Question from a reader:

Is there no hope of entering Heaven without confession to another human being?

Answer from Doreen Button, EPM staff:

Thank you for your question. Though I don’t know any part of your story behind the question, I sense a deep longing in you for the answer to be, “Yes, of course there is hope!”

I am going to base my answer partially on the assumption that your question comes from Romans 10:9: “that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Bible verses are somewhat arbitrary—by that I mean that the verse numbers were added about 11 centuries after the Bible was canonized. They are so helpful in guiding us to the right places quickly and so very unhelpful because we can now so easily rip a verse out of its surroundings only to get confused by it.

The context of Romans 10 includes references to a beautiful passage in Deuteronomy 30 where Moses re-told Israel’s history and God’s commands/blessings/curses/covenant to the new generation of Israelites who were about to enter the “promised land.” Let’s pick up Moses’ discourse in verse 11:

“For this commandment I give you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ And it is not beyond the sea, that you should need to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and proclaim it, that we may obey it?’ But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.

“See, I have set before you today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster. For I am commanding you today to love Yahweh your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and increase, and Yahweh your God may bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.

“But if your heart turns away and you do not listen, but are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you today that you will surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, and that you may love Yahweh your God, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. For He is your life, and He will prolong your life in the land that Yahweh swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Paul’s use of this passage affirms that what Moses told the Israelites applies to us as well. Although we no longer rely on sacrifices to atone for our sin, we do entirely rely on Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation. God still pleads with us to turn from our sin and trust Him entirely: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life…”

Here’s what Romans 10 says in its greater context, with some clarifying comments in brackets:

“For concerning the righteousness that is by the law, Moses writes: ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or, “Who will descend into the Abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ [Deuteronomy 30:11-13]

“But what does it [the passage in Deuteronomy 30] say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ [30:14] that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

“It is just as the Scripture says: ‘Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.’ [This is a direct quote from Isaiah 28:16 pointing forward to Jesus as the foundation and cornerstone of our faith.] For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, [further confirmation that the Old Testament passages quoted apply to us] and gives richly to all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

This final sentence is a direct quote from the prophecy in Joel 2 which Peter also quotes to explain the events at Pentecost in Acts 2:17-21:

“And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of Yahweh. And everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved…”

This is a tiny example of how rich and cohesive Scripture is and how important it is to marinate in “the whole counsel of God” since every word in the Word points to Jesus and draws us to a point of decision: will He be our one and only God, or will we run our own kingdom and suffer the consequences? Each person must choose who will rule their heart (and to not choose is defaulting to self-rule).

And that’s where we circle back to your question. Our only hope of Heaven is Jesus. Our salvation isn’t based on anything we do, only on what Jesus did. People without friends or a church or a voice can still call out to God (read Romans 8, noting verses 26-27 especially). People without mouths, tongues, or who have been silenced in other ways (i.e., political oppression or abuse), can still confess Jesus. He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” No one comes to the Father except through Him (see John 14:6). And everyone who wholeheartedly turns to Him, and away from ruling their own lives will enjoy fellowship with Him from the moment they surrender until the end of eternity—which of course has no end.

As Jesus prayed in John 17:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed. I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. …I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. …I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. …Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me. And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.” [emphasis mine]

So, yes, there is hope: “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to the place where You dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 43:3-5).