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For the other video blogs in this series and the outline, click here: Answers to So-called Arminian Verses
For a paperback book in outline form which addresses over 150 difficult verses that Arminians use against Sovereign Grace, check out: Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace: Rooting Arminianism Out of Every Verse.
Answers to So-called Arminian Verses
3. Rom 10:9-10, 13 - "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. 10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
A. These verses are commonly used by Arminians who attempt to use them to prove that one must only believe the gospel to get eternal life; but there are major problems with that teaching.
i. First of all, the verse say nothing about eternal life or eternal salvation.
a. It is not a proof text, but rather a reference text, as it only refers to being "saved", but doesn't define what the person is saved from.
b. It therefore needs to be compared with other verses to define what type of salvation is under consideration.
ii. Secondly, the verses give TWO conditions which have to be met for a man to be saved, not only one (belief) as is commonly taught.
a. The verses state that confessing the Lord Jesus with one's mouth AND believing in one's heart that God raised Him from the dead are BOTH conditions which one must fulfill to be saved.
b. The Arminian will respond that belief and confession are the same thing.
c. Not true; confession and belief are most certainly NOT the same thing.
d. Joh 12:42 - Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
iii. Thirdly, belief and confession are both something one does, which is work by definition.
a. Belief is something one does (Act 16:30-31; Mat 23:23), and therefore it is a work (Joh 6:28-29).
b. Work n. - I. 1. Something that is or was done; what a person does or did; an act, deed, proceeding, business
c. Confess v. - 1. trans. To declare or disclose (something which one has kept or allowed to remain secret as being prejudicial or inconvenient to oneself); to acknowledge, own, or admit (a crime, charge, fault, weakness, or the like).
d. Confessing is doing something, which means it's a work.
e. Therefore, Rom 10:9-10 cannot refer to eternal salvation because eternal salvation is not of works (2Ti 1:9; Tit 3:5).
iv. Fourthly, if one shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God (1Jo 4:15).
a. 1Jo 4:15 - Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
b. Shall confess is future tense.
c. Dwelleth is present tense.
d. Therefore, God dwelling in a man, and he dwelling in God, precedes him confessing that Jesus is the Son of God.
e. Therefore, Rom 10:9-10 cannot refer to eternal salvation because eternal salvation precedes confessing the Lord Jesus.
v. Fifthly, eternal life precedes belief in Jesus (Joh 5:24).
vi. Therefore, if the salvation under consideration is not eternal, it must then be temporal salvation.
B. Since the salvation under consideration is temporal salvation, what then are those who confess and believe in the Lord Jesus saved from?
i. Remember the context.
ii. Paul is writing about regenerate, unbelieving Jews who are ignorant of God's righteousness and are trying to establish their own righteousness by keeping the works of the law (Rom 10:1-3).
a. Rom 10:1 - Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
b. Rom 10:2 - For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
c. Rom 10:3 - For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
iii. It is impossible to attain unto righteousness by keeping the law (Gal 2:16; Gal 3:10).
iv. Righteousness only comes by Christ keeping the law and becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13).
v. These Jews needed to believe and confess that Christ died for their sins and that God raised Him from the dead, which proves that their sins were put away (Rom 4:25).
vi. If they would do that, Jesus would be the end of the law for righteousness to them.
a. Rom 10:4 - For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
vii. They would be saved from their ignorance of God's righteousness and from trying to establish their own righteousness.
viii. Those who believe that Christ did it all for them cease from their own works and enter into rest (Heb 4:10).
C. They would believe unto righteousness, and their confession would be made unto salvation (Rom 10:10).
i. Unto prep. - 1. Expressing or denoting motion directed towards and reaching (a place, point, or goal);
ii. Instead of establishing their own righteousness, they would be believing and confessing towards Christ and His righteousness and His salvation.
D. This promise of being saved from ignorance of God's righteousness and from trying to establish their own righteousness was not just to the Jews, but to all who call upon Him, whether they be Jews or Gentiles (Rom 10:12).
E. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom 10:13)
