Is ROMANS 10:9 all there is to it?

GOD doesn't give us all He requires of us in single scriptures. He harmonizes many scriptures for a given requirement of His holy commands.

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Are You a Christian and what did You Do to be one?

 

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First of all, a word about the so called sinners prayer you may have heard of.

The Sinner’s Prayer is a Christian name for any prayer of repentance, prayed by individuals who believe convicted of the presence of sin in their lives and have the desire to establish a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10 is often cited as Gods will and authorization for the use of a sinners prayer to be saved. It says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” This is not the case because it short circuits Gods will for us to be obedient to his instructions I will mention shortly.

The basic version of the prayer goes like this: “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I believe You died for my sins so I could be forgiven. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for coming into my life. Amen.”

This mode is not the way one becomes a Christian. Nowhere in the Bible does Gods word teach a simple prayer and mentally receiving Jesus in ones heart to be saved and have the gift of salvation. In fact this unbiblical practice bypasses obedience to Gods will in a gross way and will make it very difficult to renounce and correct because one will have disobeyed the gospel (2 Thes 1:8-10). The sinners prayer in any form is probably the number #1 reason millions will end up somewhere else other than heaven on the day of judgment by Jesus Christ. We emplore you not to do it!

Now, Gods word teaches that we need to test the spirits, and that responsibility falls on our personal spiritual inventory as well.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.”

1 John 4:1-3

If asked, how do you explain you are a Christian? It’s kind of egotistical to talk about ones self and I understand the person asking may be a Christian desiring to test your spirit. This is perfectly biblical and there should be no angst on the questioner’s part if he or she is asked the same question in this conversation. 

Here is the biblical response to the questioner with scripture references God has left both parties to learn from.

First, we must inform them we have within our heart, mind and spirit that Jesus Christ came to earth by the Holy Spirit from his heavenly home in the flesh. That He was God in the flesh here 2,000 years ago. Then tell them you believed and obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Bible. Then we need to inform them we had to be obedient to the gospel by faith making our salvation actual by the following biblical teachings.

Tell them you read and heard the word from teaching or preaching. Romans 10:17

You believed the word of God the Bible. Ephesians 1:13. And the gospel of Jesus Christ which is, “Christ died for my sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day defeating death according to the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Then you repented or turned away from your sinful life walking towards God now. Acts 3:19, 2 Corinthians 7:10-11, 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 2:5-6

Then tell them you verbally confessed Jesus as Lord, King and your Savior in front of witnesses acknowledging he was God in the flesh on earth. And that he is the only way to God the Father now. John 14:6, Acts 8:36,37, Romans 10:10, John 8:56-59, Heb 1:8-12, 1 John 4:1-2

Then you by obedient faith in the working of God was baptized in water by another for the remission of your past sins in the name of Jesus Christ as commanded by Jesus, apostle Peter and the Holy Spirit who inspired the written word. Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:11-12.

Finally you began walking in newness of life everyday a new creation exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit in your life the best you can as a new citizen in the kingdom of God, the church. All the while Loving God with all your heart, all your strength and with all your mind, and loving your neighbors as yourself, even those who persecute you for your faith. Matt 22:37-40, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and  difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14