2/04/07

God’s Word Gives Substance to Faith

Romans 10:1-21

    Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. [2] For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. [3] For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. [4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. [5] For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. [6] But the righteousness based on faith speaks thus, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), [7] or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)." [8] But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, [9] that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; [10] for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. [11] For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; [13] for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." [14] How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things!"

    [16] However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?" [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. [18] But 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."

[19] But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? At the first Moses says,

        "I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation,

        By a nation without understanding will I anger you."

[20] And Isaiah is very bold and says,

        "I was found by those who sought Me not,

        I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me."

[21] But as for Israel He says, "All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."  

This portion of Paul’s letter to the Romans points to the problem of the advancement of the gospel to the Gentiles.  God established the Jews as a people, not only through who would come the Messiah, but God used them also to proclaim that His salvation would be for the Gentiles.  Though the Jews were the nation God worked through to bring His son into the world, not all believed.  In the very same sense, I believe that God has had His hand on the United States for the purpose of the spread of the Gospel for the past two hundred years, we know that more have not received the Gospel than have.  God is more the Sovereign King over men’s hearts than He is over nations. 

·                    Man, having been made in the likeness of God, has a basic understanding of goodness.  His goodness can never achieve what we call salvation because it is based in the unregenerate heart...Is. 64:6...”our goodness or righteousness is as filthy rags.”  There is a moral linkage to the mind of man, but not a true knowledge or understanding of God.  In fact, man is not really thinking of God in his attempts toward "goodness".  He is thinking of his own glory.

            Verse two and three indicate that they are void of that knowledge.  In fact, more accurately,

            they are ignorant of God's righteousness.  They have no knowledge of Him, in His personage,

            as the Holy, Righteous, Just, Sovereign Ruler of all creation. 

Romans 1:18-21

    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, [19] because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. [20] For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. [21] For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

·                    Paul makes it clear again that man's attempts at righteousness have become perverted and twisted by his own sinfulness.   

·                    Verse four: Paul says that Christ completely fulfills all that is righteous to everyone who believes.

·                    Each person will live in accordance with the righteousness with which he has.  The person who lives in accordance with his own righteousness will be bound by his own power.  The one who lives in accordance with the righteousness brought to him by the grace of God has the unbounded ability to live in right relationship with God.

·                    Verses 6 and 7 acknowledge that all the righteousness that man needs has already been established in Christ.  Hebrews 7:27 and 9:12

 Hebrews 7:27

    who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

 Hebrews 9:12

    and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  

·                    What God has done for us in Christ has been spoken.  Ephesians 2:8-9 express that what Christ has done, i.e., brought salvation to us through His shed blood, becomes reality...it becomes ours at the point of faith.  The response of the regenerated heart is the cry of faith, that is the confession that Christ is Lord believing that God has raised Him from the dead.  This results in one's salvation.

·                    This belief and confession will never leave anyone in a position of disappointment.  God saves and keeps to the end.     

·                    Verses 14 and 15 show forth the reality of God's Spirit working in conjunction with His Eternal Word...it is the power of that Word of which Paul was so unashamed, as he proclaimed in Romans 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'But the righteous man shall live by faith.'" This is why we are called to proclaim the Word, for without its proclamation, hearts will not be moved to claim the grace of God.  For this purpose Christ's last command to His disciples was to "go...and make disciples."(Matthew 28:19.

·                   How long did God stretch out His hand for you until you responded in faith?  Why doesn't God bring life to our hearts the moment we are of an accountable age?  Why does He allow us to continue to live as though we do not belong to Him?  I believe that it is the continuing saga of representing His mercy and grace.  I believe that it is for the ministry within the body of Christ to be a point of encouragement and teaching, as well as our understanding the "abounding riches" (vs.12) that are our in Christ that will be declared in our words and actions.