More than “head knowledge”

Romans 10:9–10 says:

“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.  For with the heart one believes and is justified,  and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

Many of us grew up thinking belief in God just meant agreeing with certain ideas:  
“Sure, Jesus is God.”  
“Sure, he rose from the dead.”

But Pastor Bob reminded us that biblical faith is more than mentally checking the right boxes. It’s not just "knowing about" Jesus; it’s "trusting" him with our lives.

The Bible’s language for this is “the heart.”  
Belief in Jesus means something actually shifts inside us. We begin to see our own patterns—lying, cheating, lust, selfishness, anger—and instead of just feeling guilty or shrugging them off, we start to *want* to change. We feel a pull to turn away from those things and turn back to God.

That turning is what the Bible calls "repentance". It’s not about pretending to be perfect. It’s about being honest about where we’re broken and letting God begin to re‑shape us from the inside out.

Justified: being made right with God

Romans 10:10 uses a big word: "justified". It simply means “made right with God.”

We can’t fix our relationship with God by trying harder or becoming “good people.” The message of Jesus is that God himself has done the work. Jesus’ death and resurrection deal with our sin, our rebellion, and the mess we can’t clean up on our own.

So when we believe—really believe, from the heart—God declares us “right” with him. Not because we’ve earned it, but because Jesus has.

That’s what Christians mean when they talk about "grace": God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves.

A new heart, a new Spirit

This isn’t a new idea that shows up only in the New Testament. In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises:

“I will give you a new heart,  and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh  and give you a heart of flesh.”

Faith in Jesus doesn’t just get us a “ticket to heaven someday.” It changes us *now*. God softens hardened hearts. He gives his Holy Spirit—the very presence of God—to live in us. That’s where real change comes from.

We don’t just “try harder.” We’re being gradually transformed.

Amazing Grace: one man’s story of change

To make this concrete, Pastor Bob told the story behind one of the most famous songs in history: “Amazing Grace.”

John Newton, who wrote the hymn, didn’t start life as a kind or gentle man. He was captain of a slave ship, responsible for carrying countless Africans across the ocean to lives of brutal slavery. Many died on the journey. He was part of the system that treated human lives as cargo.

And yet, later in life, Newton came to faith in Jesus. As he began to understand the horror of what he’d done, he was crushed by guilt and grief. But he also discovered that God’s grace was big enough—not to erase the past, but to forgive it, redeem it, and change him.

Newton repented, left the slave trade, became a pastor, and eventually used his voice to fight against the very system he once served. He later said:

“I am not the man I ought to be.  I am not the man I wish to be.  I am not the man I hope to be.  But by the grace of God,  I am not the man I used to be.”

That’s what grace does. It doesn’t pretend our past didn’t happen. It steps into the middle of our worst chapters and begins to write something new.

The riches of the gospel (that aren’t money or status)

When the Bible talks about “riches” that come from God, it isn’t talking about health, wealth, and fame. It’s talking about the deep, lasting things we actually crave:

- Forgiveness instead of shame that won’t let go  
- Purpose instead of drifting or living on autopilot  
- Inner change instead of endlessly repeating the same destructive patterns  
- God’s presence in our hardest seasons, not just our happiest ones  

And one of the biggest gifts God gives us is "each other".

You get “people” now

When someone becomes a Christian, it’s not just a “me and God” thing. God places us in a family—the church.

That doesn’t mean a perfect institution or flawless people. It means you now have:

- People who will show up in your worst moments  
- People who will celebrate with you in your best  
- People who will pray for you when you can’t find words  
- People who bring a meal, sit with you in grief, or simply listen

Following Jesus is not easy. There is real pushback in our culture—and outright persecution in many parts of the world. But being part of a spiritual family means you don’t walk this road alone.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”

Romans 10:13 gives a stunning promise:

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Everyone.

Not “everyone who has a clean record.”  
Not “everyone who grew up religious.”  
Not “everyone who has their life together.”

Everyone who calls.

God isn’t indifferent or far away. He wants our hearts. He wants to give new hope and new life. The real question is: "Have we called out to him?"

How does the message actually spread?

Romans 10:14–15 lays out a simple chain:

- God "sends" people.  
- Those people "speak" (they actually use words).  
- Others "hear".  
- Hearts are "changed".

God has decided to involve us in his work of reaching people. Every follower of Jesus is included in this—not just pastors and missionaries.

Jesus’ final words before returning to heaven, in Matthew 28:18–20, confirm this: go, make disciples, baptize, teach, and remember that he will be with us in it all.

The message is clear:  
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re sent.

Why we hesitate to speak up

Many of us struggle to talk about our faith. Why?

- We’re afraid of being rejected or labeled.  
- We don’t want to be associated with loud, angry, or unkind “religious” voices.  
- We feel unqualified or unsure of what to say.  
- We sense that faith is a “private matter” and worry others will think we’re pushy.

Pastor Bob shared how college students in a Bible study he led were nervous to be open about their faith because some of their professors mocked Christians, and because a man on campus screamed at people about hell with a big sign.

No wonder they felt stuck.

But here’s the thing: the answer to bad or harsh examples of “religion” is not silence. It’s **a different way—honest, humble, and loving. If we truly believe Jesus brings hope, forgiveness, and healing, the most loving thing we can do is make him known.

We earn the right to be heard by the way we live, love, and serve—but at some point, we do need to "speak".

Why some people don’t believe

Romans 10:16–17 says faith comes from hearing the message about Jesus. So why do some people still walk away?

At the deepest level, the Bible says we resist God because we want to run life our own way. We like being in charge. That’s what Scripture calls "sin" or "rebellion".

But even for people who do believe, faith is not a straight, upward line. It can feel fluid. Some seasons we’re strong and confident; other seasons we’re full of doubt, fear, or confusion.

So what do we do when we need more faith?

Growing faith: God’s Word and an honest prayer

Pastor Bob pointed us to two key ways faith grows:

1. Soaking in Scripture

In 2 Timothy 3:15–17, Paul tells a young leader named Timothy that the “sacred writings” (what we now call the Bible) make us wise for salvation and equip us for every good work.

In other words, Scripture shapes us. It reminds us of how God has worked in the past so we can trust him in the present. It confronts our lies and replaces them with truth. It strengthens our confidence that God really is who he says he is.

When we actually engage with the Bible—reading, thinking, asking questions, praying over it—faith grows.

2. Simply asking for more faith

There’s a powerful moment in Mark 9 that Pastor Bob walked us through. A father brings his tormented son to Jesus after every other attempt has failed. When Jesus tells him to believe, the father blurts out:

  “I believe; help my unbelief!”

That’s a paradox—and a deeply honest prayer.

He’s saying, “I do trust you, but not enough. Help me where I’m weak.”

Jesus doesn’t scold him for not having “perfect faith.” He responds to that imperfect, halting, honest cry—and heals the boy.

You can pray that same prayer today:

“God, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

When we don’t listen

Romans 10 ends with a sobering picture from Isaiah:

 “All day long I have held out my hands  to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Romans 10:21)

That’s a picture of God continually reaching, inviting, calling—while people stubbornly turn away.

This was originally spoken about Israel in the first century, many of whom rejected Jesus even as their long‑promised Messiah stood in front of them. But it also speaks to us.

Even after we become Christians, we can still resist God, still dig in our heels, still choose our own way. The question isn’t, “Have I been stubborn?” (We all have.) The question is, **Am I still resisting him today?**

So where does this leave us?

Pastor Bob closed by bringing it home with a few pointed questions:

- Where are you in your faith right now?  
- Are you sure about what you believe—or are you wrestling?  
- Do you need more faith for a hard season, a broken relationship, or deep doubts?  
- Are you asking God to meet you there?  
- If you’re a follower of Jesus, are you sharing this good news—or mostly keeping it to yourself?  

We are called **ambassadors**, according to 2 Corinthians 5:20–21. That means we represent Jesus in our world. God makes his appeal—his invitation to be reconciled—"through us".

God sends.  
We speak.  
People hear.  
Hearts are changed.

But none of that matters if we skip the most important step:

Have you believed this good news for yourself?

The heart of the message is this:

- Jesus is God.  
- He came to rescue us from our sin and the death that follows it.  
- On the cross, he took our place and our guilt.  
- He rose from the dead, defeating death itself.  
- When we trust him, his righteousness—his perfection—is counted as ours.

So when God looks at someone who belongs to Jesus, he doesn’t see a flawless person. He sees a forgiven person, covered by Christ.

Have you ever taken that step—confessing Jesus as Lord and trusting that he died and rose for "you"?

If not, you can begin right where you are:  
Be honest with God about your sin, your resistance, your confusion.  
Tell him you want his forgiveness.  
Tell him you want the new heart, the new life, the new start that only he can give.

And if you’re not ready, but you’re curious—keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Ask God for faith. He loves to answer that prayer.

Scriptures Referenced

- Romans 10:9–10  
- Romans 10:11–13  
- Romans 10:14–17  
- Romans 10:18–21  
- Ezekiel 36:26  
- Matthew 28:18–20  
- 1 Peter 3:15 (referenced)  
- 2 Timothy 3:15–17  
- Mark 9:22–24  
- 2 Corinthians 5:20–21