Romans 10:9-13 (KJV)

9. That 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.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There are some things that I want to see repeatedly. There are other things that I want to hear over and over again. The good things in life bear repeating. There is, however, another reason why something needs to be repeated over and over again. The more important the truth conveyed, the more necessary it is to convey that truth repeatedly. In our text Paul conveys both good news and important truth -- a message worth repeating.

If I were to ask "How is a person saved?", how would you respond? Most non- church going people would say, "Saved from what?" Therefore we must ask the question, "How is a person saved from God's wrath?" Again, most non-church going people would have no concept of the anger of God (Romans 2:8,9). Most church going people would say, "By asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior." Most church going kids would say, "By asking Jesus into your heart." These are good answers per se, but insufficient answers in that they don't contain the good news or even the important news necessary for salvation.

So Paul gives us the answer to the question, "How is a person saved from God's wrath?"

1. Let's look first of all at what it means to believe on Christ in the heart.
   It is not a belief that Christ existed or even that He is God. It is a very specific belief: You are to "believe in thine heart that God hath raised Christ from the dead." Why?
   1. The resurrection of Christ involves the whole story of Christ.
      You learn of His miraculous entrance into this world, His sinless life, His death as a substitute for sinners. The person and work of Christ are central to the gospel.
   2. When you believe on Christ you are the recipient of perfect righteousness.
      Christ receives your sin, you receive His righteousness. This is perfectly stated: "For He (God) hath made Him (Christ) who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ" (II Corinthians 5:21). This is why Paul says "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (v.10). This righteousness is called the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:13; 3:22; Philippians 3:9).
2. Let's look second of all at what it means to confess Christ with the mouth.
   Where does this confession of Christ take place? It is a verbal acknowledgment that Christ is your Savior. The official confession is one's public baptism in the church. This confession is simply saying to others what you believe to be true -- Christ saves.
   1. People were saved in the Old Testament in the same way (v.11; cf: Isaiah 28:16)
      It is always faith in the work of God ("The Lord is rich to all who call on Him").
   2. People from all nations and walks of life may call on Him (vs. 12-13).
      Jesus Christ is not a Savior of white Anglo-Saxons; He's the Savior of the world.