We know that Jesus is Lord; and we know that our heavenly Father raised Jesus from the dead. When the three points of the gospel message are preached to a person, Jesus works a miracle in their heart. He makes THESE TWO facts clear to them.

Rom 10:9 (NIV) That if you CONFESS with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and BELIEVE in your heart that God raised him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. These aren’t magic words that can be mouthed so as to bring about salvation. These have to be truths that are coming from the person’s heart. Only Jesus and the person expressing them know whether or not they are being sincere and are expressing the Truth. If they are, the Holy Spirit will establish the fact that they ARE SAVED AND JUSTIFIED. Rom 8:16 (NIV) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we ARE God’s children.

Three things must be clear; they must have faith in three areas; they must be able to believe three things in their heart; they must KNOW these things:

1. Know what they are saying (have understanding).
2. Know they are sincere in what they are saying (being honest).
3. Know that the Holy Spirit is confirming their salvation in their heart (experiencing confirmation).

These three facts must be obvious to the person who is coming to Jesus for salvation. We can’t make them happen; these three issues are between the person and their heavenly Father through the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a process that we can talk them into. This is the difference between human wisdom and the power of God. If we convince them, we are pushing their faith into the wisdom of men. If we pray for them and allow their relationship grow between them and their heavenly Father, then we are leading them into the power of God.

Jesus must reveal to a person that He is their Lord and that the Father has raised Him from the dead. This revelation CAUSES them to BELIEVE (know) that Jesus is their Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead. It becomes an established fact in their heart. Now they are ready to make a knowledgeable decision about two very important issues.

The first question is, are they willing to make Jesus the Lord of their life and confess this fact in front of the people around them boldly? The second question is, are they willing to believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? If the answer to these two issues is “yes,” they will receive proof of salvation and justification from the Holy Spirit into their spirit. The Holy Spirit will tell them that they are God’s child.

Rom 10:10 (NIV) For it is with your heart that you BELIEVE and ARE JUSTIFIED, and it is with your mouth that you CONFESS and ARE SAVED. Once Jesus reveals to us that He is Lord and that God has raised Him from the dead, it is up to us to obey these verses and get what He offers.

Belief that God raised Jesus from the dead can only come from the Father. We can’t cause that to happen. All we can do is present the gospel message and the Father will decide whether or not it will take effect. If He has already prepared their heart, the seed will start growing. If He hasn’t prepared their heart, Satan will come and take it away. If the seed does start growing and the person decides they don’t want the seed to continue to grow, they will reject it. If you want to look at Jesus’ parable on this situation, go to Matthew 13:3-23.

The next big issue is confession. A lot of times we just want to get the person to say these words. If WE can get them to say: “Jesus is Lord,” WE will feel like the job has been done. Then WE, rather than the Holy Spirit, give them a confirmation that they are saved. But, Jesus hasn’t given us that job; it is the job of the Holy Spirit. Confession that Jesus is Lord and that He is the person’s Lord must come from sincerity and Truth; this is a confession from Truth. We are saying that we believe He is Lord over all and that we have made Him our Lord. If that is true, then it is a confession of Truth.

Mark 8:38 (NIV) If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels. People who sincerely confess that they have made Jesus the Lord of their life have a job on their hands. They have to be willing to confess it before anyone who needs to know. Salvation through private confession won’t work. Confession before Christians won’t work. We have to be willing to tell the world we are a Christian.

Confession that brings about the Holy Spirit’s stamp of approval causes persecution. Persecution tests the reality of the person’s conversion. Mark 4:16-17 (NIV) Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. This isn’t salvation; this is just a person temporarily trying Christianity out to see what it is all about. Then, after the trouble or persecution comes, that person decides whether or not they are going to make Jesus the PERMANENT Lord of their life.

Rom 10:11 (NIV) As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” When the new Christian gets rejected and persecuted by some people, it is then that they decides whether or not they are going to put their total trust in Jesus. If they decide that the persecution is worth it, Jesus will see to it that they “will never be put to shame.” He will reward the fact that they have put their trust in Him rather than the approval of human beings.

Rom 10:12 (NIV) For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses ALL WHO CALL on Him. Now we have a new concept being introduced. We have looked at believing, confessing, trusting, and now calling.

The gospel message is like a seed that is planted in a garden. The person who tries Christianity out and then looks to or puts their trust in themselves for dealing with their troubles and persecutions, will have the salvation plant growing inside them withering and dying. The person who runs into trouble or persecution and calls on the Lord for help, they are the one who is ETERNALLY saved. They are the one who has TRULY made Jesus the Lord of their life. When a person calls on the Lord for help, they get richly blessed. Being richly blessed is the process whereby we receive power from Jesus to withstand troubles and persecutions.

Rom 10:13 (NIV) for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.” Calling on the Lord is a natural reaction from the person who truly believes that God raised Jesus from the dead. The person who has truly made Jesus the Lord of their life will CONSTANTLY call on Him for help. Calling on Him immediately becomes a natural way of life for the saved person (Christian). Those who have made Jesus their Lord will look to Him for every problem they run into. When that happens, they are blessed with the power to overcome the issues and go on with their relationship with Jesus.

Those who CONSTANTLY keep believing and confessing for the rest of their lives will trust and call. Those who keep trusting and calling WILL be eternally secure in their justification and salvation. John 14:13-14 (NIV) And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it. This is the CONSTANT relationship that is established with Jesus as our Lord.

John 15:5-7 (NIV) I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man REMAINS in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; APART from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not REMAIN in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you REMAIN in Me and My words REMAIN in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Remaining in Jesus and Him in us means we bring anything and everything we need to Him, Who is our source. When that happens, our body’s desires, the world’s enticements, and the devil’s temptations become rejected in our mind. Our body, the world, and the devil are alternate sources. Our mind will no longer want to look to them for our supply. We will love and want the things of God and we will hate the provisions, pleasures, and supplies of the body, the world, and the devil. This keeps bad things that are trying to come into our life from being able to get in.