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.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead are
not two separate steps to salvation but are chronologically together. Romans 10:8 - But what does it say? "The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart" (TOGETHER) that is, the
word of faith which we are preaching,
(notice the reverse order from verse 9-10) - that 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 unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Confess/believe; believe/confess.
1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and
no one can say that Jesus is Lord except BY the Holy Spirit. There is divine influence or direct operation of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person when confessing Jesus as Lord. This confession is not just a simple acknowledgment that Jesus is the Lord (even the demons believe that), but is a deep personal conviction that Jesus is that person's Lord and Savior. So simply believing in our head (and not in our heart) that God raised Him from the dead does not result in righteousness and simply giving lip service to the words "Jesus is Lord" not by the Holy Spirit is not unto salvation.
Saving faith cannot be faith alone, because saving faith is believing unto righteousness.
Saving faith is faith that
trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and not in works. That is
believing unto righteousness. Romans 4:5 - But to him who
does not work but
believes on Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom
God imputes righteousness apart from works. Self righteousness is not believing unto righteousness.
That is obviously not believing alone, because it adds something to believing, and it doesn't include the word alone: the faith that saves is believing unto righteousness.
This is obviously believing in Christ alone for salvation. Nothing is added to believing in Romans 4:5-6, yet you add works anyway.
The Bible clearly states in many passages of scripture that we are saved through belief/faith
"apart from additions or modifications." (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 11:17; 13:39; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5; 5:1; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:26; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 John 5:13 etc..).
Now you don't need to add the word "alone" next to "belief/faith" in each of these passages of scripture in order to figure out that the words, "belief/faith"
stand alone in connection with receiving eternal life/salvation. Do these many passages of scripture say belief/faith "plus something else?" Plus works? NO. So then it's
faith (rightly understood) IN CHRIST ALONE.
This is the righteous elephant in the room, that is neglected in all the endless fruitless arguments about faith alone or not alone.
You mean the faith is accounted for righteousness "apart from works" elephant in the room that is neglected in all the fruitless arguments by those who promote the self righteous false doctrine of works righteousness and sinless perfection.
Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
Only Jesus Christ was righteous at all times and was without sin. (Hebrews 4:15; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10)
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
1 John 3:7 - Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who
practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who
practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the
children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who
does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
Saving faith to confess the Lord Jesus unto salvation, is believing with the heart, that we can do righteousness, even as He is righteous.
This isn't about WE it's about HIM. It's not about self righteousness, but imputed righteousness. (Romans 4:5-6)
It is believing that we can walk as He walked, by the same power of God and divine nature of Jesus, that is given unto us by His Father.
Your faith is in SELF and is NOT in Christ ALONE for salvation. 1 John 2:6 - the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. Believers strive to walk as Jesus walked BECAUSE they are saved and not in order to become saved. This does not mean that we live a sinless, without fault or defect, flawless, absolute perfect life 100% of the time exactly as Jesus did and those who believe they do are suffering from a terminal case of self righteousness. (1 John 1:8-10)
Those who say they are saved by faith alone, are preaching the words of another gospel, that is never preached for Jesus Christ.
Those who say they are saved by works, are preaching the words of another gospel, that is never preached for Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
The only righteousness they believe unto, is a righteousness that is claimed by faith alone, not done.
Works righteousness is self righteousness and works salvation is no salvation at all.
And especially, those who say it is impossible to do righteousness as He is righteous, declare their unbelief: they do not believe unto righteousness, and so they do not believe the Lord Jesus.
Believers don't say it's impossible to do righteousness/practice righteousness, yet at the same time, believers acknowledge they are not flawless 100% of the time either. (1 John 1:8-10; 2:1) Those who fail to trust in Jesus Christ as the ALL-SUFFICIENT means of their salvation remain in unbelief. (John 3:18; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4)
They believe in a gospel of another christ, that saves them with their sinning. They do believe the Lord Christ Jesus, that saves His people from their sinning, because they do not believe unto righteousness, but only unto continued sinning.
Those who believe they 'save themselves' through sinless perfection believe in another gospel of another christ, that saves no one. (2 Corinthians 11:4) Those who trust in SELF for salvation and NOT in Christ ALONE do not believe unto righteousness.
Faith alone believing unto more sinning, and not unto righteousness is a false gospel of another christ.
Faith in SELF unto sinless perfection and not faith in Christ unto righteousness is a false gospel of another christ.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
In James 2:19, we see that the demons believe "mental assent" that "there is one God," but they
do not believe in/have faith in/trust in/reliance in Jesus Christ for salvation. In other words, they
do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31)
and are not saved. Their trust and reliance is in Satan, as demonstrated by their rebellion in heaven and continuous evil works.
Faith alone is the devils' faith, that believes Jesus is Lord, but not unto righteousness. No man is saved, just because they agree the Lord is the Lord. I suppose that makes them better than unbelievers, but no better than the devils that also have faith alone.
Faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation is the faith of saints that is unto righteousness. Faith that trusts in SELF/WORKS for salvation and NOT in Christ ALONE for salvation is a spurious faith and from an eternal perspective is still unbelief and is no better than the faith of devils.