For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:10-13)

Four For’s

There are four “For’s” in Paul’s letter to Rome explaining the mercy and grace of God’s love for mankind. Each one is an individual stamp of the plan to redeem men from sin. Paul had a deep desire for all men to be saved, especially for Israel. The problem many had with the preaching of Paul was while they expressed a zeal for God, they were not submitting the will of the Lord in righteousness. There was a need for obedience to be found in keeping the commandments of the Lord and for faith to dwell in the heart with all diligence. Part of the plan of salvation came from the verbal declaration of the Lord Jesus and the belief in the heart that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Salvation begins with these necessary ingredients.

‘FOR Number One’ is for the heart to believe in the story of Jesus. Hundreds of saints could testify, having seen Jesus resurrected from the dead. Believing unto righteousness accepts the word of the Lord, declaring Jesus of Nazareth as God’s only begotten Son. Understanding the right thing is to know Jesus was crucified, buried, and then rose the third day by the power of God. There are no doubts. The story of Jesus is not a myth but the manifestation of God in the flesh walking among men. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life before suffering as an innocent lamb led to the slaughter. Through the blood of Jesus, redemption is found.

Belief is not all that is required. Confession is made with the mouth. It is not enough to think one believes Jesus is the Christ. There is a demand to vocalize that belief before others. This takes courage to let others hear with their ears a statement of belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. A testimony is declared of belief in the resurrection. Modern men deny the power of God to raise a man from the grave. Visit all the tombs of the notable religious leaders, and every tomb will be filled with bones. The tomb of Jesus has been empty for two thousand years. Three days after to righteous men sealed Jesus in a tomb; two disciples found the tomb empty. Confession with the mouth acknowledges that belief.

‘FOR Number Two” confirms Jesus to be the fulfillment of the word of God. Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah to bridge the writings of the Old Testament to the life of Jesus. Believing Jesus is the Son of God is accepting the truth of the prophets who spoke of the coming Messiah. Jesus was not a good man doing good things. He fulfilled scripture as the Chosen and Beloved of God to bring all men to Himself. Jesus is the Christ – the Anointed One. Believing and making that declaration does not bring embarrassment or shame. The heart that believes in Jesus as the Son of God boldly proclaims allegiance to the King of Kings. Believing Jesus is God’s Son is proven by scripture encouraging the child of God to accept the word of God as truth. There is no doubt what the scriptures teach about Jesus. He is the promised Christ.

‘FOR Number Three’ is the beauty of God’s grace. Salvation is not given to a select group of people. All lives matter in the scheme of redemption. God could have selected one race to be the chosen ones. He might have only picked the Jews as His redeemed. There are many possibilities of whom God would grant salvation, but He chose every race, every nation, every time, and every person to be offered the measure of grace to save them. The early converts to Christ were Jews, Ethiopians, foreigners, men, women, rich and poor, and even among the household of Caesar. There was no distinction made of who could be saved. The color of skin did not elevate or declare unworthy a needy soul. A Roman jailor was saved, a successful magician found grace, and the great persecutor of the church found salvation in the bosom of Christ. All lives matter to God.

‘FOR Number Four” is the eternal message from the beginning. The prophet Joel declares that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. This message was from the beginning as men began to call upon the name of the Lord. There is a lot of confusion about what this means. Many think it just means to call (vocally) on God, and He will save them. Every time the idea of calling on the name of the Lord is found in scripture, it demands obedience. Calling on the name of the Lord is not a single act of declaration but a willingness to obey every command of God. Salvation by faith only has never been in the mind of God. No man has ever been nor ever can be saved only by ‘calling on the name of the Lord. If God’s name is called upon, the heart must obey. The final “FOR’ is where the heart turns entirely to the Lord in obedience to all God commands.

Four ‘FOR’S’ to consider.