All of us are on a path of salvation. Probably most of us are not entirely in Satan or entirely in God. Each day, if we are following the Holy Spirit, we are moving from Satan to God.

Romans 10:9,10 is the entrance to the path.

Can I be saved yesterday or tomorrow? Not really. Salvation is today. Right now you either are moving forward in the program of salvation, or the powers of darkness are moving you back toward Satan. The prevailing spiritual pressures do not permit us to stand still.

Remember, Ezekiel told us if a righteous person starts behaving wickedly, his righteousness will not be remembered. Conversely, if a wicked person starts behaving righteously, his wickedness will not be remembered.

Do you know what the above means? It means salvation operates only in the present. It is what you are doing now that is of interest to both God and Satan.

I know the unscriptural philosophy of Dispensationalism maintains that such Old Testament do not apply to Christians. But they do! The words of the Prophets are still true. They still are the Words of God. They will remain true when the present earth and sky flee from the face of Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus said, and He is the Word of God, isn't He?

So there is no such thing as a ticket to Heaven. It doesn't exist. What there is, is a program of redemption that saves us from the bondages of Satan and brings us into the image of Christ and into untroubled rest in the Center of the Person of God and His will. How utterly marvelous!

When we tell people that Romans 10:9,10 is all there is in the plan of salvation we are shortchanging them to an incredible extent. We are dooming them to an eternal babyhood.

Now let's see if we can grasp the mind of the Apostle as he wrote Romans 10:9,10.

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

We see right away that Paul is concerned about the salvation of the Jews. In both Romans and Galatians we notice that Paul is attempting to convince Jewish people that they no longer are under the Law of Moses. It is this emphasis, this argument, that reveals the meaning of Romans 10:9,10.

For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. (Romans 10:2)

Paul is seeking to bring knowledge to zealous people, people who were seeking to honor Moses and the law. They hoped to obtain righteousness by observing the Law of Moses and the accompanying traditions. Remember, this is what was in Paul's mind when he wrote Romans 10:9,10. To remove the two verses from this context and apply them to Gentiles who are seeking a ticket to eternal residence in Heaven is quite inappropriate.

To be continued.