Salvation

Salvation is the simplest thing in the world. So naturally, we have made it very complicated.

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 (ESV)

That's it. That is all you have to do.

What about baptism, don't you need to be baptized? Nope. What about repenting of sin? Nope. What about--? Nope.

You only need to do two things. Confess and Believe. Let me show how that works.

Believe

We are going to start with belief since it is really the foundation of this whole process. It is worth noting that the order of "Confess and Believe" does not matter as far as salvation is concerned. However, as a practical exercise, belief is likely to come first.

What exactly are we supposed to believe? Well, Romans 10:9 says to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead, but this concept of belief also comes up in many other places in scripture.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. John 5:24 (ESV)

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life John 6:40 (ESV)

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, John 11:25 (ESV)

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Acts 16:30-31 (ESV)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 (ESV)

So believe God. Believe in Jesus. Believe God raised Jesus from the dead.

Using these verses, we can work backward and identify the presuppositions in Romans 10:9. Belief that God raised Jesus from the dead requires belief that a God exists, that Yahweh is that God, that Jesus is the Son of God, that Jesus died, that God is capable of raising someone from the dead, and that He did raise Jesus from the dead.

Any time scripture deals with salvific belief, it is saying all of this. For example, belief in Jesus is to believe He is who He says He is. And to believe that Jesus is God is to believe there is a God, and that Yahweh is that God, etc.

Confess

There are many people who believe there could be a God (agnostics). There are many who believe there is a God (deists). There are some who believe Yahweh is God (Religious Judaism). There may even be some to believe everything we went over in the last section. But that's not good enough. For salvation, one must also confess.

Confess what? Sin? Yes, but also no. To a degree, confession of sin is part of it, but not in the way that one might immediately assume. Romans 10:9 says to confess Jesus is Lord. In other words, ceding authority to Jesus.

To accept Lordship is to accept authority and judgment from the individual you declare to be Lord. This act is the direct opposite of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve chose to operate on their own authority, under their own lordship. Confessing Jesus as Lord is choosing to return to His authority.

Sin

What is sin, precisely? By definition, it is to miss the mark. If you have spent any time around the Church, you've probably heard the phrase, "sin separates us from God." And while true, I think this simplifies the concept to the point where it becomes misleading.

Sin separates us from God, sure. But it's not the action that separates us; it is the mindset. This is what Jesus was trying to get at in Matthew 5 when He correlates hate with murder¹ and lust with adultery². The act of sin is a symptom of a heart of sin. And it is this heart of sin that separates us from God. It is a continuation of the desire—first seen when Lucifer rebelled—to submit to our own authority, rather than God's.

Repentance is one of the most misunderstood parts of this whole process. I've hinted at it several times, but let me address it head-on. Repentance (a word that encompasses confessing and believing) does not mean feeling sorry or bad for what you've done. The Greek word metanoia, from which we translate repent, means to have a change of mind, heart, and direction.

This is why, as I have mentioned several times, confession/repentance of sin not factor into our salvation. To be blunt, we can not stop sinning. It's like we have a leaky pen. No matter how many clean shirts you put on, the pen will still stain them. Eventually, we will be given a new "pen", but that is not scheduled for this side of Heaven.

And sometimes we won't be sorry for our sins. Sin is, by nature, appealing and pleasurable. Else we would not do it. Just like the act of sin is a symptom of the Heart. The cessation of sinning is also a symptom. When we confess Jesus's Lordship over our lives, we are accepting His rules. And the more we align ourselves with Christ, the better we get at following His rules. And eventually, our hearts and minds will be changed enough that we will be sorry for our sins. But that is not a requirement for salvation.

Conclusion

All this raises the question of, "if all we have to do is confess and believe, and if sin doesn't really matter, then why do we need Jesus?" Simply put, we need Jesus to pay the price. That's why sin doesn't matter anymore. The price was paid. The impossible standard was met. And now all we have to do is believe and confess. Tied up in all of that is the acknowledgment that we are sinners, and the acceptance of Jesus's sacrifice and gift of salvation.

Belief in God is tied to action. But it's not the action that saves us, rather the belief. Hebrews 11 lists many of the Old Testament Heroes of the Bible and says that they were saved, not by their deeds, but by their faith. God said He would one day send someone to deliver humanity from sin, and they believed. They reoriented their lives to serve God and accept His authority. For some, this meant leaving their homes and families. For others, it meant suffering scorn and judgment. They were not perfect, but they believed. And once Jesus paid the price for their sins, they became forgiven and saved.

Below I have included over 100 verses that deal with Salvation and the requirements to be saved. I encourage you to take the time to read through them. They are not identical, but they are all some variation of believing and confessing. Without getting too deep into hermeneutics, remember that the Bible does not contradict itself. Any one of these verses should be able to give someone all the information they need to be saved. But you can also use the Bible to interpret itself. So when the author/speaker only says "believe" or "repent", we know this does not contradict "believe and confess". Because both of these still mean "Change your mind and heart to the point that you can accept Jesus as your Lord."

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Jesus was enough. There is nothing we need to do, or even can do, except accept His gift of Salvation. This requires us to believe that what He says is true and accept His authority, that is all.

All verses from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted

• Genesis 15:6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
• Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
• Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
• Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
• Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
• Luke 8:12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
• John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
• John 3:14-15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
• John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
• John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
• John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
• John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
• John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
• John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
• John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
• John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
• John 12:46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.
• John 16:27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
• John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
• Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
• Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
• Acts 8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
• Acts 8:35-38 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”³ 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
• Acts 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
• Acts 11:17-18 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
• Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
• Acts 13:39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
• Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
• Acts 15:7-9 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
• Acts 16:30-31 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
• Acts 18:8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
• Acts 22:16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
• Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
• Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
• Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
• Romans 3:22a the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
• Romans 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
• Romans 3:26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
• Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
• Romans 3:30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
• Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
• Romans 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
• Romans 4:9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness.
• Romans 4:11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,
• Romans 4:13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
• Romans 4:16-17 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
• Romans 4:18-25 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
• Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
• Romans 9:30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;
• Romans 9:32-33 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
• Romans 10:9 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 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
• Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
• Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
• Romans 10:14-17 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
• Romans 11:20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
• 1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach[a] to save those who believe.
• 1 Corinthians 15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
• 1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
• 2 Corinthians 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
• Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
• Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• Galatians 3:6-7 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
• Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”
• Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.
• Galatians 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[e] through faith.
• Galatians 3:22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
• Galatians 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
• Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
• Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
• Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
• Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
• Philippians 3:9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
• Colossians 1:4-5 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
• Colossians 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
• 1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
• 1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive,[a] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
• 2 Timothy 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
• Hebrews 3:18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
• Hebrews 4:2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.
• Hebrews 4:3a For we who have believed enter that rest
• Hebrews 10:38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
• Hebrews 10:39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
• Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
• Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
• Hebrews 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
• James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
• James 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
• 1 Peter 1:5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
• 1 Peter 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
• 1 Peter 1:18-21 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
• 1 Peter 2:7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
• 1 John 5:1a Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God
• 1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
• 1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
• 1 John 5:10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.
• 1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.