A Declaration That Defies Empires

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

When Paul penned the verse in Romans 10:9 he deliberately declared Jesus to be superior to Caesar and to state that Jesus is the God of the old testament. He was definitely not introducing a magic formula for being saved. 

Caesar - In the culture of the first century, loyal Roman citizens declared "Caesar is Lord."  Paul's invitation for Jesus followers to say "Jesus is Lord" put them at odds with the population at large and they were branded as atheists. 

Equal with God - In Romans 10:9 Paul is quoting from Joel 2:32 which invites people to call on God to be saved. For people before the time of Christ who called on the God of the Old Testament, and for those who call on Jesus after his death and resurrection, the same result, salvation, happens because they are one and the same person. 

No Magic Formula - We are saved by grace not by making a statement. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We have no power over our salvation. Declaring "Jesus is Lord"  is only saying out loud what has already taken place in the heart upon confession of sin and inviting Jesus to take over the throne of my life. 

"You will be saved" - references the fact that even if persecution leads to the death of the believer their future is secure. 

Paul's first century audience knew very well the consequences of saying out loud that Jesus, not Caesar, was the sovereign person in their lives. They knew this meant the potential of persecution. In many places the situation is the same in our day. Persecution continues and as we engage in making disciples we do well to prepare new Jesus followers for the prospect of persecution.