As you are very well aware, there are many so-called christian churches which are preaching and teaching the another gospel. Having said this my question is concerning salvation.
Many of these preachers/teachers use the verses on salvation to show/ prove that in order to be saved, one must [1] confess to The Lord Jesus, and/or [2] call upon/pray to The Lord, and/or [3] ask through prayer for forgiveness, etc. There are even some Pauline preachers and teachers who claim to rightly divide and yet they too use Romans Chapter 10—claiming that since it is from Paul's epistles that you must "pray, ask" for salvation. Therefore, my question is…
Many of these preachers/teachers use the verses on salvation to show/ prove that in order to be saved, one must [1] confess to The Lord Jesus, and/or [2] call upon/pray to The Lord, and/or [3] ask through prayer for forgiveness, etc. There are even some Pauline preachers and teachers who claim to rightly divide and yet they too use Romans Chapter 10—claiming that since it is from Paul's epistles that you must "pray, ask" for salvation. Therefore, my question is…
How can I better explain from the Book of Romans that you don’t have to “confess, pray, call upon, and ask” the Lord for salvation?
I agree with you that using those passages in Romans chapters 10 are not to be used to share the gospel of Grace today!
Our Apostle Paul already explained what a person must do to be saved, and that is to believe on the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 3:22-26
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 4:5; 5:1
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
So as you can see, our Apostle makes it crystal clear in the book of Romans [in chapters 3, 4 and 5], way before we get to chapter 10, what it takes to be saved, and that no works are involved!
So the question comes up, then why did he write what he wrote?
Romans 10:9-10
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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The purpose of Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11 is to deal with what happened to Israel! Romans 9 deals with Israel's past as God's people. Romans 10 deals with Israel's present state of being in a fallen position in the eyes of God. And Romans chapter of 11 deals with the future day when God will deal with them as His people again!
So in chapter 10, Paul, as he explains why Israel has fallen, and also how individual Jewish people have a chance to be saved, will deal with objections of the Jews who won't accept their fallen position. Therefore our Apostle uses Jewish terminology and a lot of Old Testament scripture to explain how the Lord Jesus Christ is the end of and the fulfillment of that Jewish Program!
Romans 10:9-10
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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
The "thou" has to do with a Jew. The Jews of Paul's day had a custom of speaking what they believed!
2 Corinthians 4:13
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written [in Psalm 116:10], I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
Psalm 116:10
I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:
Paul did it also in Acts 9 when he himself was saved on the road to Damascus.
Acts 9:5-6
And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do
So the Jewish people of Paul's day, if they believed on Jesus, they would confess His name, and God would save them!
That is not necessary for us gentiles today, especially because that was a Jewish custom!
So there is no need to go to those passages to share the gospel, when there are many other plain passages from our Apostle of how to share Christ, and also because those passages in Romans 10 pertain to the Jews!
Hopefully this helps...Maranatha!
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