16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

— John 3:16-18; 36

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

— Acts 16:31

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

— Acts 4:12

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

— Romans 10:9-10

we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

— 1 John 1:9

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace and mercy to you from Jesus Christ.

When we face the true message of God’s salvation, we are required to be humble and stick strictly to God’s words. God’s words is our only standard that is beyond and independent from our own natural concept and assessment. Believing in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for our salvation is the only requirement, It should not be a surprise that even confession of sins is not a requirement for salvation. However, when confession of sin is not a requirement for salvation, all people must understand they are sinners in need of the Savior. Recognizing we are sinners prior to salvation is not the same as confessing our individual sins.

First of all, no one can possibly remember every sin he or she has ever committed. Secondly, trying to confess all our sins would cause distressing soul searching and doubt. If we think we have to confess all our sins in order to be saved, we will never be secure in our salvation, knowing we have forgotten many of our sins. Unbelievers will be condemned to the Lake of Fire because they did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, not because they failed to confess their sins. Confession of sin is for the saved person, one who is already a child of God. Knowingly committing a sin causes the child of God to lose fellowship with God. In such occasions, believers are to confess their sins in order to restore their fellowship with God.