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ROMANS CHAPTER 10
(v. 27) '''Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
(v. 28) For the Lord will carry out His sentence on earth with speed and finality."
"Only the remnant will be saved [from] His sentence on earth [of temporal wrath]" =
(v. 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.
(v. 10) For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment]."
Note that verses 9-10 quoted above include the phrase: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified.
i) To Be Justified By Faith Is To Be Saved Unto Eternal Life From God's Wrath
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"
Looking ahead to Ro 10:9-10 we have in view a parallel group to the remnant of Israelites referred to in 9:27-78. Just as this parallel group in 10:9-10 is justified by faith alone and then saved by a faithful action of confessing Jesus as Lord, so the remnant of Israelites are to be viewed as justified by faith alone the coming Messiah alone, and then saved by faithful action of pursuing a righteousness by faith in the stumbling block, the stone Who is the Messiah to come, (vv. 9:30-33).
Hence in the same way that believers are saved in Ro 10:9-10 so in Ro 9:27-28, we have a remnant of Israelites who are believers justified by faith unto eternal life whose lives, because they are faithful, will also be saved, i.e., preserved from God's temporal wrath and destruction unto "Promised Land" type blessings.
[Dr. Joseph C. Dillow, 'The Reign of the Servant Kings', Schoettle Publishing, Hayesville, NC, 1992, pp. 125]:
"Each deliverance of God's people in time is part of the line of fulfillment intended by Isaiah. Beginning with physical deliverance from the Assyrian invasion, it progresses through subsequent deliverances of the [Israelite] people in time. Paul desires that the [Israelite] people will be saved from destruction in A.D. 70, but he knows that all will experience the temporal deliverances in the broadest sense as they call upon the name of their divine Lord for assistance in time."
(v. 27) '''Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
(v. 28) For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
"Only the remnant will be saved" =
A cont.) A REMNANT OF ISRAELITE BELIEVERS IS IN VIEW
a) Only A Remnant Of Faithful Israelite Believers Will Return To Israel In the Future
(v. 22) "Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant [who are justified born again Israelite believers] will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.
(v. 23) The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land."
Notice the picture which points to temporal destruction and blessings:
Temporal destruction: Destruction is decreed upon the Israelite people though their numbers would be as the sand of the sea.
Temporal blessings: Only a remnant of Israelites will return, evidently to the Promised Land
(v. 2) "God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel:
(v. 3) "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"
(v. 4) And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
(v. 5) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
(v. 6) And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."
The phrases, "chosen by grace" and "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works" point to a context of salvation unto eternal life, for that is the basis of salvation unto eternal life]:
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
(v. 9) not by works, so that no one can boast."
In the history of Israel, a 'remnant' may be traced, a spiritual Israel of believers in a coming Messiah chosen by grace to save them from their sins.
(v. 6) "It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
(v. 7) Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."
(v. 8)
In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but
it is the children of the promise who are regarded as
Abraham's offspring." 
c) Prophets Who Are Part Of The Remnant Preserved Throughout History Must Be Believers
(v. 17) '''The LORD said to me: "What they say is good.
(v. 18) I will raise up for them a Prophet [Jesus Christ] like you from among their brothers [Jews]; I will put my words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command him.
(v. 19) If anyone does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My name, I myself will call him to account.'''
[Notice that Jesus Christ is that Prophet which the LORD will raise up "from among their brothers" which establishes that all prophets must be believers]
(v. 19) "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
(v. 20) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.
[Notice that prophets utter revelation of God, His very words, which become part of Scripture]
(v. 21) For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
[Note that prophecy has its origin from God carried along by the Holy Spirit]
Since the prophet was inspired by God the Holy Spirit unto miracles and to reveal God's revelation and thus it was to be part of God's Word as evidenced by books of the O.T and N.T.,
and since the chief Prophet was Jesus Christ Himself, (Dt 18:17-18);
then the direct relationship with God the Holy Spirit and association with Jesus Christ as the Chief Prophet Himself establishes that the prophets had to be believers]
i) [Compare 1 Kings 19:15-18]:
(v. 15) '''The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
(v. 16) Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
(v. 17) Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
(v. 18) Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him." '''
[Notice that Elisha is anointed to be prophet, which requires him to be a believer for no one could perform the work of a prophet unless he were so. He is amongst a group of many who are anointed and reserved as believers - a remnant chosen by grace, (Ro 11:4-6 previously quoted]
e) In Isaiah's Time God Left A Remnant Of Israelites To Survive
"Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."
In Isaiah's time it was the 'very small remnant' for whose sake God still forbore to destroy the nation. Evidently these must be believers for whom God forestalled temporal destruction of Israel.
All of these must have been believers in order to be used by God as they were, especially the prophets.
At the end of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity it was the remnant which returned under Ezra and Nehemiah.
(v. 28) '''Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
(v. 29) "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
(v. 30) For my eyes have seen your salvation,
(v. 31) which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
(v. 32) a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
(v. 33) The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.
(v. 34) Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,
(v. 35) so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
(v. 36) There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
(v. 37) and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.
(v. 38) Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.'''
h) During The Church-Age The Remnant Is Composed Of Believing Jews
(v. 4) '''And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
[Notice that God is referring to those who are not unfaithful to Him, i.e., believers]
(v. 5) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
(v. 6) And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.'''
[Notice that a remnant in the past which is 'chosen by grace' which is not by works, (but by faith alone), i.e., believers, are in view is paralleled by Paul's use of the phrase, 'So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace'. All of this has in view born again believers including a present time remnant]
(v. 3) "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
(v. 4) Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
(v. 5) From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
(v. 6) from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
(v. 7) from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
(v. 8) from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000."
ii) Some Of These Will Undergo Martyrdom
(v. 9) '''When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.
(v. 10) They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"
(v. 11) Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.'''
iii) Some Will Be Spared To Enter The Millennial Kingdom
(v. 6) '''On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a fire pot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
(v. 7) "The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.
(v. 8) On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.
[Notice that salvation, i.e., preservation of the physical lives of a remnant of Israelites who will become believers is in view here]
(v. 9) On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
(v. 10) "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
[Notice that those who are preserved by God Who pours out a spirit of grace will all trust in their Messiah and are saved by grace through faith, i.e., become a remnant of believers preserved to live in the millennial age]
(v. 27) '''Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
(v. 28) For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
"Only the remnant will be saved" =
(v. 22) "Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous.
(v. 23) The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land."
Notice that the context of the word "saved" has a remnant of Israelites on earth who are believers in view being returned to Israel, (Isa 10:22), i.e., delivered from the temporal destruction which God had "decreed upon the whole land" [of Israel] which is in the Promised Land. The majority of Israelites were killed in battle or removed from the land in the Assyrian captivity, ca 722 B.C. never to return. Their descendants remain scattered throughout the world today. Only a remnant of descendants who are believers have been prophesied and preserved throughout history who will finally return to the Promised Land when Messiah comes.
[John F Hart, Professor of Bible Moody Bible Institute, Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Autumn 1999 -Vol 12:23, 'Why Confess Christ? The Use and Abuse of Romans 10:9-10']:
'''Israel's deliverance from its enemies and its preservation as a nation are the primary meanings of "salvation." Beyond this, since each quotation has the Second Coming of Christ as its background, one needs to keep in mind that the introduction of the millennial kingdom will bring a reign of righteousness by Jesus Christ's personal presence as King. Satan will be bound so that his deceptions will not prevent the reign of righteousness (Rev 20:2-3). All rebels will be purged from the nation (Ezek 20:37-38; Matt 25:1-30; Mal 3:2-3, 5), which the Messiah will accomplish when He comes out of Zion (cf. Isa 59:20-21; Matt 23:37-39; Acts 15:16).
[i.e., only a remnant who are believers will be saved from physical destruction, i.e., survive and return to the Promised Land when Messiah comes]
This means that initially there will be no Jewish unbelievers as the survivors of the Tribulation period begin living in the millennial kingdom. "The Second Coming of Christ referred to in Rom 11:26 confirms the OT predictions that Christ will deliver Israel from her persecutors and bring great spiritual revival to His ancient people."
(v. 6) "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
(v. 7) The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.
(v. 8) On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.
(v. 9) On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
(v. 10) And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
(v. 11) On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
(v. 12) The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,
(v. 13) the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,
(v. 14) and all the rest of the clans and their wives.
(v. 13:1) "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
(v. 13:2) "On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more," declares the LORD Almighty. "I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." '''
[Note that a remnant of believers is in view, preserved from physical death by the grace of God wherein God purges all rebels from the world, the remnant of believers is purified from sin and impurity and God will pour out on the remnant a "spirit of grace and supplication", (v. 10)]
(v. 26) '''And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
(v. 27) And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins." '''
(v. 20) " 'The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,' declares the LORD.
(v. 21) 'As for me, this is My covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit, Who is on you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,' says the LORD."
[Hart, cont.]:
'''When "all Israel will be saved" (Rom 11:26), not only will sins be forgiven but the "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob"... All idolatry will cease (Isa 30:21-22), and Jews will readily claim in public Yahweh as their God (Isa 44:4-5) because the Spirit will be poured out in a unique way (Isa 44:3; Joel 2:28-32). Devotion to the Lord will be consistent and extensive (Jer 24:7; 50:19-20; Ezek 11:19-20; 36:25-27; Hos 4:4-8; Zeph 3:9-13). This revival of Israel is nothing short of a "resurrection" since Israel's future acceptance with God will be considered to be "life from the dead" (11:15). Again, Paul implies that salvation stretches beyond justification in its range of meaning for [the book of] Romans."
[Dillow, cont., p. 122-3 ]:
"[Paul] quotes Isa 10:22-23 and refers to the remnant that will be saved (Rom 9:27). The salvation in view is not deliverance from hell but the fulfillment of the promise to Israel that she would one day be restored to Palestine."
(v. 27) '''Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
(v. 28) For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
"Only the remnant [of Israelites who are believers] will be saved" =
(v. 33) ''' "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
(v. 34) Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
(v. 35) And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
(v. 36) I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
(v. 37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
(v. 38) Look, your house is left to you desolate.
[Note that the word "desolate" means destroyed, population killed or taken in captivity, which occurred in A.D. 70]
(v. 39) For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' " '''
[Dillow, cont.]:
[In Paul's time] "Israel once again faces temporal destruction. The Lord announced it in His predictions of the total devastation of the temple and the people of Israel which occurred in A.D. 70".
Because He knew Jerusalem would become desolate, the Lord wept for their failure.
The fact that Paul quotes Scripture related to Israel's temporal destruction and the certain knowledge he had of the Lord's prophecy surely suggests that, when he says he desires Israel's 'salvation,' he refers to the line of cumulative fulfillment of the remnant doctrine. The terrible devastation that would come upon Israel in A.D. 70 was their judgment for rejecting the free gift of the righteousness of God in Christ, their Messiah (Rom 10:2-4).'''
(v. 27) '''Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
(v. 28) For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality."
(v. 29) It is just as Isaiah said previously: "Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah." '''
"Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah." =
(v. 9) "Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah."
[Paul addresses his time of history with a perspective of OT prophecy which he quotes relative to a remnant of believers who must physically survive down through the ages in order that the remnant of Israel might be saved into the eternal kingdom as prophesied, otherwise there would be no survivors as occurred in Sodom and Gomorrah]
(v. 26) '''And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob."
(v. 27) And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." '''
(v. 20) ''' "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
(v. 21) "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.'' '''
[Dillow, cont.]:
"In the preceding context [of Romans chapter 10, i.e., chapter 9 leading into 10:1] we discover that a deliverance from temporal devastation was his meaning [for the word 'saved']. Quoting Isa 1:9, the apostle directs our attention to the Assyrian invasion (ca 722 B.C.). Unless the Lord leaves some survivors, the nation will end up being completely destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah (see Rom 9:29). But a remnant did survive the Assyrian invasion. And this remnant becomes a fulfillment of the promise that a remnant would one day return to the Lord. Paul refers to this in Rom 9:27 and 28."
(v. 33) ''' "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
(v. 34) No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." '''
(v. 30) "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
(v. 31) but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
(v. 32) Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."
(v. 33) As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."
(v. 13) "The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread,
(v. 14) and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare."
"So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a Precious Cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."
[Notice that Israel by and large were unbelievers. Except for a remnant they did not "trust" in the "precious cornerstone" resulting in their "being dismayed", i.e., horrified and hurried up to such an extent that one is destroyed. This has in view physical as well as eternal destruction. On the other hand, for the remnant of believers, God through faith alone in the Precious Cornerstone is a haven and a sanctuary from destruction both temporal and eternal who's eternal destiny is the promised land]:
(v. 24) "For I will take you [Israel] out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
(v. 25) I [God] will sprinkle clean water [the Holy Spirit, (v. 27)] on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols."
(v. 25) "I [God] will sprinkle clean water [the Holy Spirit] on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols."
[And only the Holy Spirit can do this; and this is verified in the next two verses in Ezekiel]:
(v. 26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; [a born again spirit, (Jn 3:5)] I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
(v. 27) And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws."
Notice that the destiny of Israel is one of being moved by the Spirit Who is received by faith alone in the Messiah alone to follow God's decrees and be careful to keep God's laws and thus be brought back into the promised land.]
(v. 1) "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
(v. 2) For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge."
"Brother's, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved." =
"Brothers" = fellow believers.
Paul earnestly desires that the Jews be saved from God's wrath unto eternal blessings in the promised land.
Notice that the word "saved" here in verse 10:1 continues the context of 9:27-33, which verses have in view a righteousness which is not to be pursued (via works) but which is received by faith. This points to an already justified group of individuals who are saved, i.e., delivered from temporal destruction unto the eternal promised land.
Time after time the Israelites demonstrated unfaithfulness coming out of their failure to choose to be justified by faith alone substituting their own works to establish their own righteousness in order to be justified. This resulted in their repeated destruction. Even as they entered and partially occupied the promised land, they failed to enter the temporal rest that God had promised.
[Dillow, cont., pp. 122-3]:
The following context (10:2-8) does not define the salvation of vs. 1... but explains why they cannot experience this salvation in daily life. It is because they had not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God and heretofore would not receive His free righteousness (10:2). We conclude then that being 'saved' in v. 1 refers to God's promise of divine aid to His people in time. It is His provision for victory over their enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil."
(v. 2) For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
(v. 3) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
"Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." =
A) THE ISRAELITES SOUGHT TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS IN PLACE OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS
Paul "can testify" because he was a well informed Israelite himself. He declared that the Israelites sought to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to God's righteousness, implying that their righteousness fell short of God's righteousness.
The Jews were zealous for God but in their own way - outside of the will of God, with self-centered motivations. They insisted upon relying upon their own efforts to obey the Law to gain entry into the eternal Kingdom and be delivered from 'their enemies; the world, the flesh and the devil' - an endeavor of futility. They ignored Scripture and refused its message to trust alone in the Messiah Jesus Christ alone for God's righteousness to enter the Kingdom.
(v. 19) "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
(v. 20) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
(v. 21) But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the [OT] Law and the Prophets testify.
(v. 22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."
"All the [OT] prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name."
Notice that "no one will be declared righteous in [God's] sight by observing law [= no article, i.e., any rules of conduct], rather through law [= no article, i.e., any rules of conduct] we [all] become conscious of sin.
The Old Testament testifies of the Messiah to come, Jesus Christ. And that "everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name."
(v. 2) For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
(v. 3) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
"Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." (cont.) =
(v. 24) "For I will take you [Israel] out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
(v. 25) I [God] will sprinkle clean water [the Holy Spirit, (v. 27)] on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols."
["water" - water here is the symbol for God the Holy Spirit, cp Jn 7:38-39a]:
(v. 38) "Whoever believes in Me [Jesus Christ] as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
(v. 39a) By this He meant the Spirit..."
[Compare the O.T. passages our Lord was referring to: Isa 43:20; 44:3; 55:1 & especially 12:2-3]:
(v. 2) "Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.
(v. 3) With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
1 cont.) [Ez 36:24-27 cont.]:
(v. 25) "I [God] will sprinkle clean water [the Holy Spirit] on you and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols."
[And only the Holy Spirit can do this; and this is verified in the next two verses in Ezekiel]:
(v. 26) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; [a born again spirit, (Jn 3:5)] I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
(v. 27) And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws."
[Notice that the destiny of Israel is one of being moved by the Spirit Who is received by faith alone in the Messiah alone to follow God's decrees and be careful to keep God's laws and thus be saved, i.e., brought back into the promised land]
(v. 3) "Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(v. 4) For Christ is the end of law [codes of conduct to keep in order to be righteous enough to satisfy God] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."
"For Christ is the end of law [codes of conduct to keep in order to be righteous enough to satisfy God] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." =
"For Christ is the end of law" = ".................telos gar nomou christos"
................................................................"[the] end ..for .of law ..Christ"
Notice that there is no definite article before "nomou" = "law" indicating a code of conduct to live by, the greatest of which is the Mosaic Law.
Our Lord's sacrifice for sins on the cross ended the requirement that one must obey the Law or any code of conduct for those who "sought to establish their own righteousness" before God.
Instead of trusting in and living by God's plan of receiving His righteousness through faith in a coming Messiah unto eternal life, the Jews attempted but failed to trust in and live by the Law of Moses - their particular code of behavior - in order to achieve God's perfect righteousness under their own auspices. But Christ was promised to be and is now the end of such futile attempts so that there may be received a righteousness from God for everyone who simply believes in Jesus Christ. People who lived before the cross trusted in God's promise of a future Messiah Savior [Christ in English = Christos in NT Greek = HaMaschioch in OT Hebrew.
So every man must turn to God for His mercy to receive His righteousness from God alone by a simple act of faith alone in Christ alone as his Savior]:
(v. 3) '''Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(v. 4) For Christ is the end of law [codes of conduct to keep in order to be righteous enough to satisfy God] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
(v. 5) Moses describes in this way the righteousness which is by the Law, "The man who does these things will live by them." '''
'''Moses describes in this way the righteousness which is by the Law, "The man who does these things will live by them." ''' =
(v. 1) '''The LORD said to Moses,
(v. 2) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God.
(v. 3) You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
[Notice that a lifestyle of doing the commands of the Law is in view]
(v. 4) You must obey My laws and be careful to follow My decrees. I am the LORD your God.
(v. 5) Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.' " '''
[So the result of keeping the Law is to live out ones life]
[Michael Makidon email Tue, 5 Oct 2004, mike@faithalone.org]:
"Paul begins v. 5b with a quote from the Old Testament. This same verse in the LXX (Lev 18:5) says, 'You will do it, which by doing, man shall live in them [statutes and judgments]' in Leviticus, the opposite of 'living' was equated with being ostracized or cut off from the land and the nation that had been spewed out beforehand (Egypt and Canaan)... Being 'cut off' in the Old Testament should be equated not with eternal condemnation but being cut off from the blessings of the house of God...
It seems clear that 'life' in this passage does not refer to eternal life, but avoiding the temporal consequences of God's judgment and wrath. Although Israel tried to do right, they always seemed to fail. Although, while they obeyed, their nation was characterized by prosperity, security, and safety [even the preservation of their physical lives]. Diodore of Tarsus, in a commentary from the Greek church, commented, 'Paul says that the man who fulfilled the law would enjoy the good things promised by it, that is to say, a land flowing with milk and honey.' Gordon J Wenham argues that present divine blessing comes through obedience to the law. Thus, Paul's use of Lev 18:5 is in reference to sanctification. Ammerman writes, 'This can be seen from the theology of Romans 6 and usages of dikaiosunh, 'righteousness,' in Romans. Paul argues for obedience in relation to sanctification, just as Leviticus 18:5 does.'
Though one can live well by living in a righteous manner, this prosperity cannot exist without the righteousness, which is based on faith. Once again Paul switches the subject to 'faith' (hJ pivstew'), however, Paul separates the article and the noun, which commonly denotes highlighting. Paul makes it clear that there is another righteousness, which is 'based on' (ejk) faith."
(v. 3) '''Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(v. 4) For Christ is the end of law [codes of conduct to keep in order to be righteous enough to satisfy God] so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
(v. 5) Moses describes in this way the righteousness which is by the Law, "The man who does these things will live by them." '''
'''Moses describes in this way the righteousness which is by the Law, "The man who does these things will live by them." ''' (cont.) =
Moses describes one who seeks to establish his own righteousness which is to be acceptable with God by keeping the Law's commandments, or any code of conduct as an endeavor in which one must live wholly by those rules or not at all. This implies unceasing perfection in obedience, no failures - an insurmountable task!
(v. 1) '''The LORD said to Moses,
(v. 2) "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I am the LORD your God.
(v. 3) You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
[Notice that a lifestyle of doing the commands of the Law is in view]
(v. 4) You must obey My laws and be careful to follow My decrees. I am the LORD your God.
(v. 5) Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.' " '''
"Keep My decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD."
[The man who keeps the law of God, in this case, the Law of Moses, will live, i.e., will have his physical life preserved from God's wrath unto blessing]
(v. 10) '''For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
A single infraction of the Law for example, (or any righteous code of behavior), and one has in effect broken the whole Law, (ref. Jas 2:10). For the one infraction brings the law breaker under eternal & temporal condemnation.
(v. 2) '''For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
(v. 3) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(v. 4) Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
(v. 5) Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." '''
Notice that one who seeks to establish one's own righteousness by keeping the commandments neither succeeds in knowing God nor submits to God's righteousness because there is no one who truly does good, not even one:
(v. 10) '''As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
(v. 11) there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
(v. 12) All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
(v. 9) not by works, so that no one can boast."
Notice that any human doing is completely excluded relative to attaining salvation.
(v. 6) '''But the righteousness that is by faith says "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (That is, to bring Christ down)
[For it has been preached to you that Jesus Christ has already been among us on earth - He has already shown us to be our Righteousness in Whom we must trust for His righteousness]
(v. 7) or 'Who will descend into the deep (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead)
[For it has been preached to you that Jesus Christ has risen and has already proved to be our Righteousness in Whom we must trust for His Righteousness. One does not have to go to heaven or to the depths beyond the grave to find this out]
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you [as a result of Paul's preaching] it is in your mouth and in your heart.' [because you have heard the preaching of Paul] that is the word of faith that we are preaching"
'''But the Righteousness that is by faith says "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (That is, to bring Christ down) ..... "But what does it say? 'The word is near you it is in your mouth and in your heart.' that is the word of faith that we are preaching" =
Notice that one does not have to ascend to heaven to bring Christ down to tell us what one must do to attain the Righteousness of God by faith. The words of Christ are in the Word of God which is already in ones mouth and thus in ones heart, (mind). This is because Paul and the apostles were reminding the Roman believers that they have already been exposed to the preaching of God's Word, via Paul's ministry which was spreading throughout the world.
(v. 11) "Now what I [Moses] am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
(v. 12) It [The Word of God which Moses has been commanding, (v. 11)] is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, '''Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?'''
(v. 13) Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, '''Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it.?'''
Paul is referring to this passage in Romans chapter 10. He looks to the message of this old testament passage relative to "the Righteousness which is by faith" of which the Israelites of old were informed via the teaching of Moses.
[Pastor Kurth, berean@execpc.com]:
"...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach."
What does he [Paul] mean by this? Simply that the Old Testament Scriptures, as our Lord put it, 'are they which testify of Me' (John 5:39), and 'Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day' (Acts 15:21). This means that verses about the Lord Jesus Christ were read in every synagogue from ancient times, whether they knew it or not (and they didn't). But this is what Paul means when he tells the Jews here in Romans 10:8, 'the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.' They had been preaching Christ (through Moses) for centuries. Every Sabbath day, the word about Christ that Paul preached was in the mouth of every Jew who read Moses in the synagogue."
Paul draws a parallel message for individuals in his day, (and today). He proclaims that the gospel, i.e., "the Righteousness which is by faith" is near, it is in ones mouth and hearts (minds) because it has been preached by Paul to them from the scriptures. One therefore does not need to claim one hasn't heard it and have an excuse that one needs to ascend to heaven to speak with Jesus Christ to get it or descend to the depths beyond the grave to bring Christ up from the dead to get it, (as if that were the case). There is no excuse Paul says, for the message is near. It is in their mouths and in their hearts.
VIII cont.) [Ro 10:6-8 cont.]:
(v. 6) '''But the Righteousness that is by faith says "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (That is, to bring Christ down)
[For it has been preached to you that Jesus Christ has already been among us on earth - He has already shown us to be our Righteousness in Whom we must trust for His Righteousness]
(v. 7) or 'Who will descend into the deep (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead)
[For it has been preached to you that Jesus Christ has risen and has already proved to be our Righteousness in Whom we must trust for His Righteousness. One does not have to go to heaven or to the depths beyond the grave to find this out.
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you [as a result of Paul and the apostles' preaching and the O.T. Scriptures] it is in your mouth and in your heart.' [because you have heard of the preaching of Paul and can recite it from memory] that is the word of faith that we are preaching"
'Who will descend into the deep (That is, to bring Christ up from the dead)........ "But what does it say? 'The word is near you it is in your mouth and in your heart.' that is the word of faith that we are preaching" =
Notice that Paul goes one step further than Dt 12:13's "across the seas" with "descend into the deep to bring Christ up from the dead" to emphasize that there is no excuse - the gospel has been made available to all to believe in unto Righteousness.
(v. 12) It [The Word of God which Moses has been commanding, (v. 11)] is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, '''Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?'''
(v. 13) Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, '''Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it.?'''
"Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, '''Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it.?" =
Paul elaborates on this to portray a further extreme that it is not only not necessary to go beyond the sea, but it is not necessary to go beyond the grave to bring Christ up to make it available - if that were possible.
(v. 8) '''But what does it say? "The word is near you it is in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith that we are preaching."
"The word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith that we are preaching." =
The Word of God which
is stipulated here specifically as the "word of faith that we [Paul
and the apostles were]... preaching" is near in the sense that one
understands it in one's heart (= mind
) and can confess it
with one's mouth.
(v. 9b) '''The LORD will again delight in you [ancient Israel] and make you prosperous, just as He delighted in your fathers,
(v. 10) if you obey the LORD your God and keep His commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
[Notice that deliverance unto temporal blessings are in view here for Israel]
(v. 11) Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
(v. 12) It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"
(v. 13) Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?"
(v. 14) No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
So to paraphrase Ro 10:8:
But what does it - the Scripture - say? The Word of God is right there: You have spoken the words on your lips and you have them in your heart, (your mind). And this is the very thing Paul and the apostles were preaching: that Righteousness unto salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone.
The Apostle Paul is quoting Dt 30:14 in order to draw a comparison between the times when Israel had the Word of God 'near' in the sense that the Israelites had constantly been given the Word of God via temple priests and the prophets. So they were capable of confessing it with their mouths; compared to the believers of Paul's day who were exposed to his preaching of the Word of God. The Word of God was thus close to them, i.e., 'in their mouths'. So they did not need to go up to heaven or to the depths of the sea or beyond the grave to find out truths from God, (Dt 30:12-13).
So in view of Dt 30:14 which Paul referred to and the order in which Dt 30:14 is in, ('in your mouth' then 'in your heart'), the Apostle maintains the same word order to drive home his point relative to the fact that people already knew of the gospel of salvation in their hearts (minds) as a result of Paul's preaching. It was already in their mouths and hearts, (minds), such that they had the information they needed to know in order to be saved. If they confessed a belief they already had in their hearts, (minds), of the gospel of salvation, the result of that belief in their minds already being eternal life through Jesus as Lord - then the confession with their lips would be an expression to men of the fact that they were already saved resulting in temporal blessings and temporal salvation from destruction / wrath unto blessings from God]
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [your mind]' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 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."
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord" =
Notice that the conjunction "that" joins the previous verse with verse 9. Hence the context continues in verse 9, to speak of the "word of faith" which Paul and others were preaching relative to the context already established of salvation of a remnant of believers from God's temporal wrath through confession of Jesus as Lord. Hence the subject is a remnant of believers who may confess Jesus as Lord.
"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord" (cont) =
Notice that a true and literal confession with ones mouth of Jesus as ones Lord is stipulated. If we take the phrase "word of faith" that Paul was preaching, i.e., the message of salvation of a remnant of believers from God's temporal wrath into consideration from the previous verse, then we have in view in this verse a true and outward and verbal expression with ones mouth of what one understands (believes) with ones heart (mind) that Jesus is ones Lord, i.e., that one is in submission to Jesus Christ's lordship in ones life.
"If you confess" = The word confess in the original text, ("homolageses"), comes from the root words 'homos' meaning 'same' (from which we get the English word homogeneous), and the Greek word 'logo' meaning 'to speak'. It literally means to say the same thing, i.e., to acknowledge what is already understood and thus on the heart = the mind. In this case what is already on the mind is that Jesus is Lord of ones life. An individual will have it in his mind that Jesus is Lord at those moments after one has been justified, i.e., saved unto eternal life through faith alone in Christ alone as Savior, (vv. 4, 9b, 10, 11 , 14 & 17) and during those moments when one is acknowledging that Jesus is Lord in his lifestyle.
True confession with ones mouth that Jesus is ones Lord can only occur when it is true that Jesus is Lord of ones life. This occurs when one trusts alone in Jesus Christ alone to save one from ones sins unto eternal life. Hence only believers are in view. Previous to being a believer, ones ruler is not Jesus Christ but the devil:
(v. 1) "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
(v. 2) in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
(v. 5) "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
(v. 6) The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
(v. 7) the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
(v. 8) Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
(v. 9) You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
[Notice that the individual without the Spirit, i.e., the unbeliever, (cf. Eph 1:13-14), cannot please God. Thus he cannot please God with submission to and confession of Jesus Christ as Lord of his life. He must be a believer first!!]
(v. 12) "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
(v. 13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
[Notice that once one becomes a believer he receives the right to be come a child of God which enables him to submit to and confess Jesus Christ, the Son of God as Lord of his life. ]
Furthermore, confession of Jesus Christ as Lord is foolishness to one who is not saved and therefore cannot be a requirement to be saved:
"The man without the Spirit [unsaved] does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Since confession would be a work being something that one does proactively in order to receive the result of eternal life instead of just accepting God doing it all by a simple moment of faith alone
and since salvation is not of works and cannot be,
(v. 8) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this [salvation] is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
(v. 9) and not by works, so that no one can boast."
then confession 'with your mouth [that] Jesus [is] Lord' in order to be saved unto eternal life is out of the question.
Just as Ro 9:27-29 portrays the salvation of a remnant of Israelite believers from God's temporal wrath throughout the ages as a result of faithfulness, so salvation in the context of the faithfulness of confessing Jesus as Lord is a salvation of believers from God's temporal wrath.
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [your mind]' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 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."
"And believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead" =
1) "HEART" IS EQUIVALENT TO THE MIND IN SCRIPTURE - SYNONYMOUS, THE CENTER OF MENTAL ACTIVITY
[Vines Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, [W.E. Vine, Edited by F. F. Bruce, Fleming H. Revell Co. Old Tappan, N.J., 1981, pp. 206-207]:
"The word came to stand for man's entire mental and moral activity, both the rational and the emotional elements"
Heart and mind are often used in Scripture interchangeably.
"Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind"
[There is synonymous parallelism here. That is, the two halves of the verse are saying the same thing using synonyms. To be grieved in your heart is to be vexed in your mind]
"...I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
[Mind and heart are used synonymously there]
(v. 25) "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ' "
(v. 45) "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures."
These two passages are talking about the same thing. The disciples were slow of heart to believe the prophetic teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures regarding His resurrection. So what did Jesus do? He opened their mind that they might comprehend those Scriptures. There is no difference whatsoever here between believing in the heart or believing in the mind. Both expressions refer to the inner self where one thinks and believes and feels.
2) BELIEVE IS DEFINED AS A MENTAL ACCEPTANCE AS TRUE
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary: ftp://ftp.uga.edu/pub/misc/webster/
"To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine."
To believe that God raised Him [Jesus Christ] from the dead has in view believing that His sacrifice for the sins of the whole world which is verified by His resurrection is true.
(v. 12) "But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
(v. 13) If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
(v. 14) And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith."
[Notice that unless one has faith in the resurrection of Christ ones saving faith is useless. Hence faith in the resurrection has in view saving faith, they go hand in hand]
(v. 10) '''We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
[Believers are in view here]
(v. 11) For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
(v. 12) So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
(v. 13) It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
(v. 14) because we know that the One Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.'''
[Notice that a believer's salvation is verified when one stipulates that one knows, (i.e., believes), that the One [God] Who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus'. This implies that believing that Jesus was raised from the dead will save you from your sins and you will likewise be raised from the dead unto eternal life. Since other passages indicate that believing in the Lord Jesus saves one from ones sins, then we can say that believing that Jesus was raised from the dead implies this also.
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [your mind]' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 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."
"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" =
Notice that when the "if" requirements, namely, confess and believe are met, it is stipulated to result in being saved, i.e., delivered from the temporal wrath of God unto "Promised Land" type blessings.
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [your mind]' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 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."
(v. 10) For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from the temporal wrath of God]."
"For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God]" =
A) AN INDIVIDUAL IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH AND DELIVERED FROM THE WRATH OF GOD UNTO ETERNAL LIFE
"For" continues the context of the previous verse, "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, for"...
It is explicatory of the previous verse, i.e., it means "because". It has in view the result of one being saved because ...
What follows is the causes of how one is saved: For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from the temporal wrath of God unto blessings]."
(v. 3:22) This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."
(v. 4:3) What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
(v. 4:5) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
[Notice that when one expresses ones faith in Jesus Christ then God justifies that individual, i.e., credits him with His righteousness]
(v. 8) "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(v. 9) Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!"
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
[Notice that one is justified, i.e., saved from the eternal wrath of God by a moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice on the cross alone, (Ro 5:8-9) and immediately receives possession of everlasting life the moment one believes, (Jn 3:16).
Once one is justified by faith alone in Christ alone, then and only then does an individual have the potential of having and confessing Jesus Christ as ones Lord in order to be saved from God's temporal wrath - only after He becomes his Savior unto eternal life. Previously that individual's Lord was the Ruler of this world, Satan.
(v. 1) "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
(v. 2) in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."
(v. 8) "Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
(v. 9) 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'
[Notice that the devil is in view as ruler of all the kingdoms of the world such that he can offer them to the Lord]
Since it has been
previously determined from Scripture in this study that only after one has
become a believer is one in a position to confess Jesus Christ as Lord,
previously ones Lord is the devil
and since an individual becomes justified when he trusts alone in Christ alone unto eternal life,
then one can only confess Jesus Christ as Lord after he has been justified.
(v. 8) "But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart [your mind]' - that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
(v. 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."
(v. 10) For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment]."
"For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment]." =
Notice that the word "saved" here in verse 10:10 continues the context of 9:27-33 & 10:1, and 9 which verses have in view a righteousness which is not to be pursued (via works) but which is received by faith. This points to already justified individuals (by faith) who are thereafter saved (by confessing and thereby trusting in God's Lordship and direction of their lives, (Pr 3:5-6), i.e., delivered from temporal destruction unto the eternal promised land for Israelites in the past and for salvation for this Age's believers unto deliverance from God's wrath unto blessings that are temporal and eternal in the kingdom to come. This is verified by the fact that an individual is stipulated in 10:10 as having been justified by believing and then being saved by confession with the mouth.
(v. 10) "For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment].
(v. 11) For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.' "
"Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame" =
A) BELIEVING UNTO ETERNAL LIFE IS IN VIEW
''' "So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." '''
"dismayed" = horrified
(v. 4) "As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--
(v. 5) you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
(v. 6) For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' "
In other words, whoever believes in Christ, the Messiah, the precious cornerstone which God laid in Zion, (Isa 28:16; 1 Pet 2:6) will be saved unto eternal life, i.e., never to go to eternal shame & horror in Hell.
XII cont.) [Ro 10:10-11 cont.]:
(v. 10) "For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment].
(v. 11) For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.' "
"Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame, (cont.)" =
"Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame" = saved unto eternal life. Compare the context of the previous 10 verses which speaks of justification by faith, i.e., the Righteousness of God unto salvation by faith alone in Christ alone unto eternal life as opposed to eternal shame and condemnation. So here the expression "never be put to shame" refers to never receiving eternal condemnation as a result of believing alone in Christ alone. Notice that there is made no mention of being shamed to eternal condemnation if anyone does not confess Jesus as Lord.
(v. 10) "For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment].
(v. 11) For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.'
(v. 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."
"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all" =
A) SALVATION IS FOR ALL MANKIND, JEW AND GREEK, I.E., GENTILE ALIKE BECAUSE THE LORD IS LORD OF ALL
In view are those individuals in v. 10 who are justified unto eternal life by faith alone in Christ alone and then saved from God's temporal wrath by confessing with ones mouth Jesus as Lord. This view is clarified in v. 11 to include all individuals, Jews and Greek, i.e., Gentiles. This is true because it is made clear that Jesus Christ is Lord of all mankind and has made provision for justification and salvation accordingly.
(v. 21) "But now a Righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
(v. 22) This Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
(v. 23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(v. 24) and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Notice the phrase in v. 22b "There is no difference" as well as the use of the word "all" in "to all who believe" and "all have sinned". Hence all mankind is in view, Jew and Greek (Gentile) alike. All mankind then attains God's Righteousness unto eternal life by only one way: through a moment of faith alone in Christ alone. This is especially brought to light since this Righteousness from God is "apart from law" where law without the definite article refers to any human doing.
XIII cont.) [Ro 10:10-12 cont.]:
(v. 10) "For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment].
(v. 11) For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.'
(v. 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."
"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." =
B) RICHES ABOUND FOR ALL THOSE BELIEVERS WHO CALL UPON THE LORD
Notice that believers continue to be in view in v. 12 per v. 11's "Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame." Then v. 12 begins with the same population, Jew or Gentile who have Jesus Christ as Lord (= believers only). Those believers who call upon the Lord, i.e., trust in Him in their daily lives, will abound in riches. They will thus be blessed and avoid God's temporal judgment and wrath for believers who do not call upon Him in their daily lives.
(v. 10) "For it is with your heart [mind] that you believe and are justified [unto eternal life before God], and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved [from God's temporal judgment].
(v. 11) For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will never be put to shame.'
(v. 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."
(v. 13) For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'''
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" =
[Vines Expository Dictionary of the New Testament, Fleming H. Revell, Old Tappan, NJ, 1971, p. 163]:
"epikaleO = epi, upon and kaleO denote to call upon, invoke: in the Middle Voice, to call upon for oneself (i.e., on one's behalf). Making use of the Name of the Lord."
When you call upon someone to help you, it is saying that you trust in him to come to your aid. Inherent in your calling upon someone is the faith that he can and will help you.
If a believer expresses a moment of calling on the name of the Lord,
then God will provide salvation for the believer from present difficulty unto blessings.
So, in essence, to call on the name of the Lord unto salvation in this particular context is to trust that He will make provision for you to save you from whatever situation is in view, more often than not, His wrath and thereby provide blessing.
Notice that calling upon the Lord in v. 12 results in abounding riches. This is paralleled with v. 13, wherein calling on the name of the Lord results in being saved from God's temporal wrath.
As a matter of fact, verse 13 quotes a passage in Joel chapter 2 which has in view an earthly disaster brought about by God's wrath from which an Israelite may be saved by calling on the name of the LORD:
(v. 1) "Blow a trumpet in Zion" [= Israel]
And sound an alarm on My [God's] holy mountain!
[= Jerusalem, (Isa 27:13)]
Let all the inhabitants of the land [Israel] tremble
For the day of the Lord is coming;
Surely it is near,
(v. 2) a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was of old
nor ever will be in ages to come."
[The day of the Lord is referred to here in Joel. It covers a portion of time which has in view the greatest earthly devestation leading up to His Second Coming]
1 cont.) [Joel 2:1-32 cont.]:
The rest of this passage in Joel up to verse 18 continues to describe the future horrors of the tribulation period before the Lord Jesus Christ appears at His Second Coming. Verses 18-27 then describe our Lord's coming and His setting up of the millennial kingdom.
(v. 30) I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
(v. 31) The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
[Notice that NONE of what is described in Joel chapter 2 has occurred yet.
For example:
In chronological order:
A large and mighty army such as never in history will invade, (vv. 2b-10a).
The sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, (v. 10b, cf 31a)
There will be unprecedented blood, fire and billows of smoke.
The Lord thunders at the head of His army, His forces beyond number, (v. 11, cf. v. 31b).
He will arrive in His Second Coming, (v. 11c, cf. v. 31b), and will drive the northern army far from Israel, (v. 23), into the Dead and Mediterranean Seas, (v. 20).
So the great and dreadful day of the LORD is in view, i.e., the Tribulation period during which the wrath of God will be poured out on all the inhabitants of earth]
(v. 32) And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls."
[Notice that "Mount Zion" and "Jerusalem" and "survivors" are in view in the light of God's pouring out His wrath on the earth during the Tribulation period. Hence Israel is in view in an earthly and temporal context. So salvation here = deliverance of Israelites from the temporal disaster of God's wrath being poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth if they call on the name of the LORD, (v. 32) with a view to receiving blessings, (v. 28).]
[Commentary from Cornerstone Commentaries.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/4119/spirit/proph3.htm:
"A Biblical Analysis of the Gift of Prophesy"]:
"The impetus for the book of Joel was a devastating swarm of locusts which came through the land of Judah in the days of Joel. Making full use of this tragedy for the kingdom of God, Joel likens God's coming judgment to the swarming of locusts. (Joel 1) If God's people did not turn back to God then God would send forth His judgment - a judgment that would resemble all the misery and horror of the present pestilence - yet with much greater intensity. (Joel 2) Now in the midst of this warning, God promises a day of restoration and blessing for His people. Joel 2:28 contains a portion of this promised blessing - though judgment may come, God nevertheless will bless His people."
Then verses 28-29 follow chronologically]:
(v. 28) And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
(v. 29) Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days."
[Dillow, cont., p. 124]:
"Just as a confession of Jesus as Lord results in salvation, so calling upon the name of the Lord has the same effect: 'For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved' (Rom 10:13 NASB).
The phrases 'call upon the name of the Lord' and 'confess Jesus as Lord' are parallel and compliment each other. Both result in 'salvation.' But the salvation in view must be determined by the immediate context in Romans and the Old Testament citations. This verse (10:13) is a quotation from Joel 2:32 and refers to the physical deliverance from the future day of wrath upon the earth and the restoration of the Jews to Palestine and not deliverance from hell. Salvation in vs. 13 [of Romans 10] means exactly what it meant in vs. 1, vs. 9, and vs. 10: practical aid in the struggle against the enemies of the people of God. No doubt deliverance from hell is included in the concept in all four verses...
[since only believers are in view who are calling and confessing in the first place]
...but the focus is deliverance in time and victory. This is made very clear in the following verses where Paul defines this salvation as the divine aid a believer receives when he calls upon the name of the Lord."
[Dillow, cont., p. 124]:
"In the New Testament, 'calling upon the name of the Lord' is something only those who are already justified can do. A non-Christian cannot call upon the name of the Lord for assistance because he is not yet born again."
"To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ - their Lord and ours"
[Notice that the church of God everywhere is identified as those whom are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, and of those who call on the name of our Lord Jesus. Hence those who are not part of the church would not be so identified. ]
2) [Compare Acts 9:13-14, 21]:
(v. 13) ''' "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man [Paul] and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
(v. 14) And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on Your name.
(v. 21) All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" '''
[Notice the phrase "all who call on Your [the LORD's] name" is paralleled and identified with "saints" (i.e., believers). Hence those who are not "saints" are not of those who call on the name of the LORD]
[Dillow, cont.]:
"Wherever Christians met in worship, they would appeal to their divine Lord for assistance by calling upon His name."
"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
"Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear."
[Dillow, cont., p. 125]:
The point is that to call upon the name of the Lord was a distinctively Christian privilege. Non-Christians cannot call upon Him and to call upon Him is not a condition of salvation from hell but of deliverance in time from the enemies of God's people."
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
"How then shall they call upon Him in Whom they have not believed?" =
A) TO CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD UNTO SALVATION FOLLOWS BELIEVING IN HIM
Notice that in order to call upon the name of the Lord unto salvation one must first believe in the gospel of salvation as it says in verse 14 above.
[Dillow, cont., p. 125]:
"A chronological sequence is intended here. An Israelite cannot hear unless first there is a preacher. He cannot believe unless first he has heard. And he cannot call upon the name of the Lord unless he has first believed.
When a man believes, the result, Paul says, is righteousness. He is delivered from hell. When he confesses Jesus as Lord or calls upon His name, he is saved and delivered from all enemies of the people of God in time."
XV cont.) [Ro 10:13-14 cont.]:
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
"And how shall they believe in Him Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?" =
The Apostle Paul states that one must preach the gospel clearly to someone so that he understands it; which is done in order for him to have an opportunity to believe and be saved.
Notice that it is faith which is in view in order to be justified, i.e., saved unto eternal life, not confession or anything else. And such faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ, i.e., the presentation of the gospel.
The Greek word "kErussontos" rendered "someone preaching" refers to the proclamation of the gospel, which is not limited to preachers.
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
(v. 15) And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
"And how can they preach unless they are sent?" =
A) THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL IS A GOD SEND
Since it is God Who sends individuals to preach the gospel, then it is by the grace and authority of God that anyone is saved.
[The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol 10, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Michigan, Frank E Gaebelein, Gen. Ed, p. 113]:
"And how can they preach except they be sent?" (v. 15), rounds out this series of questions. No answers are given, for the logic is so airtight that no one could properly question the essential role of each step in the process. To be 'sent' suggests at least two things
(1) That one operates under a higher authority and
(2) That his message does not originate with himself but is given him by the sending Authority."
XVI cont.) [Ro 10:13-15 cont.]:
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
(v. 15) And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
'''As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" ''' =
B) ALL BELIEVERS ARE IN VIEW RELATIVE TO BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE GOSPEL OF ETERNAL LIFE
(v. 5) "And now what do I have here?" declares the LORD. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock, " declares the LORD. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.
(v. 6) Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."
(v. 7) How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
(v. 8) Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes."
[Expositor's, op. cit., p. 113-114]:
"Is the apostolate alone in view here as representing Christ and his gospel? This is unlikely, judging from what Paul says later about the widespread proclamation of the gospel to the Jews (vv. 17, 18). The task was too big for a handful of men."
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
(v. 15) And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
(v. 16) However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'LORD, who has believed our report?' "
"However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'LORD, who has believed our report?' " =
A) THE ISRAELITES DID NOT HEED THE GLAD TIDINGS OF THE GOSPEL
(v. 1) "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
(v. 2) He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
(v. 3) He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
(v. 4) Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
(v. 5) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(v. 6) We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
(v. 7) He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
(v. 8) By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
(v. 9) He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
(v. 10) Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
(v. 11) After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities."
[Notice that herein is contained the gospel. Paul quoted verse 1, the Israelites were sure to know the content of Isaiah 53. If they understood and accepted it as true they were surely justified as Abraham was. Consider v. 11, the core of the gospel upon which all of the gospel passages in the bible are based]
(v. 13) '''For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
(v. 14) 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?"
(v. 15) And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!
(v. 16) However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'LORD, who has believed our report?'
(v. 17) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."
"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." =
A) THE GOSPEL MUST FIRST BE COMMUNICATED THEN ONE MUST BELIEVE IN IT TO BE TRUE
Notice that faith comes from hearing, i.e., information which has to have been communicated. Faith does not come out of nothing. One does not believe in something without 'hearing' some information about what they believe. The word hearing has in view a reception of information in such a manner that it is understood. It is one thing to hear what is spoken or read, and it is another to hear it with understanding.
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, Victor Books, 1988, USA, Walvoord & Zuck eds, p. 481]:
"And the message is heard through the word of Christ" = literally, "and the hearing is through the saying [rhematos; cf. v.17] concerning Christ")
Hence the phrase "and hearing by the word of Christ" implies that an individual's understanding of the gospel comes through the word of Christ as opposed to the word of man, i.e., his human understanding.