Faith from Hearing

Romans 10:12-21

12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

13for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

16However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”

17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

18But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;

“THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH,

AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”

19But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,

“I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION,

BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.”

20And Isaiah is very bold and says,

“I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME,

I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.”

21But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”

There are two sections of today’s message that stand out to me. Verse 12 talks about God being constant and the same, regardless of the person. In my spiritual infancy, I thought a lot about other religions. I believed that everyone serves the same God, they just believe in Him differently. As I think of this verse, I imagine the differences between religions and belief systems and how proud we are of our own religions. Religion. A worthless idol. God doesn’t care what religion you believe in or what part of the world you come from. He cares if you believe in HIs Son as our Savior. Period. His love for us and will for us is constant, regardless of how often we change our minds or beliefs.

Paul touches on evangelism then. He’s quoting the scriptures to invoke the thoughts of the Jews, who have rejected Christ’s love. Why don’t they believe? Have they not heard the gospel? Of course they have, and they understood what it said. They made the choice to reject it, choosing instead to stick to their religion instead of their God. But this isn’t just about the Jews, is it?

How many Gentiles do you know that have rejected the gospel? As believers of Christ, it is our duty to spread this good news. How can someone make a choice if they don’t know what their options are? It isn’t on us to make people believe, just to help them understand. We are to plant the seed. No more, no less.

Who do you think needs to know their choices?

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