“…The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: IF YOU DECLARE [announce] WITH YOUR MOUTH, “Jesus is Lord,” and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Rom. 10:8-10) Jesus is close to us, for His word is close to us: close definitely: it is IN OUR MOUTHS, and IN OUR HEARTS; there is no difficulty in understanding, believing, and owning it. The work we have to do LIES WITHIN US: because the kingdom of God is within us! Therefore the key to our activating our faith is believing then proclaiming the living Word of God!
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!” (Rom. 10:13-15) We cannot call on someone we do not believe in. So, unless we believe that he is God, we or ‘they’ will not call upon him in prayer; why should we if we do not believe? The GRACE OF FAITH is absolutely necessary to the fulfilment of our prayers; we cannot pray effectively, or pray to acceptation, without it. He that comes to God by prayer must believe: “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him MUST BELIEVE THAT HE EXISTS and that HE REWARDS those who earnestly seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)
IT IS WITH OUR HEART THAT WE BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED, AND IT IS WITH OUR MOUTH THAT WE PROCLAIM OUR FAITH AND ARE SAVED!
-Bill Stockham