Does Salvation and Heaven REQUIRE a Public Profession of Your Faith?

When you desire a personal relationship with God (salvation), the question becomes, do you need to make that dependency public or can it be kept private?

The Bible

The Bible offers many insights into what it means to live a Christian life. One of its tenants is that Christians need to share the Good News of the gospel with all who are willing to listen. This calling is not limited to lifestyle evangelism (doing good deeds), since being a good person, according to Scripture, will not save anyone.

The Opportunity

To have a personal relationship with God for eternity, one has to accept Him before death. That acceptance or acknowledgment of who He is can be defined in two verses from the Bible. 

The first is Eph. 2:8-9 which speaks to what God did by sacrificing His Son on the cross for our sins (grace). Further, it makes clear that it is only through accepting Jesus Christ that we can come to Him for eternal life. 

The second verse is Romans 10:9 which calls the believer to acknowledge publicly that Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the dead in order to be saved. 

Romans 10:9 – If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

The Question

So, the question then becomes, do we have to openly acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior (“confess with our mouths”), or can we believe privately, and still be saved?

An Illustration

If you fell deeply in love with someone, would you not want to tell the world about it, even if there was a risk to that disclosure? Would you not tell your close friends and others that you trusted even if there was a good reason not to “shout it from the rooftops”?

What if it was more than just love for another human being? What if that person had the power to provide you with a peace that is beyond our understanding (Phil. 4:7)? What if the relationship promised that you would have a Helper that would allow you to better navigate life on this earth (John 14:16-17)? What if the relationship guaranteed you eternity in Heaven vs. Hell? (Matt. 25:46)?

Would it not be hard to contain your love, even your worship, if the individual in question was the Creator of the universe? In Luke 19 Jesus makes this point:

Luke 19:38-40 – shouting: “BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”

It is not that Christians are simply commanded by God to speak out, our love for what Christ has done for us should compel us to speak the truth, with respect, patience, and love for our neighbor (Luke 10:27). 

The Answer

The Bible speaks to the need to make a public profession of faith, not a private, hidden acceptance of our relationship with God. Scripture is full of examples of the cost some paid for this acknowledgment. In countries such as Iran, China, and others, the ultimate cost continues as it did for most of the original disciples. Beyond real-life examples and Romans 10:9 above, are verses such as Matthew 10:32. 

Matthew 10:32 – “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

As Dr. Albert Mohler stated in a recent article, “Is a Public Profession of Faith Necessary for Salvation”, we are not to hide our faith or our good deeds (Matt. 10:32), done on behalf of God, but to let them shine for the world to see.

Matthew 5:15-16 – nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

However, Mohler also makes the point that our public profession of faith is an outpouring of our salvation, NOT something we must do in order to be saved.

Conclusion

Our salvation is a personal event in the life of every Christian and, for many, it is a very private thing.

On 4/15/89, I intentionally went to a park, sat on a mound of grass, bowed my head, and talked (confessed) to the Lord. It was at that point, in my view, that I crossed over from eternal death to eternal life. There was no need to share it with anyone other than my Lord and my God, in order to be saved for eternity. So, the answer to the question of this post is NO. A public profession is not required for Salvation and eternal life with God in Heaven.

However, at some early point following our salvation, we need to confess the change that has taken place within us. From a position of repentance or turning away from our sins, others will see that we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and, as such, we should be compelled to make the reason for our new nature known (Col. 3:10). it is part of the sanctification process.

God calls each Christian to be his disciple and share the good news of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world. It is referred to in Scripture as the Great Commission and, it compels us to “use our mouth” boldly, but lovingly.

Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”