readers also understand the context of the verse, where Paul is addressing these verses to the new Jewish converts. Hence, it was not sufficient to follow the commandments from the old testament, but they must also accept that Jesus died and was raised by God after his crucifixion. While faith in Christ is the key to becoming a Christian, a person must also confess verbally about his belief to show evidence of their faith in Jesus Christ. Additionally, when a new believer speaks of his or her faith in front of the church, it is believed that they are giving an account of their actions.
Historical background of Romans 10:9
According to Biblical historians, Apostle Paul wrote the book Romans was written between 57-59 A.D. During the writing, Paul was residing in Corinth, and Rome was under the reign of Emperor Nero. Paul wrote the epistle to the church in Rome who were new o the new Christians in the room before the end of his third missionary journey and is almost twenty-five years after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The letter was intended to bring unity and edification between Jewish Christians and Roman Christians. Also, the book Romans summarizes the core principles of the Gospel while explaining the greatness of God and the holiness of people.
Literary Devices of Romans 10:9
Romans 10:9 is one of the important verses used while presenting the Gospel and Baptism. A few literary devices used in verse are as follows.
Alliteration – The verse has one consonant sound in repetition. For example, the sound of /th/ in ‘‘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.’’
Consonance – Romans 10:9 has good use of repeated consonant sounds, and few are in quick succession. For example, the sound of /t/, the sound of /th/, the sound of /l/, the sound of /n/, the sound of /m/ and the sound of /d/ in ‘‘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.’
Assonance – The verse also has good use of vowel sounds in repetition, and few are in quick succession. For example, the sound of /a/, the sound of /ee/, and the sound /e/ in ‘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.’
Theme – The major themes of Romans 10:9 are confession, salvation, boldness, and faith. The minor themes include obedience.
Logos – The verses Romans 10:9 is also a good example of logos as a rhetorical device. Here, Paul uses logic to make the readers understand the value of salvation in Jesus Christ or becoming Christian by proclaiming their faith publicly and also living with integrity.