I saw one answer on your website about this very thing<\/a>.)\u00a0 And I know that in some Bible translations, the Eunuch said to Philip in Acts 8, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” which of course is not exactly “Jesus is Lord.”\u00a0 It was simply a confession of faith in Christ, which Philip accepted.<\/p>\nSince my baptism, I have been secure in the knowledge of my salvation most of the time.\u00a0 But it can be hard when some bible translations literally word Romans 10:9 like “Confess ‘Jesus is Lord’,” or “Confess Jesus\u00a0as<\/em>\u00a0Lord.”\u00a0 And when I hear preachers or Church of Christ websites use that exact same wording, doubts begin to creep in so I have to remind myself or look up the doctrine of confession all over again.\u00a0 But other sermons will say “Confess Christ as the Son of God…,” which fits my situation and relieves doubt.\u00a0 But doubts about whether I said the right words or gave the right confession remain.\u00a0 Confusion sets in – confusion as to what words in a confession are acceptable.<\/p>\nSometimes the temptation is there to re-confess and be re-baptized all over again to be secure.\u00a0 Every once in a while, I have often struggled with “form” and what some would call “legalism.”\u00a0 I am quite an analytical person that can put too much thought into things.\u00a0 And when it comes to Christianity, I can get “stuck” on certain topics that seem to “require precision.”\u00a0 So every once in a while, I find myself doubting my salvation because I did not “Confess Christ in the right way,” “say the exact words,” or “I missed something.”\u00a0 I know that is veering close to sacramentalism and having faith in my “good confession” and “performance,” rather than accepting salvation through faith and trusting in Christ.<\/p>\n
I apologize for the extensive background, and you probably receive emails such as this a lot.\u00a0 But this is not the first time I have had doubts about this particular verse.\u00a0 I have had doubts about my baptism before, and have overcome them with time, the Lord’s help, and a deeper understanding of grace.\u00a0 But it is frustrating when I am growing in my faith then a doubt hits me, suggesting that I have not truly put on Christ because some check-mark was not properly ticked.<\/p>\n
Thank you for your time and your website.\u00a0 May God bless you in your ministry and in your life.<\/p>\n\t
Answer:<\/h2>\n“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<\/em>” (Romans 10:9-10).<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe problem doesn’t appear to be in your knowledge of what the Scriptures say. You adequately proved that there isn’t a set formula for a confession. See Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 and the eunuch’s confession in Acts 8:37.<\/p>\n
In fact, when the Bible is talking about confessing Jesus Christ, it is\u00a0not<\/strong> talking about a one-time event that is done immediately before baptism. It is just like hearing, faith, and repentance. We ask people prior to baptism if they believe that Jesus is the Son of God to ensure that a person is willing to confess their belief. But this one confession isn’t the only one a believer will be called upon to make. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven<\/em>” (Matthew 10:32-33). Thus we are not talking about a ritual with a prescribed set of words to be said. We are talking about a way of life.<\/p>\nYou are looking for rituals instead of understanding the type of life Christ demands of you. Confession is about not hiding the fact that you are a Christian. It is admitting to people that you do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is your Lord and Savior.<\/p>\n
If you want to know your standing with God, look at your life. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked<\/em>” (I John 2:3-6).<\/p>\n\tResponse:<\/h2>\n
Hello Jeffrey,<\/p>\n
Thanks for your message. Like I said in my first email, sometimes I have found myself getting stuck on worries about “ritual” and “form,” which in fact hinders the growth that is described in Hebrews. And while I knew that acknowledging Christ was necessary at every stage in a Christian’s life, I had always tied this passage to the pre-baptism confession and not in the context of an ongoing process.<\/p>\n
Thanks again.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Hello there, Thank you for the articles and answers on your website.\u00a0 I believe they stand on good biblical ground and are a blessing to Christians and the world. I have a question about Romans 10:9.\u00a0 Many years ago, I was immersed in water for the remission of my sins.\u00a0 Before this baptism, I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[52,248,51],"class_list":["post-44070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-baptism","tag-baptized-again","tag-confession"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-saying-yes-enough-to-confess-christ-before-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":0},"title":"Is saying “yes” enough to confess Christ before baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I enjoy reading your articles on your web site. I find your answers to questions biblically sound and with justification. I'm having trouble with confession, perhaps you can expound on it for me. Is simply answering \"yes\" when one is asked to confess Christ (before baptism) enough? Should the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23716,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-proper-thing-to-say-as-you-are-baptizing-someone\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":1},"title":"What is the proper thing to say as you are baptizing someone?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 31, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi Jeff, I read an article that asks what does someone says before they baptize someone else. It almost answered my question but not completely. I have always been taught that it is not a proper baptism unless the proper things were said. After taking their confession and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-must-i-confess-before-i-am-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":2},"title":"What must I confess before I am baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Let me start off by thanking you for all that you do in the name of Jesus Christ. A few weeks ago I had prayed to God asking for guidance in finding the true church of which I can become a part so that I may further my understanding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8397,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/was-my-husband-saved-at-his-first-or-second-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":3},"title":"Was my husband saved at his first or second baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My husband had been baptized at around 13 years old.\u00a0 He said he thought he got baptized because he knew his mom wanted him too. I am sure he knew some of what was right and wrong but was not privy to a lot of Bible teaching. (He was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13329,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-true-faith-mean-the-command-to-be-baptized-does-not-save-a-person\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":4},"title":"Does true faith mean the command to be baptized does not save a person?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I guess I would not mind seeing the other side of my argument.\u00a0 It is simply this: true faith saves you.\u00a0 I could go in-depth of what I mean if you would like me to, but I guess I just want to hit on the issue.\u00a0 I believe that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47946,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-should-be-said-to-make-the-good-confession\/","url_meta":{"origin":44070,"position":5},"title":"What should be said to make the good confession?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Before I was baptized, I confessed that I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I still do. If you look at I Timothy 6:12-13, Paul says Timothy made the\u00a0good confession in the presence of many witnesses and then says that Jesus made the\u00a0good confession in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44070\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}