On a Catholic-Evangelical Internet discussion group, a Protestant asserted that Romans 10:9-13 flatly contradicted Catholic theology. This is what he had to say:

The RCC simply can't accept Romans 10:9 as written. That is why you never see an RC offering an honest exegesis of that text. It's easy to say one is in complete agreement with Romans, or some other part of scripture. The proof of that claim is in the exegesis of the relevant texts like Romans 10:9. I bring up this issue all the time, and RCs always avoid the issue, with all kinds of vague claims about agreeing with scripture. That is not a sufficient answer. Anybody can claim to agree with anything.

Prove it by offering a sentence by sentence, clause by clause, word by word exegesis of Romans 10:9, explaining exactly what it does mean, not what it doesn't mean, or can't mean, but what it does mean. And so one has to find a way to make _ALL_ of those texts true without turning _ANY_ of them into gibberish. Reformed theology does that. The RCC doesn't.

My Response

Speaking of contradictions, here's one for you :-) Why do Protestants so vehemently deny the infallibility of the Catholic Church as well as their own, yet when faced with a differing interpretation of Scripture from a Catholic, it is automatically the who Catholic is wrong? It is very true that "anybody can claim to agree with anything", just as anyone can claim Rom 10:9 is a proof-text of guaranteed salvation by faith alone. By what miracle is the sola fide Rom 10:9 view more correct than the Catholic view? By denying the authority of the RCC in favor of sola scriptura, the only thing the "reformed Protestant" can say is that we disagree, not that the opposing view is wrong, because both are interpretations of Scripture. Both interpretations are appeals to the authority of Scripture, aren't they? Your criterion for determining whether or not the Catholic Church is correct depends solely upon whether or not you happen to agree? Aren't you assuming just a little too much here? Can you provide a coherent, step-by-step statment of what "Reformed Theology" actually is?

Personally, I find it encouraging that there is much to agree about. We both agree in a saving faith, which is a gift from God. We both agree that it is only God's grace that we will be saved; indeed, God's grace does in fact guarantee our salvation. We both agree in our Lord Jesus Christ's resurrection. We both agree that salvation is an ongoing process. This is a good thing.

Now, you have proposed that Rom 10:9 provides the “cleanest” essence of the gospel, namely, our faith alone in God guarantees our salvation. The Roman Catholic Church can (and does, actually) agree with this particular hermeneutical position, when faith is properly understood from the Catholic perspective.

Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith man freely commits his entire self to God. For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God’s will. The righteous shall live by faith” - CCC 1814

The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it. All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks - CCC 1816

When a Catholic speaks of faith, he or she is really talking about the necessarily conjoined theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Faith, at the lowest end of its own spectrum, can be merely intellectual assent, but must be much more. This “even demons believe that and tremble” (James 2:19). This is intertwined with Hope, “by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the holy Spirit” (CCC 1817) and Charity, “by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God” (CCC 1822). If the Catholic has this, and continues to have this, then we can agree that salvation by faith alone does indeed occur, and is promised by God as seen in Rom 10:9.

Romans 10:9-13 can even be considered a guarantee of salvation, provided that it is understood within the correct context. Our salvation, in one sense, was finished with Christ’s death on the cross; however, our salvation also is an ongoing process, provided we continue to “confess and believe” as I demonstrated above. It is this perseverence of faith that will guarantee our salvation.

Some have said that once we have “confessed and believed” that we automatically are saved and there is nothing we can do to undo this. The Catholic position, however, is that this faith, which is a gift from God, must persevere; indeed, as in the eloquently written Book of Hebrews:

Heb 3:14 "For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end..."

You have asked for an honest exegesis of the Rom 10:9-13 passage. You have specifically demanded that we do not discuss what Rom 10:9-13 does not mean. It is my opinion, however, that any “honest” exegesis must consider all aspects – the passages before and after Rom 10:9-13, the original Greek, what the passage does not mean, and even Paul’s other writings. With this in mind I will continue.

Salvation Over Coffee

The analogy of coffee was offered:

Suppose I say, "If you go to the store and bring back some coffee for us, I'll make us a cup of coffee." Is there any ambiguity here? I have set 2 conditions, that if performed together, are sufficient to get you a cup of coffee. You do your part and I'll do mine. Notice too that these are not "necessary " conditions. There may be other ways for you to get a cup of coffee, like buying one. But this is a "sufficient" condition to get a cup of coffee.By analogy Romans 10:9 says the same thing. Anyone who meets 2 simple conditions, will be saved.

By this analogy, does this mean that there are "other ways" to be saved? A better analogy would be: If you want to always have me make you a cup of coffee, then you must always keep me supplied with coffee. It has already been agreed that salvation is an ongoing process, so in this case salvation (the cup of coffee) is continually present. Paul himself did not believe in presuming upon God his own salvation. To do so puts God in a position of owing us something – something Paul will not allow even himself to do:

“ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart" - 1 Cor. 4:3-5

“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” - Phil 3:11-14

“Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” – Romans 2:3-5

“Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let any one who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." - 1 Cor. 10:11-12

Obedience of Faith

When Paul speaks of faith in his Letter to the Romans, he is constantly referring to the obedience of faith. It is seen at the very first chapter (Rom 1:5) and at the very last chapter (Rom 16:26). This obedience and faith are connected. In chapter 2 Paul talks about obedience of faith 8 times (2:6, 2:7, 2:10, 2:13, 2:14, 2:25, 2:26, 2:27). There is a very literal parallel between faith and obedience in Scripture. The Greek term is apitheo, and is used in the same way in both instances. For example, Paul uses apitheo when writing about disobedience to parents in Rom 1:30 and 2 Tim 3:2, but also uses apitheo to describe disobedient sinners in Titus 1:16 and Titus 3:3. Since no one disbelieves that their parents exist, the context involves them disobeying; therefore, the talk of faith clearly involves more than just a simple one-time confession that Jesus is Lord, but rather it implies a continuous obedience. This is how the Church teaches faith:

"Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or 'justice') here means the rectitude of divine love. With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us." CCC 1991

Finish the Race: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

It has been suggested that 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 does not refer to loss of salvation, but rather involves rewards:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

There are several reasons why this presupposition does not fit the text. The passage is talks about a race, which is clearly talking about salvation. One must gain salvation to receive rewards; conversely, those who do not gain salvation will not receive awards. In this analogy, salvation is compared to a race, and usually there are 3 winners at the end of a race – 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place. These winners receive a reward (a trophy, medal, ribbon, or whatever); note, however, that those who do not finish the race (like sprinter Michael Johnson pulling up lame during the 100 M sprint) are not even eligible to receive a reward! On must finish the race to receive rewards – and one must gain salvation to receive rewards.

Furthermore, look at the surrounding text. Paul is clearly writing about salvation, not rewards, saying “that I might win the more”(v 19)…. “in order to win Jews” (v 20)… “that I might win those under the law” (v 20)… “that I might win those outside the law” (v 21)… “that I might win the weak” (v 22), and finally, “that I might by all means save some” (v 22).

Finally, consider the word “disqualified”. The Greek word for disqualified is adokimos, which means rejected, or castaway, or reprobate, etc. Basically, every instance in Scripture where adokimos is used it is referring to people whose sins have separated themselves from God. Let’s examine, from Paul’s writing alone, how adokimos is used, starting with the very book in question – Romans:

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was met. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient:” - Rom 1:26-28

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. Now I pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we should appear approved, but that ye should do that which is honest, though we be as reprobates.” - 2 Cor 13:5-7

“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” - 2 Tim 3:6-8

“Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” - Titus 1:15-16

So, it should be clear that when Paul wrote of being disqualified, he was referring to loss of salvation, not loss of rewards.

Romans 10:9-13 and Baptism

Rom 10:9 says nothing about being born again, yet we know Jesus said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit' (Jn 3:5). You have suggested that the water is the “first birth”, but believers are born again of the holy Spirit; however, there are a few problems with this. First, nowhere in Scripture is water used to mean amniotic fluid, so there is absolutely no exegetical basis for this interpretation. Second, nowhere in Scripture is one born again by confessing Jesus as his personal Savior. Third, the sentence structure is referring to a single event, not two. In other words, Jesus did not say “you must first be born of water and then later of the Spirit”. He said “water and Spirit, which are simultaneous events. How can we know this? Because when Jesus himself was baptized (Jn 1:31-24), the holy Spirit descended immediately upon him in the form of a dove. The same thing happens for us when we are baptized. As Peter tells us, “baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21), and then Paul, once more, mentions the obedience of faith (Rom 6:1-16).

The Confession of Faith

Let us come back to the passage in question:

“because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:9-13)

As has been established, letting pagan Rome know that you were a Christian in those days was bad for your health, to say the least. Paul is telling the Christian converts that it was important to do this very thing, saying, “if you confess with your lips…you will be saved”. The Greek word for “confess” is homologeo, which means “to speak together”, "agree with", "speak the same thing", "correspond with" and this verb is in the future indicative form, which means it refers to a future event. Paul was telling them that they must do this anyway, as we Christians must do today. The word "confess" indicates an ongoing process as seen in the later verses in this passage - for a man believes and is justified, he confesses and is saved (v 10); no one who believes in Him will be shamed (v 11), for God bestows riches upon those who call on Him (v 12)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (v 13). This ongoing process of salvation is consistent with Catholic teaching.

Thus, if the Christians "speak together" they will be saved; it doesn’t necessarily refer to the Reformed version of “asking Jesus into your heart” (before Protestants get too excited, I believe that a personal relationship with Jesus is very, very important). Let’s examine other scriptural places where the confession homologoesei is found. First we see a similar public confession of faith:

“His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if any one should confess him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.” - Jn 9:22

Jesus assures us of the promise of eternal life if we publically declare our faith:

“So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” - Mt 10:32-33 (cf Lk 12:8-9)

and

It is interesting to note that just 5 verses later, Jesus “shoehorns” this into his previous statement:

“and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” - Mt 10:38

You Will Be Saved

Catholics believe that confessing Jesus as your Savior involves more than just lip service (Mt 7:21), but rather we will be saved by grace through faith working in love (Gal 5:6). This implies a present and future event. What Rom 10:9-13 does not say, however, is "since you confessed Jesus and believed in your heart one time during an altar call, you are already saved" This passage simply says nothing about any guarantee of salvation; for I have shown above that we must be born again of water and Spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven (Jn 3:5), yet this passage in Romans speaks nothing about being born again. Now, the Catholic Church agrees with our Protestant brothers and sisters that grace is essential and is aquired by faith, which is a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9):

"Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an 'adopted son' he can henceforth call God 'Father,' in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church." - CCC 1997

So, in summary, we see that Romans 10 fits quite nicely with Catholic teachings - or should I say Catholic teaching fits with Romans 10, since the church is not superior to Scripture, but is "its servant" (CCC 86)? I think Catholics and Protestants can find much in common on this trampled soteriologic battlefield. Catholics can accept salvation by faith alone, so long as it is an persistent, obedient faith with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11-13), with consideration of the words of Paul:

"Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off". (Rom 11:22 NAB)

peace be with you