Coming to faith, part 2

It is worth noting that the faith of the heart and of the mouth must be in line with each other. Confession with the mouth expresses the faith of the heart, which must be directed to this: that Jesus is Lord, who has been raised from the dead. Elsewhere the same apostle shows that our faith is vain if we do not believe in Jesus’ resurrection.

And wonderful is this revelation, when Paul says that with the heart one believes unto righteousness — that is, one is declared innocent before God! In connection with this he says elsewhere, comparing us to Abraham: “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned unto him; but for our sake also, unto whom it shall be reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.”

Because of the first human’s transgression — the fall into sin in paradise — every person before God shares in the first human’s disobedience until their trespasses are forgiven them.

Forgiveness is received for oneself through faith that Jesus suffered on our behalf the punishment that belonged to us, and that his resurrection secures for us righteousness — innocence before God.

- Rom 4, 10 -