Dear Student of the Word,
Yes, it's been two weeks already since your last installment of Romans, and here it is, part 10 in a yet to be determined number of installments. This week we move through Romans 10, where Paul talks about, yet again, the importance of faith in the life of anyone who comes to Christ. This must have been a huge issue on the early church, for Paul spent much time on the subject. This week I wrote in part six of this seven-part installment:
Study Ten, Part Six
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." 20 And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people."
10:17 – While I have digressed to talk about faith in general, Paul was specifically writing about faith unto salvation or saving faith in this context. And the phrase “word of Christ” is worth our attention here. Is this a word about Christ or are these the words that belong to Christ, so that the speaker is actually delivering the message that Christ Himself would deliver? When you are preaching the gospel, you are standing where Jesus would stand if He were present. Your words are not your own; they are His. That may seem insignificant to you, but I have both a privilege and awesome responsibility in preaching the “word of Christ.”
10:18 – Paul quoted an interesting verse from Psalm 19 here:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).
This passage refers to what theologians call “general revelation.” God’s creation gives testimony to God’s existence. It does not outline how to reach God, but it declares that God exists. Jews had the Law and an understanding of creation that allowed them to understand God’s existence in a way that the Gentiles could not. Yet the Gentiles were without excuse when they did not acknowledge God, for they beheld the same marvels of creation as Jews and should have recognized that the heavens were created by an awesome God.
10:19 – Yet while Israel had the Law and general revelation, when what is called “specific revelation” about Jesus came, they rejected the truth. Now God, in a special effort to reach the Jews, has allowed Gentiles into a covenant relationship with Himself that is meant to stir the Jews to anger and jealousy. Hopefully at some point in history, this anger and jealousy will cause them to reach out to find God in Christ. So far, that has not happened in significant numbers from the Jews.
10:20 – Paul then explained the words from Isaiah 65 in the context of his call to go to the Gentiles. Paul’s mission wasn’t some response to a need Paul noticed. Paul’s mission to the Gentiles was God’s idea and God foretold of this mission throughout the Old Testament. The Jews thought they “owned” God. They did not, for God was the God of all ethnic groups and now Paul was called to proclaim that truth.
10:21 – While God is patient and merciful, there is a time when He moves on and says, “Enough.” God consistently reached out to the Jews, who rejected His overtures. They maintained an outward appearance of righteousness and relied heavily on their heritage of what God had done for their forefathers. In Paul’s day, God was doing something new among the Gentiles and consequently the Jews, even the Jewish believers, didn’t particularly like it. That is why they resisted Paul.
While God is merciful, there is a day when He transitions from mercy to judgment. And when He does that, it doesn’t make God any less merciful. Fortunately, God is long-suffering and that day can be very far off. You are wise, however, not to assume that it is. Is there some sin of which you need to repent, but keep saying to yourself that you will do it tomorrow or later? I urge you to repent and do it now, for you don’t know the boundaries of God’s mercy and patience.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.
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