Hello, and thank you for joining me here for Day 6 of our current series, working through Part 2 of the Not Ashamed of the Gospel Bible Study from HelloMornings.
Today, our passage of Scripture is Romans 10: 5 - 15 ...
For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
I love how many times Paul references Old Testament Scriptures in today's verses. He's making a very strong case to the Jewish Believers to prove that God's Word has not changed, nor has it failed, and that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the plan of salvation was always His intention for the world.
Verse 14 is key in this passage: many Christians falsely believe that if they simply live good, faith-filled lives, unsaved people around them will see that they're different and somehow come to salvation by example (or osmosis!). While our lifestyle, our actions, our words, are all extremely important, and should absolutely point people towards the Father, the unsaved won't know what makes us different to the world if we don't explicitly tell them about our blessed salvation and the One who saves.
Paul tells us very clearly in verse 14 that sharing the Gospel requires actual words from us: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
Photo credit: Wham 3622