THERE is but one way, my dear friend, by which you — a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ — may know that you are saved. It is a very simple way, so simple that those who are seeking the peace of their souls sometimes wonder whether it can be right. Its very simplicity seems to stumble them.
But at the outset I would warn you that it is not by the state of your feelings you will know it, nor by your experiences either, be they unique or commonplace. Feelings you may have and experiences, too, but the sure and certain knowledge that you are saved can never rest on such uncertain grounds. Nothing is more fickle than feelings and nothing more changeable than experiences, and if you rely on these you only throw open the door for darkness, doubt and gloom to enter in. A house built on such a foundation is bound to totter and fall when the winds blow and the rain descends. It stands on shifting and treacherous sand.
If you would know for certain the forgiveness of your sins, your reconciliation to God, your acceptance with Him — for this, I presume, is what you mean by being saved— you must believe what is said on this great subject in the Word of God. You are not left to grope your way in the dark, nor told to plead in fervent, agonizing prayer for pardon and peace. You are not bidden to wait patiently and expectantly as if the assurance for which you crave might come like a flash of lightning, suddenly, you know not when. It may please God to give it thus in some cases, but no one is warranted to look for it in that way. “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? or, Who shall descend into the deep?” (Rom. 10:66But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) (Romans 10:6)). We are so apt to say something of the kind. Now the word of pardon, of peace and salvation is not to be sought for either in the heights above or in the depths death. It is much nearer to you than that, it is even in your mouth and in your heart. “The word of faith,” as Paul styles it, is close at hand. All that is needed is an attentive ear and willingness to believe the message sent. Nothing more. And if you ask, What is that “word of faith”? What is the message sent? It is found in the verses which I now proceed to quote. This is it: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 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” (Rom. 10:8, 98But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That 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. (Romans 10:8‑9)).
Let us examine these verses. Notice in the first place, the thrice repeated word SHALT. If thou shalt confess... and shalt believe... thou shalt be saved. Very emphatic is that third and last shalt. There is no uncertainty about it, no perhaps, no peradventure. It gives a loud and clear ring that should reach the deafest ear. Here then is something tangible, something you can lay hold of — “thou shalt be saved.”
Read them again and observe that they speak of three persons: God, the Lord Jesus, and yourself — just those three. Of the blessed God it is said that He raised up the Lord Jesus from the dead, and that is what you are to believe. Perhaps you quickly reply, “I know it and I do believe it.” And so do thousands more who have not the faintest idea of all that is involved in what they profess to believe. Have you yourself ever seriously inquired why the Lord Jesus was once numbered with the dead? What took Him into those depths? What takes sinful men there we know very well, but how come He to go down into Death’s dark, lone land? That He went not there for any sins of His own we need not be told, for He did no sin. Death is the wages of sin. Who earned those wages? We did. Death is due to the sinner, not only in the form in which it reigns over the bodies of men, sweeping them out of the ranks of the living into the gaping, yawning, unsatisfied mouth of the grave, but death also as the soul’s separation from God, the only Source of life and blessing. Those wages in their full weight Christ received when on the Cross. His loud cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” proclaimed the solemn fact. But GOD has raised Him from the dead. Here is the supreme, the all-convincing proof that the sins He bore by imputation have been put away. The great Sacrifice for sins has been offered once for all. The atoning work is done. And if the requirements of Divine Justice made it necessary that the Holy One should hide His face from the Sinless Sin-Bearer when on the Cross, the same God, has raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly glory.
“Oh, the sight in heaven is glorious!
Man in righteousness is there;
Once the Victim, now victorious,
Jesus lives in glory fair.
Him who met the claims of glory,
And the need of ruined man,
On the cross — oh, wondrous story!
God has set at His right hand.”
And if you in your heart believe that, what then has become of your sins? Once they were upon Jesus on the Cross, are they upon Him now in heaven? When making atonement for them He was forsaken, is He forsaken now? Such questions carry their own answer: “It is finished.” All is finished, and there remains nothing for you to do but to believe these glad tidings and enter into rest.
If I may be allowed to take you again to our verse in Romans 10 you will find a further thing there. It speaks of the confession of the mouth as well as the belief of the heart. With the mouth we confess Jesus as Lord. There should be no difficulty about that. We believe that God has made that same Jesus who was crucified and slain, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:3636Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36)). And with the mouth we confess it. He is Lord. His name is high over all. And in relation to ourselves we confess Him as our Lord, whom we are to honor and obey. Now if any one thus believes with his heart and confesses with his mouth, what follows? He is saved! This is the third shalt of our verse about which there is no ambiguity. It is as clear and shining as the day. Do you still say, But how shall I know this? You shall know it by the word of the Lord. By this word that we set before you now. By this verse in Romans 10. Listen again to the Apostle: “The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” As we write these lines we lift our eyes to God, praying that as you read them the Holy Spirit may show you their meaning and convince you of their truth.
It is thus that we know that we are saved. The Bible brings the tidings of it and the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see, and we believe the welcome news. We believe the blessed Book and we also believe the God of the Book. We believe the glad tidings of salvation; yes, indeed we do, but we believe the God who sends them. Our faith, our confidence, our trust is placed in God Himself. A surer resting-place none can have. There is none surer, there is none so sure.
Before I close let me tell you of something which a merry-faced, chatterbox little boy once said to me. I called one morning to see his parents and was shown into one of the reception-rooms of the house. While waiting there, the little fellow rushed in and eagerly asked me whether I knew how far the sun was from the earth. It was, I thought, a funny question for the dear child to ask of a stranger. Instead of answering him directly, I replied, “You tell me, my little man, how far it is.” He answered without a moment’s hesitation and with all the gravity of a judge, “Ninety-five millions of miles.” What did he know of the meaning of those tremendous figures? Nothing at all. “And how do you know that?” said I. “Mother told me so,” he answered, with looks of unbounded assurance. Why, if mother had told him that the mountains of the moon were made of cream cheese he would have believed it! Mother’s word for him placed any matter beyond all possible doubt. Let us imitate the artless faith of that little child. Let God’s Word place for us the question of our soul’s salvation bond doubt. He has said it — there is no room for uncertainty. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word shall endure to everlasting days. And there we rest.
W. B.