Confess the Lord Jesus; gospel mystery; God known through Christ
“And if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation. For the Scripture says: Everyone who believes upon him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9–11) If the whole definition of faith for us, and the power of the confession, stands around the person of Christ, and by confessing his death and resurrection we are justified as having believed toward God, who will dare to say that he is not God? If indeed he is the chief point of the salvation of all, both door and way (John 10:7–9) (John 14:6), the confession of the faith toward him—for through him and in him the Father himself is also recognized by us.
“Now to the one who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for eternal times, but now manifested through the prophetic writings according to the command of the eternal God unto obedience of faith, made known unto all the nations, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the might unto the ages, amen.” (Romans 16:25–27) See how clearly he says the gospel and the proclamation are of Jesus Christ; and that the mystery concerning him was hidden and kept silent for eternal times, but has now been revealed unto obedience of faith unto all the nations. For the nations, removed from the falsely named worship, turned to Christ and recognized him as God by nature and truly. And if God was clearly known through Jesus Christ, how is Christ’s mystery not great? But if he is thought among us a human simply, and not rather God become human, the mystery is no longer wise.
Greek
«καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ· καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν. λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.» εἰ σύμπας ἡμῖν ὁ τῆς πίστεως ὅρος καὶ τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡ δύναμις εἰς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ περιίσταται πρόσωπον, καὶ ὁμολογοῦντες αὐτοῦ τὸν θάνατον καὶ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὡς εἰς Θεὸν πεπιστευκότες δικαιούμεθα, τίς ὁ φάναι Θεὸν οὐκ εἶναι τολμῶν αὐτόν; εἴπερ ἐστὶ κεφάλαιον τῆς ἁπάντων σωτηρίας, θύρα τε καὶ ὁδός, τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως ἡ ὁμολογία· δι’ αὐτοῦ γὰρ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πατὴρ ἐπιγινώσκεται πρὸς ἡμῶν.
«Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ ὑμᾶς στηρίξαι κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν μυστηρίου χρόνοις αἰωνίοις σεσιγημένου, φανερωθέντος δὲ νῦν διά τε γραφῶν προφητικῶν κατ’ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ αἰωνίου Θεοῦ εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη γνωρισθέντος, μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ, διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.» ἰδοὺ δὴ σαφῶς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ φησιν εἶναι· καὶ κεκρύφθαι μὲν τὸ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ μυστήριον καὶ σεσιγῆσθαι χρόνοις αἰωνίοις, ἀποκαλυφθῆναι δὲ νῦν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. ἐστράφη γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν τὰ ἔθνη τῆς ψευδωνύμου λατρείας ἐξῃρημένα, καὶ ὡς Θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐπεγνωκότα τὸν φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς. καὶ εἰ σαφῶς διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐγνώσθη Θεός, πῶς οὐ μέγα τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον; εἰ δὲ νοεῖται καθ’ ἡμᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἁπλῶς, καὶ οὐχὶ δὴ μᾶλλον Θεὸς ἐνηνθρωπηκώς, οὐκέτι σοφὸν τὸ μυστήριον.