BELIEVING

“…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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Romans 10:9-10

There is more involved in believing in Christ to the saving of our souls than the head (the intellect) and the mouth (making a verbal confession). The heart is the dwelling place of belief or unbelief. The heart is the real person, whether he be a believer in Christ, or whether he be an unbeliever. The old man, the unregenerate person is an unbeliever by nature. The new man, the regenerate person, believes on Christ, bows to Him, worships Him, loves Him, trusts Him, looks to Him for all things. There is a vast difference in believing on Christ with the heart and believing some doctrinal truth in the head and confessing to agree with that which we have learned. God gives those to whom He reveals His Son a new heart - “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you” Eze 36:26. Believing on Christ is a work of the sovereign grace of Almighty God. It is impossible for this natural depraved, unbelieving heart, of it’s own will (which is in bondage to sin and self) to believe, love and rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. To persuade someone to say that they believe certain scriptures and repeat a prayer and call that being saved is the height of deception. To believe on Christ is to lovingly embrace Christ and His gospel by faith. The consequence or result of believing is a desire to obedience and commitment to Him. There cannot be the one without the other. The Lord Jesus Christ is the treasure of the heart of those who know Him by faith. He is the essence, life and object of true faith. The new heart looks to Him for righteousness and forgiveness of sin. The unbelieving heart looks to himself. Every believer believes with the new heart that seeks the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tommy