Paul continued to define the meaning of "in your mouth" and "in your heart" in verse 9 by saying, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Dear friends, where is your mouth? Each one of us has brought our mouth to this place. None has left his at home. Where our body is, there our mouth is also. At the moment we believed in the Lord Jesus, we spontaneously confessed Him with our mouth. The first words out of Paul's mouth when the Lord confronted him on the road were, "Who are You, Lord?" He had not believed in the Lord before. But at that juncture he did believe. Our confession of Jesus as Lord is made spontaneously from our heart rather than before people. It amazes me to think that some illiterate country folk who have never been exposed to the gospel before can say, "O Lord," upon hearing the good news. This cannot be a work. It is a spontaneous utterance. For one to believe in his heart is not a matter of work. There is no need to take any steps or to spend any money. One only needs to say "O Lord" right where he is, and he will be saved. He can say it audibly or inaudibly. As long as he believes that God has brought Him down from the heavens and has brought Him up from Hades, everything will be worked out. This will prove that he is justified and saved. Our confession can never carry the element of merit. Confession is not a way to salvation; it is merely an expression of salvation. It is a very spontaneous thing. If we call Him Lord with our mouth and believe in Him in our heart, we shall be saved. There is no problem at all.

Verse 10 follows and explains verse 9. Why is one saved when he confesses with his mouth Jesus as Lord and believes in his heart that God has raised Him from the dead? "For with the heart there is believing unto righteousness, and with the mouth there is confession unto salvation." I was always perplexed as to how this matter could be put into people's hearts. I met two people today who consider this word of salvation too far from them. To them, this word is farther than the provinces of Yunnang and Tibet; it is farther than a foreign country. It is simply a word from the heavens. It seems that the word of salvation is so far away that it eludes them. Nevertheless, God says that the way of salvation is not in heaven nor beneath the earth. It is very near, in our mouth and even in our heart. If we had to ascend into the heavens or descend under the earth, we would wonder how anyone could be saved. Today the word is in your mouth and in your heart. As long as a person opens his mouth and believes in his heart, he shall be saved. God has made this salvation so utterly available and convenient that if a person would believe in his heart and confess with his mouth, he shall be saved. Justification here is more a matter before God than before man. When men see you confessing, they will realize that you are saved. When God sees you believing, He justifies you. Verse 11 says, "Everyone who believes on Him shall not be put to shame." Faith alone is enough.