While faith is internal belief, faith must express itself through outward confession and behaviour to be authentic. It acknowledges Christ’s rightful authority over our lives and our commitment to yield to Him as master. This confession is the fruit of salvation.
You see, a person cannot claim Jesus to be their Saviour without intentional surrender to Jesus as their Lord. Jesus is NOT demanding perfect obedience to qualify for salvation. No, He is saying obedience is the expected result, or outcome of salvation for those who love Him. For those who are born again (Jn 3:3), who are new creations in Christ (2Co 5:17), loving obedience is the path they walk by faith.
Romans 10:9, 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.
John 14:15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Luke 6:46, Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
1 John 2:3-6, And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Some walk away from Jesus, proving they were never born again, because they only want salvation and eternal life, but they do not want a life of surrendered obedience under Jesus as Lord (Mat 7:21-23; 1Jn 2:19).
The principle of not serving two master’s remains true after salvation. As Jesus taught in Matthew 6:24, He can be the only Lord in a believer’s life. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
For those who have been cleansed of past sins (2Pe 1:9), they do not want to wait until judgement day to confess Jesus as Lord. No, they desire to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, through their present day lives (Philippians 2:11), and their confession is authenticated through the fruit of obedience.
However, care needs to be taken that people do not misunderstand the truth of Jesus’ Lordship. We are not to be legalistic, demanding perfection before obedience can be acknowledged. That would prove us to be self-righteous, thinking we qualify for God’s grace. No, sinners will never qualify for or deserve God’s grace. Rather, genuine Christians seek to obey the Lord Jesus because they love Him deeply! They desire to please their Lord! And they desire the character of Jesus Christ to manifest in their lives so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:10-12).
