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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
This passage has been a minor irritation for years. My reaction has always been, “talk is cheap.” Anyone can say “Jesus is Lord,” and not really mean it. Granted, it follows with believing in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. That doesn’t make it any more difficult or significant to say, “Jesus is Lord.”
Granted, back in Paul’s time, saying, “Jesus is Lord” mattered. Christians were persecuted and killed. But for most of my life, saying, “Jesus is Lord” got one labeled a boring Goody Two Shoes.
This morning as I read this passage, it makes more sense. Today, claiming that Jesus is Lord gets you labeled as being evil. People around the world are dying because they say “Jesus is Lord.” Attempts have been made in this country to marginalize and legally destroy people who say, “Jesus is Lord” and try to live in accordance with what Scripture says. Last winter when I was taking preliminary steps to move to another community in Florida, one of my considerations was the question of whether I would face harassment and discrimination in the community because of what I believe. It might be mild, as it is where I live in Pennsylvania, but I still felt compelled to consider the social climate in ways I didn’t before.
That’s the thing about Scripture. The stuff we’re tempted to dismiss as not making sense – it really does.
Granted, back in Paul’s time, saying, “Jesus is Lord” mattered. Christians were persecuted and killed. But for most of my life, saying, “Jesus is Lord” got one labeled a boring Goody Two Shoes.
This morning as I read this passage, it makes more sense. Today, claiming that Jesus is Lord gets you labeled as being evil. People around the world are dying because they say “Jesus is Lord.” Attempts have been made in this country to marginalize and legally destroy people who say, “Jesus is Lord” and try to live in accordance with what Scripture says. Last winter when I was taking preliminary steps to move to another community in Florida, one of my considerations was the question of whether I would face harassment and discrimination in the community because of what I believe. It might be mild, as it is where I live in Pennsylvania, but I still felt compelled to consider the social climate in ways I didn’t before.
That’s the thing about Scripture. The stuff we’re tempted to dismiss as not making sense – it really does.
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