“If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with your mouth that He is Lord, you will be saved,” reads Romans 10:9. This begs the question: Can someone be redeemed who is incapable of confessing with his mouth—for example, because he is too young, too sick, or physically or psychologically incapacitated? If this verse from the Bible summarizes what it takes to be saved, then it is obvious that some people will fall short of these requirements.
Read the context
It is a good idea to read the immediate context of any Bible verse that is unclear to us. Together, let us do that:
You will be saved if you sincerely believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and if you openly confess that Jesus is Lord. Because one believes and is justified from the heart, and one confesses and is saved from the tongue. Because the Bible promises that “no one who believes in Him will be ashamed.” Because the same Lord is Lord of everyone and bestows His treasures on everyone who calls on Him, there is no difference between Jews and Greeks. For “salvation is the portion of everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.” (Romans 10:9–13)
According to this chapter, in order to be saved, a person must receive and believe the gospel. The apostle Paul uses a number of biblical passages to demonstrate that people of all social, religious, and racial backgrounds will be saved if they believe in [God].
Compare with other Bible verses
A useful approach to take is to contrast a challenging Bible verse with other verses. Since the Bible never contradicts itself, we can use other verses to create a “framework” that will allow us to fit the challenging verse in. Here are a few verses that may be useful:
- John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you—whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me will have eternal life,” declared Jesus. He has transcended from death to life and does not stand trial.
- Ephesians 2:8–9 Because of grace, you have been rescued by faith. Furthermore, so that nobody may take credit for it, this is a gift from God rather than the product of your efforts.
- Titus 3:5, “He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, according to His own mercy, not because of works done by us in righteousness.”
- Acts 16:30–31 “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” was the question posed to the apostle Paul. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you and your household will be saved,” they declared.
These passages emphasize that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation. All that is required of us is faith in God’s promise of salvation—no additional actions are required. Not a single one of these scriptures gives an exception for those who are unable to vocally declare their religion.
Confessing that Jesus is Lord
To have a clearer understanding of what is meant by “confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,” let’s read one more verse.
“Therefore, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven everyone who acknowledges Me before men, and I will deny before My Father in heaven anyone who denies Me before men.” (Matthew 32–33)
What’s in our hearts comes out in our speech. Thus, professing Jesus with our lips is an external manifestation of our faith. It is crucial that we do this in order to honor God by bearing testimony to others about our faith and also because it can fortify us to confess and share our faith with others. It is almost impossible to be a Christian and be silent at the same time.
Denying Jesus is an alternative to acquiescing that He is Lord, according to Matthew 10. It is evident that we do not believe in Jesus if we deny Him. Then there is no hope for us! The scenario in the question, when a person genuinely believes that Jesus is his Lord and Savior but is unable to publicly admit this, is very different from this one.
Our salvation only depends on faith in Jesus
If someone is unable to openly confess his faith and spread it to others, it is a grave loss. It can leave friends and family unsure about this person’s religious beliefs, as the query that inspired this essay makes evident, which is incredibly tragic. But ultimately, whether or not our loved ones share our beliefs does not determine one’s salvation. The only factor that matters is [our intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ], who is aware of our innermost thoughts before we even utter a word (Psalm 139:1-4).
Read more
When one reads Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” a question akin to this one may arise. Does salvation require baptism? What happens to those who pass away before being baptized? Discussions of these issues can be found here and here.
