1. Romans 10:9-10 is twisted to preach FALSE SALVATION using ‘Confess Lord Jesus’
What does it mean to confess ‘Lord Jesus’ for salvation? In Romans 10:9-10 Apostle Paul writes, "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...with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Deceiving pastors teach that ‘confess Lord Jesus’ in this verse means you gain eternal salvation of your soul by simply opening your mouth and declaring the words ‘Jesus is Lord.’ The Bible is true, Apostle Paul’s teachings are true, and Romans 10:9 is true. However, servants of Satan twist this verse to scam churchgoers with a false salvation that does not require obeying Jesus. Like most scams, this deception promises something of great value with little to no work. Although pastors preach an instant salvation with heaven guaranteed by simply saying the words ‘Lord Jesus,’ Jesus himself said such lip service without obeying God will take no one to heaven. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Jesus taught that calling him ‘Lord’ will not take us to heaven if we do not obey the will of God.
2. CONFESSION must be TRUE, otherwise it is NOT confession
So, what does it mean to confess Lord Jesus for salvation according to the Bible? Let’s start with what it means to confess. A confession is a statement admitting the truth. If you say you confess to something and it is not true, it is not a confession, it is simply a lie; and the father of lies is the Devil. In John 8:44 Jesus told religious leaders, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He…abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." Jesus says the Devil has no truth in him and is the father of lies. Jesus also says those who speak lies are therefore children of the devil. In this specific passage, Jesus was accusing the Pharisees of being liars and children of the Devil because they had just claimed "we have one Father, even God" (John 8:41). Pastors and Bible scholars today are no different than the Pharisees and scribes from Jesus’s time, they make high sounding statements of being ‘children of God,’ ‘servants of God,’ ‘disciples of Jesus’ and so on, but the words they speak are not confessions, they are shameless lies.
It takes no effort to claim a relationship with God with your mouth, but God is not a fool who is flattered by lip service. Titus 1:16 says, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." This verse describes people who with their mouth say they know God, but by their life they deny God as they continue to do sinful, evil works that God hates. Their life of filthy, unjust deeds proves they have nothing to do with God. So, although they profess to know God, this is not a confession, because what they claim is a lie. People who truly know God will do righteous, holy works according to His commandments. 1 John 2:3-4 says "And hereby we do know that we know him [God], if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Scripture says those who truly know God keep His commandments, while those who claim to know God but disobey Him are cheap liars. A statement that is not true is not a confession, it is simply a lie. So, when Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:10 "...with the mouth confession is made unto salvation," the confession that will save must be the truth.
3. If He is LORD, then you are His SERVANT submitting to OBEYING Him
So, what does it mean to truly confess Lord Jesus? The confession required for salvation is very short, it is only two words— ‘Lord Jesus.’ Please notice this confession for salvation is confessing Jesus as ‘Lord’; it is not declaring Jesus as ‘Friend,’ or ‘Lover of your soul’, or ‘Lamb of God,’ or even ‘God the Creator.’ The confession that leads to salvation is ‘Lord Jesus." Lord means ruler, or master, or owner. If someone is your Lord, then you are their servant. And, in this relationship, the servant does not tell the lord what to do, the lord tells the servant what to do. If you confess Jesus as Lord, then you are submitting to obey His every command. Although churchgoers call Jesus as ‘Lord’ in songs and prayers, in practice they behave as if they are the master and Jesus is their servant. They say it is impossible to obey His commandments, and yet they give Jesus daily requests and orders under the pretense making prayers of faith. After giving Jesus a list of all the things they would like Him to do, they say phrases like ‘do it lord jesus,’ or ‘we know you will do it lord jesus,’ or ‘we know you have already done it lord jesus.’ Their supposed faith in Jesus is treating Him as their obedient dog—this is not submitting to Jesus as ruler, master, owner, or lord.
For most Christians calling Jesus as Lord is nothing more than empty words. In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Jesus is clear that truly confessing him as Lord is to do what He says. However, most pastors are hypocrites who put on a show of godliness while teaching churchgoers to obey them, rather than obey Jesus. In Matthew 15:7-9 Jesus says, "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." They used nice sounding words to pretend to have a close relationship with God, but their sinning hearts were far from Him. Instead of teaching the commandments of God, religious leaders taught their own commandments of men. Today also, instead of teaching obedience to the doctrine of Christ, pastors teach you to follow ceremonies and traditions of attending prayer meetings, singing songs, and giving tithe all the while praising Jesus with your lips. But Jesus never preached service attendance, emotional singing, or giving tithe as requirements for heaven. Why call Him ‘Lord’ and not do what He said? If we confess Lord Jesus, we must diligently obey what Jesus taught, and not blindly follow the instructions of deceivers.
4. Lord Jesus COMMANDS his followers to live RIGHTEOUS and HOLY
So, what does Lord Jesus tell us to do to get heaven? In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." There are 3 key points in these verses. First, Jesus says calling him ‘Lord’ without doing the will of God takes no one to heaven. Second, the will of God is not to profess Jesus as ‘Lord’ while claiming you did wonders in his name such as prophesying or casting out devils—miracles are works done by God and will not take you to heaven. Third, people who claim Jesus as Lord but do works of iniquity are in danger of Hell. Jesus said he will say ‘I never knew you’ to such religious hypocrites, meaning He has nothing to do with them. With these 3 points together, we can see the will of God is submitting to obey the commandments of Lord Jesus including not doing iniquity.
So, what are examples of works of iniquity Lord Jesus tells us not to do? 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 says, "…we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God…For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such…For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." These verses urge the spiritual church to avoid two types of iniquity so that we may obey the will of God and walk according to the commandments of Lord Jesus. First is sexual sins. God has blessed sex within the limits of the marriage bed between a man and a woman. Fornication is engaging in sexual acts outside of marriage to satisfy sexual desire. Concupiscence is very strong, intense sexual lust. Engaging in these sorts of out of bound sexual cravings is iniquity; believers must avoid it to keep themselves clean and honorable for God. Second is sins of defrauding your brethren. Do not cheat or deal dishonestly to take advantage of your own people in any matter whether at work or home. The will of God Jesus taught is to be clean of all sin, including iniquities of cruelly wronging our own people. God calls believers to obey Him with pure, holy hearts. Although religious Christians may consider it holiness to do scheduled early morning prayer, or dress in all white, or participate in church activities, please notice that is not God’s standard for holiness. Holiness is defined by the commandments of Lord Jesus, not the commandments of men.
5. Confessing ‘Lord Jesus’ is NOT instant salvation; it leads to salvation by obeying Jesus
Do not be deceived to think you are saved by saying ‘Lord Jesus’ with your mouth while continuing in sin. You may convince your friends, family, and church community that you are set for heaven, but God is not fooled by empty words. In Matthew 7:26-27 Jesus says, "And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Lord Jesus considers those who do not obey His commandments to be fools headed for eternal destruction. Do not be the fool who declares ‘Jesus is Lord’ in your prayers, songs, and conversation, yet does not do what He says to do. Even if you are deceived to think you are saved with instant lip service, Lord Jesus Christ is not fooled. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, "The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Lord Jesus Christ knows who his people are, and He will not accept lying hypocrites into heaven. His people reverence His very name by obeying God’s call to be holy and depart iniquity.
Truly confessing ‘Lord Jesus’ for salvation is obeying Jesus’s commandments to live a righteous, holy life. Philippians 2:11-12 says, "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Please notice that Apostle Paul does not encourage believers who declared ‘Jesus is Lord’ to be confident and assured they were instantly saved. Instead, he tells them to continue obeying as they already have been obeying so they may work out their own salvation. So also, do not fall for the scam of instant salvation assured by words, instead obey Lord Jesus to work out your true salvation with reverential fear and trembling.