Is the Word of Faith here to be understood as having been already given or just offered (before belief and confession)?
8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:8-9 KJV
First, Rom 10:8 quotes Deut 30:14 -
But the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may obey it.
In Rom 10:8, the meaning of "the word of faith" is defined by what immediately follows:, namely:
Rom 10:9 - 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.
Now, it is obvious that this message of salvation by faith through the grace of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed from the time of Jesus Himself. Therefore, the message necessarily precedes conversion. However, conversion of any sinner, involving such a turning to God, results from the divine miracle of the Holy Spirit on a person as described in many places such as John 16:13 -
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Now, whether the sinner chooses to accept this gracious offer is another matter. However, earlier in the same book of Romans, Paul says that all are given a revelation of the divine graces (Rom 1:18-22) and many choose to reject it.
Understanding Romans 10:9 can be challenging:
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.
To approach this rightly, one must recognize that "faith" is never a human achievement. It is given solely by the grace of God according to His sovereign will. The confession "Jesus is Lord" is therefore not a work that earns salvation, but the outward expression of a faith already planted in the heart. It must not be misunderstood as a formula by which one secures salvation through the act of speaking.
With this in view, it becomes clear that faith precedes any genuine confession.
Yet Scripture also teaches that faith, though divinely given, can begin small and grow over time, as shown in the Parable of Mustard Seed. Likewise, the Parable of the Sower reveals that although faith may be sown generously, not all who receive it persevere. Only those who remain in Christ - living in submission to the indwelling Holy Spirit - are able to endure to the end and finish the race set before them.
