What must I do to be saved? How can I have a proper relationship with the God Who created me along with everything else in the universe? Human beings have come up with all kinds of answers to that question throughout history. Many people believe that gods require gifts or sacrifices to appease them. Some say that we must travel to special, sacred places or conduct different kinds of rituals. Still others believe that what really matters is the right sort of behavior, that how we treat one another in this life somehow determines our eternal destiny.

And while there may be elements of truth in each of these ideas, all of them fall short for one simple reason – none of us are perfect. None of us can possibly live up even to the standards we set for ourselves, let alone the standards God has revealed in the Law of Moses. That means there are always more sacrifices to make, more rituals to perform, better behavior to practice. Trying to save ourselves is like running on a treadmill – you can get completely worn out, but you’ve really gone nowhere.

That’s why what Paul tells us is such good news. We don’t have to travel up to Heaven to save ourselves. And we don’t have to muck around with rituals or potions or incantations that profess to guarantee us a safe passage into the place of the dead. No, the word, the truth of God has come to us in Jesus Christ. And Jesus speaks to us a word of faith, simply asking us to trust Him to do what is impossible for us to accomplish on our own.

So, what does this faith involve? His Person and His Work. Paul says we must confess that Jesus is Lord – that means not only that He is the divine Son of God, but that He has authority over all of our lives. In other words, this faithful confession involves waving our white flag and surrendering ourselves to Jesus, turning away from our selfish sin and throwing ourselves on His sovereign mercy.

But this sort of surrender is not a blind, desperate faith. No, it is based on His Work, on the marvelous things He has done in our sight. For this faith involves believing that this Almighty Son of God chose to become one of us, suffering with us and eventually suffering for us, taking on Himself the penalty all our sins deserve, dying on a cross in our place. And how do we know all this is true? Because of the one fact on which Paul says true, heartfelt faith in Christ is founded – God raised Him from the dead.

Yes, it is the resurrection of Christ that proves beyond a doubt that He is Lord, ruling and reigning over everyone and everything. It is the resurrection of Christ that gives us assurance that all who trust in Him will one day rise from the dead just as He did. And it is the resurrection of Christ that proves that He is able to save all those who call on His name, applying His perfect sacrifice to all who trust in Him, no matter who we are, no matter what we’ve done.

So, let’s stop trying to earn God’s favor. Let’s trust in Christ and call on His name. For then we can know we are saved by His sovereign grace.

Romans 10:1-21 (ESV)

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”