Why doesn't Romans 10:8-9 insist on confessing of the Resurrection of Jesus?

Making someone Lord means doing what they instruct.

The crucifixion is central to the Gospel.

For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Accepting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is essential. If Christ is crucified but not resurrected He is still dead. We may follow Him into death, but we cannot receive His instructions.

Believing in His resurrection is necessary to make Him Lord.

For Paul, belief in the resurrection was essential for salvation. But in this case he did not formally insist on it, perhaps because he did not wish those who did not confess it to be excluded from the community. (Historically, it was not until the second century that the church excommunicated those who did not confess faith in the physical resurrection. Moreover, according to Acts 6:7, a large number of priests had joined the faith, and since priests tended to be Sadducees who did not accept the doctrine of resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8), we may presume that some of them denied the resurrection while still confessing that "Jesus is Lord.")

However, it is clear that the resurrection was a central doctrine for Paul. In his theology, all humanity was under the curse of death; and it was necessary for Christ to die and be resurrected in order that humanity could attain eternal life:

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life.

Paul also taught that active belief in Christ's resurrection is an essential part of Christian faith, without which the hope of salvation is vain:

1 Cor. 15

If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. 15 Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

Thus, affirming a belief in the resurrection of the dead was a central part of Paul's gospel. If the dead are not raised, then neither was Christ. As in Corinth, some members of the Roman church probably did not yet accept this doctrine. We do know that in later decades, the Roman church included Gnostics who emphasized spiritual enlightenment rather than actual resurrection. In Paul's own time, it is clear that some Christians did not accept the idea. As to why he didn't insist on confessing it here, he came close to doing so in 1 Corinthians but stopped short of saying that those who did not confess it should be excommunicated. So I would conclude that, even though Paul thought that belief in the resurrection was essential, he did not think people should excluded from the community if they thought otherwise, as long as they did confess the kerygma: "Jesus is Lord."

The "contrast" was meant to be a parallel, not a contrast. And "in your heart" is even stronger than "with your mouth."

The resurrection is the reason that Jesus is alive. If you do not in your heart believe Jesus is alive, you are not resting your faith in Him.

Payment for our sins was only part of the complex business of saving us. We really need Jesus to be alive.

"‭Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.‭ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.‭" -- Romans 5:9-10.

"‭For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.‭ ‭Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." -- Hebrews 4:15-16

So confess that Jesus is Lord. But also believe in your heart. That is how the gospel works, and if you have heart confidence in the resurrection, you most certainly have the same in the decease.

Here, St Paul juxtaposes two complementary attributes of faith namely, confessing the Lordship of Jesus and believing in his Resurrection.

These are distinct facets of faith, certainly, but I'm not sure I would call them complementary. We cannot believe that Jesus is Lord, if we do not accept that Jesus is. If he died and was not resurrected then he no longer is. Accepting him as Lord now implies believing in his resurrection, so the confession is supplementary, not complementary.

But why does'nt Paul insist that the believer should also confess the Resurrection , but rather limits the requirement to personal belief ? How do scholars explain the subtle difference ?

In addition to the confession being supplementary, I think you're also missing the forest for the trees. Paul is making a connection with Deuteronomy 30:14, which he had just quoted: "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart". He is explicitly

• identifying Deuteronomy's "the word" with "the word of faith we are preaching",

• identifying "in your mouth" with confessing the Lordship of Jesus, and

• identifying "in your heart" with believing in the Jesus's resurrection.

He structures it as he does because that's how Moses did, but note also that he is identifying both the confession (of Jesus as Lord) and the belief (in Jesus's resurrection) as the word. Evidently, then, confessing Jesus's Lordship is representative of how that manifests by mouth, and believing in the resurrection is representative of how that manifests in the heart. That should be read expansively, not restrictively. Paul is not saying that believers are excused from saying aloud that Jesus has been resurrected any more than he is saying that they need only pay lip service to Jesus being Lord.

Paul himself furthermore expands on the significance of those two facets in the very next verse:

For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation.

The belief and the confession are all about the faith Paul is preaching. The item of belief leading to righteousness is Jesus's identity and divine nature, of which his resurrection by direct, sovereign act of God is a sign and symbol. That's a matter of who Jesus is. The item of confession leading to salvation is acceptance of Jesus's Lordship. That's a matter of my relationship with Jesus. Both are necessary.

Let's extend our reading from Romans 10:6-10:

6 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) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (NIV)

Verses 6-8 echoes Deuteronomy 30:11-14, where Moses affirms:

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. (NIV)

Paul quotation preserves the original sequence - first the mouth, then the heart - when he writes in verse 9: "If you declare with your mouth.....and believe in your heart...". However, in verse 10, he reverses the order to emphasize the inner dynamic of faith: "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." This shift hightlights that geniune confession flows from inward belief. Faith begins in the heart and finds expression through the mouth.

Thus, these passages affirm that genuine faith must be aligned both inwardly and outwardly. One cannot truly confess Jesus as Lord while doubting about His resurrection. The declaration of His Lordship presupposes belief in His resurrection - because only a risen Christ can be Lord.