Salvation By Confession or Reception?
The Salvation of God
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:10
May we grasp the power of His Word! Too much emphasis is placed upon an individual’s confession, which horribly misrepresents the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must carefully read the above scripture through the illumination of His Spirit.
The “confession” of the mouth is PRECEDED by the moving of God upon the heart UNTO righteousness. Mere confession, without the heart being moved unto righteousness, is vain and deceptive. Everything in God, every truth, and every transaction is based on His power and transformation. Where there is no evidence of transformation, there is no effective reception of His Person. What people do reveals the nature by which they live.
“Little children, let no man deceive you:
he that doeth righteousness is righteous…”
1 John 3:7
James expresses this same truth:
“Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
James 3:11-12 (ESV)
John is warning the people of God, “Let no man deceive you”! We do not interact with each other based on a confession. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord abides, there will be a corresponding expression of His Nature.
By “their fruits ye shall know them,” not by their confession. There are many today who, because of a confession, have been deceived into thinking they are right with God but have never touched the wonder of being “born again.”
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
Our fellowship and communion with one another are based on “walking in the Light.” Any life that does not seek this true communion with others is alienated from the life of God. The Life of Him in me will ever seek the Life of Him in another—this seeking results from the Nature of His Love abiding in our hearts.
“My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth,
and shall assure our hearts before Him…”
1 John 3:18-19
The salvation “born of God” brings His own to the Nature of His Love revealed in deeds and in truth!
Related Article: Christ The Life (very short)
“We need a quickening of faith; faith in the power of the God of Pentecost to convict and convert three thousand in a day. Faith, not in a process of culture by which we hope to train children into a state of salvation, but faith in the mighty God who can quicken a dead soul into life in a moment; faith in moral and spiritual revolution rather than evolution.”
– A.C. Dixon
“Love is the only attribute which will cause us and enable us to step into the eternal mystery of God. “He that loveth not… knoweth not God”. Such is the pure and simple theology of His Life.”
– Brian Troxel
(This post is an excerpt from The Nature of Love – Salvation)
The Nature of Love Series:
The Nature of Love (Link)
The Nature of Love – Righteousness (Link)
The Nature of Love – Salvation (Link)
Brian Troxel
There are many today who, because of a confession, have been deceived into thinking they are right with God but have never touched the wonder of being “born again.” …
I often think about that and it’s a very frightening thought. Good post.
Amen
Thank you for commenting – Blessings
BT
Blessings to you as well.
thank you for stopping by and the kind words!
Blessings
BT
Many profess Christ but few possess Christ
Amen
Amen
Amen🙏
Blessings Curleen
‘Many profess Christ but few possess Christ” This is such a true statement! And how would we know? The Bible says by their fruit. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15) Blessings BT… 🙏
You were saved a couple millennium ago when Jesus sacrificed His sinless, suffering, sanctifying Self in your stead. The Father chose you in Christ and predestined you for eternal salvation before the foundation of the world that you would be forever to the praise and glory of His mercy and grace.
He redeemed you, but your salvation did not become in force until you came to faith, and by His appointment and His arrangement of circumstanced, accepted His Person doing for you that which you could never do for yourself.
We are saved for resulting good works but good works do not save us. Jesus saves us. None of us can in and of ourselves ever righteously boast except in the One mercifully enabling, graciously ennobling Triune God.
Titus 3:4-8 AMP
4 But when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], 5 He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be [acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee). 8 This is a faithful and trustworthy saying; and concerning these things I want you to speak with great confidence, so that those who have believed God [that is, those who have trusted in, relied on, and accepted Christ Jesus as Savior,] will be careful to participate in doing good and honorable things. These things are excellent [in themselves] and profitable for the people.
Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP
8 For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
Gill’s Exposition
Romans 10:10
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,…. The apostle here explains the nature and use both of faith and confession; as true faith does not lie in the bare assent of the mind to the Gospel, or any truth contained in it, respecting the person and office of Christ, so neither does it lie, as not in the brain, so not in the tongue, but in the heart; it is not a notional knowledge of things to be believed; nor is it saying that a man believes; but it is heart work, a believing with all the heart; such a faith in which all the powers of the soul, the understanding, will, and affections, are concerned, it is a seeing of the Son, a beholding of the glory, fulness, suitableness, ability, and willingness of Christ as a Saviour, with the eye of the understanding spiritually enlightened; it is a going out of the soul to Christ, in various acts, such as venturing into his presence, prostrating itself at his feet, resolving if it perishes it will perish there; a giving up itself unto him, determining it will have no other Saviour, leaning and relying on him, and living upon him; which faith works by love to Christ, moves the affections, stirs up the desires of the soul to his name, and endears him and all that belong to him to it. The use of this grace is, “unto righteousness”; it is not instead of one, for faith is not our righteousness; nor is it in order to work out one, for this grace puts a soul on renouncing its own righteousness; but its use is to receive one, even the righteousness of Christ, which when it spies, it admires, receives, lays hold on, and rejoices in looking on itself as righteous through this righteousness, and so has peace with God through Christ:
I like Gill’s work. Amen. I don’t think the confession type gospel was preached in his day although George Fox used the term “professors” in his day. I am forever grateful for His choosing me that to this day holds me.
Blessings
BT
John Gill, born 1796, is my favorite expositor for enlightenment and exhortation in believing and bowing to Christ our all-beautiful, beneficent Beloved. Too, I appreciate Gill as a Holy Spirit endued wordsmith, his proficient use and skillful arrangement of words and splendid style. Throughout his fifty year ministry Gill’s intense focus and unrelenting passion is on the doctrine of God’s Person, Who God Is. Gill is noted for producing thousands of pages of theological discourse, with a particular emphasis on discovering the doctrine of the One Beautiful Triune God.
According to Gill, steeping spirit, soaking soul, and molding and modeling mind in the nature, characteristics and attributes of the Three Person One Divine is paramount in theological inquiry, as all theology originates from God’s Self-revelation to His Image bearers.
He steadfastly sets forth that the teaching of the Trinity is not merely a speculative or abstract concept but a foundational belief that underscores salvation, doctrine, and the progress and joy in believing the Holy Trinity of Loving Infinity, and Who does not suffer souls endlessly in hell, which is that which would delight and drive the demonic, but our Christ indeed compassionately triumphed over. Alleluia! Give the Creator the Glory! Gill believed that rich appreciation for and in depth understanding of the Trinity was crucial to the core of Christian theology and Christocentric spirituality, indeed, that of conformity to the character of Christ.
Gill’s Exposition
Romans 10:10 Continued
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. This is to be understood not of confession of sin, though that is proper and requisite to be made, both with respect to the participation, and enjoyment of salvation, particularly pardoning grace and mercy, and to an admission to Gospel ordinances; but of confession of Christ, as appears from the preceding verse, which lies in a frank and open acknowledgment of what Christ is in himself, as that he is truly and properly God, the Son of God, the true Messiah, the Mediator between God and man, and the only Saviour of lost sinners, and of our faith in him, with respect to ourselves, to our pardon, justification, acceptance and salvation in him and through him; in ascribing the whole of our salvation to him, and giving him the glory of it; in declaring to the churches of Christ what he has done for our souls, and in subjecting ourselves to his ordinances. This confession must be made both by words and facts, must be open, visible, and before men; and also real, hearty, and sincere, the words of the mouth agreeing with the experience of the heart; and such a good profession made before God, angels, and men, highly becomes all that believe with the heart. This was the practice of the primitive saints; yea, all nations own, acknowledge, and profess the God they worship; and should not we confess our God, Saviour and Redeemer? Christ himself confessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, and is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession. So to do, makes both for the glory of God, and for our own real good and advantage. Yea, it is “unto salvation”; not as a cause of it, for Christ alone is the author of eternal salvation; but a sincere and well made confession of Christ points out to all that know us where and from whom we expect to have salvation; it is what lies in the way, and is to be taken up by all that believe in Christ, and to be held fast without wavering until we receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.
Amen!
NICE 💚💓💞
Blessed and Happy afternoon from 🇪🇸
Greetings 🌈
Thank you my new friend may His grace guide your way.
BT
There is definitly a sense of salvation being so easy that everyone thinks they are saved.
Without that spiritual movement within, there is no proof, and there is no assurance of salvation.
I remember growing up in church having a fear or dread of God, thinking that he wanted to kill me. I was told that I was saved, so I was okay, but I still had that dread.
Then one day God met me at home, and it changed my life forever.
I also like that portion…
“…The Life of Him in me will ever seek the Life of Him in another…”
It verifies to me the urgency in me to lead others to Christ, and to build up Christ in others.
I think that urgency is also a verification of my salvation, to seek it out in others.
Bless you Brian.
The urgency borne of Love is the signature of Him in the human heart. Not many know this joy of Him sharing His love in and through us. You are always an encouragement!
BT
Likewise, Brian. You have consistently confirmed the word of God in my spirit.
Pete
Delusions of Ministry
Posted onJuly 19, 2015 by Agent X
I really don’t know where to start. I don’t know what point to make. But I know that today’s ministry overwhelms me, and I am sorry that I am not adequate for the task.
I met a man, we will call him Agent Li’l Psych-O (ALPO).
He was a really sweet guy.
Well, not at first. Actually he was quite demanding. He fixated on numerous demands all at once. I tried to be a servant and meet all the needs that I reasonably could. I tried to allow myself to be “stretched” even beyond that.
To make a long story medium, let me say that I took him to two churches to meet his demands before taking him to my old church Vandelia. I did not get any help at the first two. I did not ask at Vandelia either. I have decided asking permission is like asking a church to say “no” – setting ministry up for failure for sure. Better to just barge into that shower he asked for and then search for a towel after he is in the water.
What can I say? It worked. Thank You Jesus! Thank you Vandelia.
I quickly learned that he is actually a clean and neat person. He cleaned himself appropriately and cleaned up after himself very well. He left a very light carbon/garbage footprint. Also HE DOES NOT SMOKE! (This is rare among street people!)
But his demands changed to a need for fresh clothes. Now I am keeping my long story medium by not describing how he wanted to sit in church in a towel while his clothes ran through the wash. I am not describing how I dreaded the idea of being stuck with him for more than an hour after church. (Okay, I just told you those things, but you get the idea. There is a lot going on here that is just too involved for a blog.)
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I reached out with a shotgun blast text message for anyone who might help get him some clothes. I got a response! And after an hour and a half waiting for him to finish his shower, we found him fresh clothes too, thank You Jesus. Thank you Restoring Hope!
We picked through the bags of clothes and found three sets of clothes for him. And as I watched the clock approach our third hour (since church), he mentioned lunch. I reached out for a donor. I got none. Okay, we will go to my house. Now this was a concern because my wife who works the night shift was sleeping, and I feared waking her. But it was a risk I decided to take.
But it was during the clothing raid that I began to realize this guy is telling some truly strange stories. In fact the more he socializes with me the taller the tales. His life sounds like a TV show one minute and a movie the next. On the way to my house he actually told me he invented the razor. Later he told me he invented the refrigerator. Hmmm… Wait a minute… did he just say JFK was his uncle???
Yes. He did.
Then he talked about his cousin Eddie Money and the song Two Tickets to Paradise. His aunt, Mrs. Money – Eddie’s mom – is rich. Her name is Money by the way. And his kin owes him money; that is probably why they don’t want to talk to him.
Soon we were eating lunch at my kitchen table. He saw various items in the fridge and began requesting them. I accommodated. His stories just got more unbelievable. Soon I discovered he is kin to the Gambino family. I said, “You mean the crime family?” He got offended. “No! They’re not a crime family! They are honest hard working people! They run a restaurant and get a bad rap from the media!” Spoken like a member of the family alright!
I can’t recall all the names he dropped. JFK, Newt Gingrich, Alice Cooper, Johnny Carson, Eddie Money, Lucky Luciano, and at least a dozen others. Most of them are kin. He even named Bart Simpson as a friend. And many of his stories were lifted right out of headlines of years gone by, TV shows, and movies.
He was a mess of delusions.
He was manic. He spoke nonstop. An hour into lunch and my mind drifted a moment as I began to panic at the thought of turning him back out on the street. He is ALPO to any of the wolves of the night who might find him. As my attention drifted from Jack Nicholson getting the lobotomy that he should have gotten, he suddenly stopped in mid delusion and said, “Thank you [Agent X] for the shower. You are really nice to me.”
It was so innocent. So vulnerable. So needy. Like a child in a grown man’s body.
He is nearing old age and looks weather worn from the streets. He had shaved his full beard in the shower with a couple of Bic Razors. He missed a few patches. He looked like he really feels self-confident, but ten minutes of listening – really listening – proves he is over half way to Alzheimer’s mentality.
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I put out a shotgun blast text message again. Please pray for this guy and consider keeping him tonight. He is so sweet. He does not smoke. His language gets offensive from time to time, but he is redirect able.
I got several responses of prayer, but no one offered to take him.
I decided to call the crisis line at the psych ward. They assessed him. He figured out what I was up to and resisted for all he was worth. He did not meet the criteria of emergency detention, but they did offer to take him in if he would consent. He refused. He had a better idea, if I would take him to IHOP, we could find Eddie Money there – he runs the place – and he will give us some rib eye steaks that we can grill in the back yard tonight.
Oh… ALPO… how I wish we could. I also realize that his manic state makes him a sleepless night. I do not have the facility for that tonight either. But then no one from church, not the hospital, and not even Tent City (yeah… we went there too) would take him tonight.
I took him to Asbury Methodist for their evening meal and dropped him off. He has an appointment to get a tent at Tent City at 9 am tomorrow. I hope he can find his way there. I tried to show him the way, but it was about 3 miles away… several turns here and there. He could not shut up about being related to the Rolling Stones, “You know the Rolling Stones right?” I don’t think he was really paying attention to the directions.
If you are reading here, please pray for ALPO tonight. I am. I don’t know what else to do.
Will do.
BT