Sermon 31
Human Responsibility
Romans 10:13-21
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Could the gospel message ever be reduced to a simpler statement than that?
The scope of salvation - "whosoever"
The simplicity of salvation - "call upon the name of the Lord"
The substance of salvation - "shall be saved"
Anyone can call. Jew or Gentile can call upon the name of the Lord. Young or old, bond or free, rich or poor, cultured or crude - anyone can call. The Lord saves all those who believe in Christ and those who put their faith in Christ confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is their Lord. Could the gospel message be any simpler?
But this simple message brings with it two great responsibilities. It is those two responsibilities that Paul, the Apostle addresses in the remaining verses of Romans 10. One of those responsibilities is that of the saint; the other is that of the sinner.
The Responsibility of Saints: Sharing The Gospel, vs. 14-15, 17.
Since salvation through Christ has been provided for all men, it must be proclaimed to all men. Paul makes this point with a series of penetrating questions and probing quotations.
These questions work backwards. They take us from the point of a person's salvation experience and work backwards with simple, progressive logic so that we can see what led to that moment when someone called upon the name of the Lord and was saved.
Question #1 - How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? Right here is a verse that tells us that a person is not saved by praying the sinner's prayer. Before there is ever calling on the Lord there must first be faith in the heart. We believe in our heart in the Lord Jesus and then we confess with our mouth (call on Him). So, we want people to publicly confess Christ but before that happens they have to come to a point of personal faith in Christ.
Question #2 - How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Simply put, before a person can believe in Christ he/she must hear the gospel. Verse 17 says the same thing, but not in the form of a question. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Sometimes we cop out at this point. We say that we want our friend or our family member to be saved. We ask the church to pray for their salvation. But the fact of the matter is that they are not going to be saved unless they hear the word of God. They have to hear the gospel. And so, along with our prayers and along with our burden and concern, we have to see to it that they hear the gospel. It is hypocritical or cowardice to pray for someone to be saved, but then be unwilling to share the gospel with that person. Maybe it is just a matter of you opening your Bible and sharing the plan of salvation with the person. Perhaps you can share the testimony of your salvation. (This is very powerful). Maybe it is handing them a gospel tract or giving them a taped gospel sermon or an evangelistic book to read. Use every means at your disposal. But if your desire is for some to publicly confess Christ, they first must believe and that cannot believe in something of which they have not heard.
Question #3 - How shall they hear without a preacher? I know what your initial response to that question likely is. "Well, I'm not a preacher. If you really want someone to hear the gospel, go get a preacher!" But Paul is not using the word "preacher" in the sense of an official pastor of a church. A preacher is not just someone who prepared sermons and stands behind a pulpit and speaks to a congregation. A preacher is anyone who proclaims, who heralds, who publishes the gospel. And in that sense, you are a preacher. You may never prepare a sermon, stand behind a pulpit or address a congregation, but you are preaching when you share your faith, when you share the gospel with another person. We preach with our lips and we also preach with our lives. You are preaching when you live a clear Christian testimony to those who see you on the job or at school or in the community. If a person is going to be saved they need a preacher, a real human person whose life and lip share the gospel.
Question #4 - How shall they preach, except they be sent? We go ourselves and we are enable others to go. There is a sense in which God sends us with His eternal life giving gospel. There is also a sense in which the church, the local community of Christians, sends preachers to places where they themselves cannot go. We go across the street and we send across the sea so that people will hear the gospel, believe and confess Christ. Here, Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:7, to show how the Lord feels about those who preach the gospel. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
So the logic is simple. Being saved is the result of calling upon the Lord. Calling upon God is the result of believing in Christ. Believing in Christ is the result of hearing the gospel. Hearing the gospel is the result of some person preaching it. There are preachers who go with the good news because God sends them. Viewed from the other direction, Paul is saying that if God did not send preachers, no one could hear, if no one could hear no one could believe, if no one could believe no one could call upon the Lord, and if no one could call on Him no one could be saved.
And so, the simple application is that Christians have the responsibility of sharing the gospel.
The Responsibility Of Sinners: Obeying The Gospel, vs. 16-21.
So, that's all there is to seeing people saved? Just share the gospel? Well, not exactly. You see, not only do you as a saint have the responsibility to share the gospel, but the sinner also has the responsibility of obeying the gospel that he/she hears. And it is that responsibility that Paul address in verses 16-21.
Paul now returns to the sad fact that occupies his mind all through these chapters. The joy of sharing the gospel is tempered with the deep sorrow that some reject what they hear. And that was the case with the Jew. The Jew has rejected Jesus Christ as Savior, read vs. 116 - 21.
Did God send them preachers? Did they hear the gospel? Did they know the truth? Yes they did, vs. 18-19.
Did Israel lack opportunity? v. 21.
Why did God turn to the Gentiles? vs. 19b-20 (quoting Deuteronomy 32:21). There is a sense in which even God's dealings with Gentiles has been a expression of His love and longings for Israel. God hoped that by turning His attention toward the Gentiles, the Jews who had rejected Him would be provoked to jealousy and seek Him. Paul is saying that God's turning toward the Gentiles does not mean that He has stopped loving the Jews. It really is an expression of His longings for Israel to seek after Him.
To us, it sounds cheap and wrong to try to make someone you love jealous. It sounds as if you are using one person to get to another. Paul, however, is not commenting on the character of God. God does not use people in cheap way. Paul is using this analogy so that we humans can understand how much God longs for Israel's love and acceptance of Him.
But in spite of God's love and longings for Israel, in spite of His sending them preachers, in spite of the fact that they had opportunity, in spite of their knowledge of the gospel, the Jew rejected Christ, v. 16. They wouldn't believe, they refused to obey the gospel.
My friend, God does not force Himself on anyone. He calls, He pleads, He invites, He sends messengers, He persists, but He does not force you to be saved. It is, ultimately, your responsibility to believe the gospel, to obey God's Word.
Saint, you have the responsibility and the great privilege of sharing the gospel.
Sinner, you have responsibility and the great privilege of believing the gospel.