Reading Plan:
Romans 10:9-13

Our Thoughts:
I remember years ago spending some time in South Africa working with a local missionary. Each day, as we visited different parts of the city we were in, he would give us the background and information on the people we would most likely interact with that day. On one particular day as we prepared to go into the city, he told us, “Today will be the most difficult day to understand where people’s hearts really are. They know just enough about Jesus to be a danger to themselves.” What he meant was that this group of people had plenty of opportunities to hear the message and story of Jesus Christ. They knew enough about Jesus and Christianity to say the right things and answer the right questions. If all we had were words, then these people would certainly pass the test.

The truth behind their words, however, was that their knowledge of Jesus had intertwined with a very deep-rooted form of ancestor worship. This intertwining created a hybrid form of religion that included Christian vocabulary but was far from following the Jesus of the Bible. Maybe you have heard the adage, “they know about Jesus, but they do not know Jesus.”

Strangely enough, living in South Mississippi isn’t all that different from that experience in South Africa. Even in the heart of the Bible Belt, “confessing Christians” are easy to be found. Look around and it likely won’t take you long to find plenty of people that know the lingo but don’t know the Savior. Growing up with Grandmother in church, getting dropped off at countless Vacation Bible Schools, and attending private Christian schools have given people all the necessary information to talk the talk without walking the walk. This is not a phenomenon unique to a geographic area, culture, or even time period.

The Apostle Paul was abundantly clear in his letter to Christians living in Rome that the words of a person only matter as much as they match the heart. “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.” Romans 10:9. That “and” might be one of the most important articles in all of scripture. You’ve said it, but do you believe it? You prayed, but did you mean what you said?

At the end of the day, what you say matters but what you believe matters even more. That is why creeds like the Apostles Creed have been written. It gives a definitive statement of what it means to believe in Jesus.

More Questions:
Do your beliefs and words match? Have you ever caught yourself saying things you didn’t believe in order to sound good?
How do you determine if someone’s beliefs match their words when they are talking to you?

Prayer:
Lord, search my heart and show me where my beliefs don’t match my words. I believe in you and your goodness. I believe in your son and your salvation. Help me to live out those beliefs in my words and my actions.

Author: Kyle Warren