Here's a quick write up on 10:10 I did. This is not my perception it is just what the bible says. I don't see how a reasonable person would see it much differently. There is a real problem with 10:10 when you consider 1 John 9.
Romans 10:10 Translation of homologeitai
In Romans 10:10 this Koine Greek word homologeitai is almost exclusively translated as “confess” or more specifically “in confess” as if to say you should do so. However in the New World Translation this is changed to “public declaration”. At the time the religious leaders were denying Jesus. Hence these scriptures were pertaining to the point that yes “this is the Messiah”. Confessing that it was in fact the son of man. This is in contrast to the NWT Translation in that it seems to infer that the Jews of the time need to be concerned more about telling others about Jesus before they, unlike the Pharisees of the time, actually accepted him as Christ. Essentially preaching before they accepted Christ themselves.
This is not to say that preaching isn’t important but rather that in this particular text the application or change in meaning doesn’t seem consistent.
For reference this is vs. 9:
ESV:
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.
NWT:
9 For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord,+
and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.
Now vs 10.
ESV:
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
NWT:
10 For with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration+ for salvation.
In Verse 10 again homologeitai is properly translated as “in confess” yet the NWT translates it as “public declaration”.
NWT Translates as “confess” in other versus:
Consider 1 John 9, again the same root word homologōmen here.
ESV:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
NWT:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.+
Why doesn’t verse 9 of 1 John read “In we publicly declare our sins” from door to door?
Sound council was given in Revelation 22:18,19. I think this is a good indication of why this should be strictly heeded. Without it you have a leaking pipe in which each hole you plug results in another sprouting up.
