Book of Romans
Lesson #25
Romans 10:12 – 10:21
We were talking about the simplicity of the gospel when we ended our last lesson. The gospel is a simple message containing the full plan of salvation for the soul of man and that plan has been predetermined by an all-knowing and all-wise God. In fact, the simplicity of the gospel is often the thing that so many cannot understand.
Man tries to make the path to God so hard, almost impossible to attain. But God made the way that all men can go to him simply by believing in Jesus and trusting in the power of his blood to wash their sin away. God does all the work of sanctification, cleansing, purifying and creating a new heart and a right spirit within us. All we have to do; and all that we can do is to accept God’s wonderful gift of salvation by faith. No work that we can do erases one single sin, but faith in the blood of Jesus will wash away all sin for all men, for all time!
Every man who ever enters Heaven’s gates and is allowed to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and be welcomed to walk upon those streets of gold, and to sit down by the River of Life and let your feet rest in its cool, clear water, will only do so by faith in that blood. Nothing else pays the price of sin; and there is no other path to God’s New Heaven except through faith in the atoning power of Jesus’ blood.
Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
All are equally welcome to this salvation. Here the Jew has no exclusive privileges; and from this salvation the Gentile is not rejected. One simple way of being saved is proposed to all! The great riches of God’s wonderful grace is extended to all men everywhere. All it takes to have that grace applied is that we have the faith to call upon Jesus!
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
What does Paul mean when says, “call upon the name of the Lord”?
In my times of attempting to be a witness for Jesus, I have often asked the question, “Do you believe in Jesus”, or “Do you believe in God?” The answer to these questions is generally, “Yes”. There have been very few times when I wasn’t told that the prospect to whom I was witnessing did not confess a belief in Jesus; and even fewer times when they didn’t confess a belief in God.
The problem was that I had a knowledge of the lifestyles of some of them, and though I am not the judge of their heart, the fruits that their lives were bearing did not support the idea that they were followers of Christ, and in fact, often showed the characteristics of Satan himself. If they did know Jesus, they were a long way from showing his nature.
And many of those who said that they knew God made me wonder too. In fact, I’ve learned to ask not just, “Do you know God?” We have to assume in our modern society, even in America, that most people don’t have a clue as to who the True God of Heaven really is.
Our society has become a religious and/or spiritual mixture that is deadly to the soul. With the rise of eastern mysticism, Hinduism, Islam and the Muslims, Humanism, Multi-culturalism, Judaism, Atheism, the teachings of the Theory of Evolution, and so many different faiths that are supposedly based on Christianity and the Bible, along with other religious works that some claim are as authoritative as the Bible that create pseudo-Christian faiths, it’s no surprise that many in our nation don’t know who God is.
There are a lot of honest seekers of truth, but without guidance and a lot of wisdom, it is easy to become so confused that finding the way to the God of Heaven is an impossibility without aid from a supernatural source.
The one thing that makes the difference is not just my knowledge, or wisdom, in presenting the gospel in my attempts to lead them to Christ. What really makes the difference in leading people to the truth of the gospel is that the Holy Ghost is involved in the process and is He alone who has the power to cut through all the fluff and deceit and reveal himself to their heart.
What a wonderful thing it is to know that the Holy Ghost is with you and involved in the process of driving the message home to the heart of those that you are witnessing to. Where you are weak and frail, He is strong and able to overcome all objections. He will give you wisdom and guidance and will even put the words in your mind and mouth to speak to win a soul! It is Christ in you; and not just you on your own!
Instead of asking do you know God, the question should be, “Do you know Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life, and have you surrendered your heart and life to him?” Too many people have too many gods to just say, “Do you know God?” The answer might just be, “Which God”? Make no assumptions. Witnessing now means getting down to the very basics. Jesus is still the only way, so make sure you’re on the same page when witnessing.
So, to the question of, “Is knowing about Jesus”, the same as “calling on Jesus”? I would have to say an emphatic “NO!” Even Satan knows about Jesus. He knows that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the World, but in no way is Satan “calling on Jesus” to save him. I think there are also a lot of people who claim to “know Jesus as their Savior”, but they really don’t. They know Jesus is the Savior, but they don’t know him as “their Savior” because they’ve never asked him into their heart and surrendered their will to him.
“Calling on Jesus” in the context of this scripture means that I not only know him as the Son of God, and that I recognize that he gave his blood for my sin, but that I now “invoke” or “call upon” the power of that blood and the price that Jesus paid, to come and make a change in me because I realize that I am lost in sin and need the salvation of my soul that Jesus offers.
Salvation only comes when all of the pieces of the plan of God are in place. God does his part and it’s a finished work, but our part is an on-going thing. Not only do we “call upon Jesus” when we are saved, but we call upon him every day of our lives. That’s the path that the true disciple of Christ must walk, and every day we are bringing this body, and our will, under subjection to the purposes, nature and call of Jesus in our hearts. Just “calling upon Jesus” does nothing if our heart is not sincere in wanting Jesus to be the Lord of every facet of our lives.
The great thing is that no man on earth is excluded from truly “calling upon Jesus”! Every man who does so is guaranteed an audience at the Throne of God in the spirit, and the answer from the Lord is always a resounding “YES, HERE I AM”! God never ignores the prayer of a sincere heart, especially the prayer that
Jesus died to hear when a sinner is calling out with a repentant heart and seeking for Jesus to be his Savior! Everything that God has done, and all that Jesus suffered, and every action that God takes in the earth is all aimed at that one thing – to see souls saved! All of Heaven rejoices, and God Almighty is moved with love and compassion when the heart of a man, who is lost in sin, suddenly cries out for mercy! God will move Heaven and earth and overcome every power of darkness to reach that soul!
At the very instant that a sinner truly calls upon Jesus for salvation his sin is washed away and all guilt and shame are erased from his past life. The heart is instantly made pure, and the process of becoming rooted and grounded in Christ’s nature begins. That’s the process of being Born Again, and now this new creature in Christ will begin to show fruits of repentance and works of righteousness because Jesus has called him out of darkness into a marvelous light and his lifelong walk with the Lord begins.
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Paul now gives a proper order to this idea of calling upon the Lord and being saved. A specific sequence of events and prerequisites must be met before a sinner will hear the gospel and have the opportunity to call upon Jesus for salvation.
First, Let us never forget that there is only one way to salvation and eternal life, and that way is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s only through the mercy and grace of Christ alone that forgiveness and cleansing may come to the soul of a man. At Christmas we often hear those words that the angel spoke to the shepherds on the hills of Judea, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” Without the gospel these “good tidings” simply don’t exist. It’s all about the message of the true gospel of Jesus Christ!
2. These “good tidings”, the gospel of Christ, must be preached and proclaimed in the ears of men lost in sin before they can respond in faith and obedience to the plan of salvation.
3. According to God’s established plan, no man can truly and effectively preach the message of the gospel unless he has been given a diving mission and calling to do so. If the message is going to have the power to affect the heart of a man then it must go forth under and anointing, an unction and the authority of the Holy Ghost! Words alone can’t change the heart of a man; but the power of God in those words can do wonders and create miracles of deliverance.
4. In order for the preacher to do his/her job effectively, their message must be heard by someone. Those who hear must also take heed and let the message go past their ears and into their hearts and minds, giving it reverence and attention beyond just hearing sounds in the air.
5. Those who hear the message of the gospel must then relate it completely to the price that Jesus paid on the Cross and know that the gospel is a true account of what Jesus did. They must believe that Jesus is the Son of God who can gave his life for them, or there can be no salvation.
6. Those who believe must invoke the name of Jesus by calling upon him. This can’t be done without faith and believing in the reality of Christ.
So what is the required sequence of hearing and responding to the gospel message?
1 – The Right Message
2 – The Right Messenger
3 – The Right preaching and proclaiming of the Right Message
4 - The message must be heard properly and then responded to properly
5 – The message must be believed
6 – The hearer must call upon the name of the Lord seeking Jesus’ offering of salvation
Leaving out even one of these important prerequisites will always result in the failure of the sinner to come to Christ. Something is lost in the process, and the soul remains lost as result.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
It is impossible for a proper and lawful ministry of the gospel to happen unless there is an anointing, a calling, and a commission from God to go forth and proclaim the message and preach the word that God says to preach.
There are a lot of people today who have chosen a profession as pastors, teachers and positions within the church who have no call upon their lives to do so. These come into the ministry because of some perceived notion that it’s an easy job with great benefits and lots of recognition. They are called hirelings and often their message is one that is designed only to build a ministry or help them obtain great gain, but has no power to change the hearts of men and see them Born Again.
Unless you are called to the ministry, you’re on your own to try and make it work. Human skills and charisma can go a long way, but soon you’ll discover that without the anointing it will all come to nothing. It will be a work of the flesh and not of the Spirit and God will have no part in it. Though it may appear to be successful in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of God it is an utter failure!
God looks upon the lives of those whose lives are dedicated to the gospel, whose feet are walking in the paths of righteousness and are prepared to go wherever He sends them, to do whatever he directs them, and then he says, “How beautiful are the feet of them who bring good news”, wherever they go! The message of the gospel will always bring peace to those who hear it.
Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Though all parts of the plan of God for the spread of the gospel are in place it does not guarantee that all men will hear and believe. Some people are simply not ready to hear, but are satisfied in their sin. Unless that hardness of their heart is somehow softened, they will not hear or respond. They seem to be deaf to the things of God and uncaring of the condition of their souls. Even under the unction of the Holy Ghost, some people are hard to reach. How much harder is it for someone who is not anointed to preach the gospel?
Even under the preaching of Isaiah the prophet, Israel would not repent! Even under the preaching of gospel in our day by some of the most anointed and powerful men of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, people won’t hear! God help them, and God help us to always be anointed when we preach, otherwise there is no hope of reaching men who need God.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
When a soul that is ready to hear the gospel finally hears the message, the truth of the gospel will cause faith to arise in their hearts. Thus by hearing, faith is brought forth from the deep recesses of the heart. God has given every man this measure of faith; enough to believe and be saved, and enough to help him believe in God and his Word all the way into eternity.
Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Israel didn’t hear the words of Isaiah. Our world does not hear the message of the gospel. But the message is going forth. It’s always there, in the ears of those who will hear it. Remember, for the message to take effect, somebody has to hear it and receive it in their hearts. It’s not that the message is presented poorly, or that the messenger is lacking, but it’s the condition of the hard heart of the sinner that stops the process of saving the soul.
Romans 10:19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
In the days of Isaiah, did not Israel know about the Lord? They had been given the words of the Law through Moses and had seen him as a forerunner of the Messiah. Then Jesus himself came to Israel and preached the gospel to them, yet they did not hear him.
God then uses various means to try and get the attention of men who refuse to hear him. For Israel, it was the invasion of Gentile nations that would chastise Israel again and again until they finally heard that God is a jealous God and won’t put up with idolatry. Yet they still do not hear the entire gospel for they still reject Jesus, and so there will come another chastisement at the hand of the gentiles in the last days. God never gives up trying until finally a remnant will get the message and serve him.
Then God really angered Israel and the Jews by sending the gospel throughout the gentile world, thus making Israel jealous in return. Israel wouldn’t hear, so let’s just give the gentiles a chance and see if they will hear and obey the gospel.
How are we doing? There is a remnant of believers, but even in the gentile world the message is rejected. Therefore, God will send chastisement upon the gentiles as well. That’s what the Book of Revelation and even the trials of life are all about. God is trying to get the attention of mankind, but men are paying attention.
Romans 10:20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
Isaiah didn’t mince words in his preaching. He called it as he saw it and revealed the whole counsel of God. He didn’t compromise the message in the least. Yet Israel would not hear! When Israel could not be turned around, God then allowed the gentiles to find him. The gospel was preached and the God of Heaven was revealed through the Apostles and the gentiles began to receive the truth that Israel consistently rejected.
Romans 10:21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
God is constantly finding ways for the gospel to be presented. He will use the voices of preachers behind pulpits. He will use any and all types of technology. He will use any means necessary to have the gospel go forth. All day long, God is working, and God’s day is a long-eternal day. He never gives up trying.
But all of God’s efforts are for nothing if the heart of a man won’t hear and believe. If men will refuse to hear, and they continually harden their hearts, and they remain stiff necked and rebellious and even take action to kill Jesus again in their own consciousness, then there’s nothing more that God can do because he will not overpower their free will to make their own choice.
There comes a point when it is just and right for God to just cast those aside who remain so adamantly opposed to the gospel. He has rejected Israel in the past. He has rejected many gentiles in the past. I have seen many, even in my own ministry, that have been rejected because they refuse to hear and heed the gospel.
Lord, help us to be always ready to preach the message. Help us, Holy Spirit, to always have the unction and anointing. Help this message of the gospel to go forth and reap a harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God. Never let us compromise or lose the message altogether, for only in the gospel of Jesus Christ do we have hope.
