Prayer: Father God, we thank You for the gospel message that brought us eternal life in Jesus. We ask You to give us opportunities, even this day, to spread that message to others through our actions and words of love and hope. Amen.
Main Scripture: Romans 10:1-21
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (vss. 8-10). 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 can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course, they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Again, I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding" (vss. 14-19).
Associated Scriptures:
For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good (Psalm 107:9).
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
Correlative Quotes:
In presenting God's gracious offer of salvation in Christ and the provision of righteousness by faith, Paul first stated the contrast of the by-works approach to achieving righteousness. …an impossible task (James 2:10).[1] – John F. Walvoord
His inward conviction must find outward expression. When he confesses that Jesus is Lord, he is asserting Christ's deity and His exaltation, and the fact that he, the believer, belongs to Him.[2]
Finally, Paul points out that Israel was ignorant of the predictions of their own Scriptures, a truth implied throughout the previous part of this chapter. But ironically, the ignorance of Israel was not based on lack of truth; it was not because the people did not know.[3] – John MacArthur
Study:
In Chapter 9, Paul expresses his deep sorrow and continual heaviness in his heart for Israel. He wishes that they could all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul’s desire is that the Jews understand that Jesus is the messiah spoken of by the Old Testament saints. Furthermore, Christ has come to die for the sins of all mankind including His chosen people Israel. But instead of accepting His message of salvation, they rejected Jesus and crucified Him.
Even though it would appear that God has not kept His promise to Israel as spoken to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 22:17-18), Paul tells us that God is a keeper of promises (Romans 4:21).
God’s message of salvation is a simple one. We see it clearly in Romans 10:9-10. If we confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will receive the free gift of God’s grace, salvation. Faith is the requirement, not works. We are to verbally acknowledge Jesus’ Lordship in our lives and through faith, believe with our hearts that God raised Him from death to life.
The Personal confession that Christ is raised from the dead is the critical issue in redemption. It is the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:6) that proves that He is God (John 10:30), the Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 4:6-9), the Sacrificial Lamb (1 Peter 1:19-21), the Great Shephard (Hebrews 13:20-21), and the Provider of eternal life (1 John 1:2). Through our salvation, we are confessing the sufficiency of the sacrificial action that was the purpose of Christ’s coming. That confession of simple faith is the catalyst that powers the work of Christ in us and guarantees us eternal life.
At the time of our salvation, we ask Jesus to become the Lord of our lives and turn all power and authority over to Him. It is important to remember that Jesus’ full name is Lord Jesus Christ. We must understand what each of these names means and integrate that meaning into our lives.
The first of these names is Lord, and in the Greek means to have supreme authority[4]. Jesus must be given complete control of our lives. The second name is Jesus. Jesus signifies the object of His mission: savior (Acts 4:12). [5] The third name in His official signature is Christ. Christ is the Greek word for Messiah.[6] He is the anointed one.
Summary Statement:
God has always saved His people on the basis of faith in Him and never on the basis of good works. The Gentiles come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ separate from the law. The law does not save; it only condemns since no one can meet its requirements. Israel, knowing that the law was unattainable could not be saved by it.
It was tragic that the Jews had the knowledge of the law and the prophets, yet they denied salvation by grace through faith and instead tried to attain it by their own works. In doing so, they made the law increasingly unattainable and made their hope of salvation impossible to reach.
Lessons within the Lesson:
What is the simple message of the gospel (Romans 10:9-10)?
What does it mean to make Jesus the Lord of your life?
Why didn’t Israel understand the simple truth of the gospel?
How should understanding the simple truth of the gospel encourage us to be witnesses with our lives and actions?
[1] John F. Walvoord, Bible Knowledge Commentary/New Testament Copyright © 1983, 2000 Cook Communications Ministries. All rights reserved.
[2] The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1962 by Moody Press. All rights reserved.
[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright © Moody Press and John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2007.
[4] The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright © 1988.
[5] ibid
[6] Easton's Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.
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