The Signed Deed

In 1923, a family in rural Kentucky discovered a deed to forty acres of prime timberland tucked inside the family Bible. The deed was legitimate, properly signed and notarized, bearing the county seal. Yet for three generations, the family had lived in poverty, never once claiming what was rightfully theirs. The document was authoritative and true from the moment the ink dried. But its truth only transformed their circumstances when they believed it and acted upon it.

Romans 10:9 operates with this same precision: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Notice the grammatical certainty. Scripture does not say you might be saved or could be saved. The Holy Spirit, inspiring the Apostle Paul with verbal plenary authority, chose the future indicative — you will be saved. As Wayne Grudem reminds us, every word of Scripture is God-breathed and wholly trustworthy, carrying the full weight of divine promise.

Yet like that deed in the Bible, God's promise of salvation requires personal appropriation. Confess and believe — these are not mere suggestions but divinely appointed conditions. The mouth speaks what the heart has already embraced. Head knowledge alone never saved anyone. The demons possess impeccable theology and tremble.

Do not leave God's signed deed unopened. Believe it. Confess it. The promise is as certain as the God who cannot lie.