"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 (NIV)
Romans 10:9 is the "confess with your mouth" verse, one of the clearest summaries of the gospel in Paul's letter to the Romans. It is usually read together with verse 10. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in Romans 10, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about salvation, Bible verses about confession, and Bible verses about faith.
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The verse
The King James reads: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
Verse 10 continues (NIV): "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
"Declare" (KJV "confess") is homologeo (G3670), to say the same thing, to openly acknowledge. "Lord" is kyrios (G2962), master, the word Greek Bibles of Paul's day used for God's name. "Believe" is pisteuo (G4100), to trust. "Raised" is egeiro (G1453), and "saved" is sozo (G4982), to rescue or make whole.
Where it sits in Romans 10
In Romans 10 Paul contrasts trying to establish one's own righteousness with the righteousness that comes by faith. He quotes Deuteronomy 30:14: "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," and explains, "that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim" (Romans 10:8).
Verse 9 spells out that message, verse 10 explains it, and verse 13 widens it to everyone: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
What the verse is saying
Paul names two things that go together: an outward declaration and an inward trust. "Jesus is Lord" was the earliest Christian confession, and "God raised him from the dead" is the center of the gospel.
Paul is not describing a magic formula or a work that earns salvation. The words follow "the word is near you": salvation is not far off or hard to reach, it is received by trusting what God has done in Jesus. For the same truth from another angle, see Ephesians 2:8-9 (saved by grace through faith) and John 3:16.
Questions people ask
What does Romans 10:9 say?
In the NIV it says, "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." The KJV reads, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
What does Romans 10:9 mean?
It means that a person is saved by trusting in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and openly acknowledging Jesus as Lord. In context Paul is showing that salvation comes by faith, not by keeping the law, and that it is near to everyone.
What is Romans 10:9-10?
Read together, the verses say that heart belief and mouth confession go together: "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
What does "Jesus is Lord" mean in Romans 10:9?
"Lord" translates kyrios, master. To say "Jesus is Lord" is to acknowledge Jesus as the one with rightful authority over your life. It was the earliest Christian confession of faith.
What other verses are like Romans 10:9?
Romans 10:13 (everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved), Acts 16:31 (believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved), and Ephesians 2:8-9 are close companions.
