Being a Christian
By: Seth Gogo Egoeh

“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.

Of all that is written and said from Genesis to Revelation concerning salvation, the above text from Romans 10:9-10 is the summary of it. What it means is that for you to be called a Christian, you must abide by the above text.

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: Salvation is in Jesus only – let no one deceive you and say otherwise. You have to confess Jesus and believe within your heart that He is the only Man who can save you. Without confession of Jesus as your Personal Lord and Saviour, you’re not saved. To confess Jesus basically means that you are not afraid to say that He came to die and resurrected from the dead and is living at the right hand of God, (Col. 3:1, Heb. 10:12, 1 Pet. 3:22). It means that you are not afraid of the Gospel. It means that you are not ashamed of your faith in Him. It also means that wherever you find yourself, you’re not ashamed to speak of Jesus. If anyone ask you whether you’re a Christian or not, you’re eager to answer in the affirmative.

Confession of Jesus is not a one-time affair – it’s a continuous thing. That is to say that confessing Jesus at baptism and later denying Him means that you’re not saved. You confess Jesus during baptism and when the need arises to stand at the side of God, you confess Him again. You are not ashamed of Jesus, hence you are always ready to stand up for your faith in Him.

A person cannot call him/herself a Christian if he or she doesn’t believe in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Resurrection is the basis of our faith. In fact, if Jesus hadn’t died and resurrected, there would have been no salvation in his name. If you don’t believe in his resurrection, how will you believe in your own resurrection in the future? Because of His resurrection, we can also believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul therefore said, “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen”, (1 Cor. 15:13). Proclaiming the resurrection and declaring is part of the plan of salvation and it is especially very important in our time where people try to turn the truth of God into a lie (Rom. 1:25). Christians are begotten through the resurrection of Jesus. Peter therefore blessed God for our sake in his introductory letter and said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”, (1 Peter 1:3). Through that resurrection, we have a living hope. Because of his resurrection, we can look up to the future with a smile. Praise the Lord!

You cannot confess something that you do not believe in. In Romans 10:10, Paul explained to us that confession comes from the heart. What is in the heart is what is confessed. The Lord himself said of the heart: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh”, (Matthew 12:34). Believing in His resurrection also means that you believe in His virgin birth and all the prophecies concerning Him. With that belief comes imitation of Him, (1 Cor. 11:1). The goal is to be Christlike. This is what it means to be a Christian – believing in Jesus and all that the Bible said concerning Him and imitating Him. For we are assured that the Bible is Holy Spirit inspired, (2 Pet. 1:21). If you’re straying away from the faith by doubting the basis of our salvation: namely his Virgin Birth and Resurrection, may God through His grace restore you to your first love in Him.

If you haven’t received Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, this is now the time to do it. Accept Him now. Don’t postpone your salvation. Just say this prayer below:

Father Lord, I believe that I am a sinner. I believe that salvation comes ONLY through your Son. I therefore accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. And fill me now with your Holy Spirit. I surrender my life to you LORD! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!

If you have just said this prayer, please find a Bible believing church and join so that you can complete your Salvation by getting yourself baptized.