Belief and Behavior

5.29.2010

Romans 10:9 9 "...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." ESV

I am not saved because of what I do; that’s a hard pill for a lot of humans to swallow because as humans we’re so caught up in our performance and/or production. We think that what we do is what gives us right standing with God, or gods, or people because we feel what we do is visible, tangible and for the most part measurable and therefore important. The question to answer however is: Why do we do what we do?

God always considers belief and behavior – but He never intends for behavior to be the qualifier for belief; He always intends for belief to be the qualifier for behavior; it’s what you believe that causes you to do what you do.

That’s why Paul made the assertion: "...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Belief in God is based on love and trust for God and from that belief springs behavior that matches belief – for God so loved the world… and God is love… and he who believes will walk as He (Jesus) walked – in faithful, loving, obedient relationship with God and in loving deeply and compassionately His fellow man.

So only if I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, can I love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength and my neighbor as myself. Belief and behavior come from loving God and believing that my righteousness is from Him and not me.

Father in Heaven,

You called me to believe and thereby behave and not the other way around. May I believe more deeply in the salvation that is mine through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and confess His Name in love to those around me that perhaps they may too believe and behave accordingly – in His Name, amen.