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? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" ~ Romans 10:14-15
Today, we return to our study of the fourth section in Romans 9-11 which is about the sovereignty of God. Having considered the works of God in the past history of the nation of Israel in Romans 9, we are now considering the present workings of God in the nation of Israel in Romans 10.
How many times have you heard this question?, "What happens to the people who never hear about the Lord Jesus?" I have always believed that this is not a legitimate question, because everyone has heard about Him through creation and the conscience that He created us with. Today's passage begins us down the trail that answers this most probing question that comes out of the human heart.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "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?"
Behind every call that God issues into the human soul must result in belief, if we are to be redeemed from the unmerciful clutches of sin and death. This means that our minds must at some point in the process be engaged with God. This means our intellect must be engaged in order for us to decide that we believe that God sent His Son into this world to rescue us from certain damnation.
In Romans 10:14, the Apostle highlights the fact that behind the eventual belief that we arrive upon is the message of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There must come a point in time that someone chooses to be the vessel through whom God delivers the Gospel for the hearers to believe. This is why he asks the question: "How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?"
The beauty of all of this is we have a message that is grounded in history. It is objective truth, not just something that happened inside of us. It is not some feeling that we are following that we hope will work out; it is the story of historic events. When we share the Gospel with others, we are not presenting some philosophy, we are presenting a faith that is grounded in events that cannot be explained away. And, of course, behind the message, is the messenger. There has to be a messenger speaking forth this message.
This is why God is giving to you and me a unique story with Himself. He expects us to share with others the Gospel couched in our personal relationship with Him. This is so key because when done this way, the Gospel is most easily received by those who have yet to believe for themselves. The Lord Jesus Himself said, "Pray the Lord of the harvest, that he may send forth laborers into the harvest."
In v.15 of today's passage we read, "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
The Apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 here because when the truth of the Gospel message takes root in the human heart, we can't help but to share it. This, initially, was a picture of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity. There was great joy when the messengers walked on the mountain tops and gave a signal fire to the next mountain top. In doing so, they sent out the message that God had given them back their land.
In today's passage the Apostle broadens the message to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which will, if believed, take us to the promised land of heaven. When we share the Gospel with the lost, it is truly an act of love. Every time someone calls out to the Lord, a tremendous process is behind it. There is the darkness and anguish of the mystery of the cross, the birth at Bethlehem, the wonder and miracle of the resurrection, the sending forth of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. All of this is involved the process behind a single individual calling on the name of the Lord. And, in this context, the sharing of the message of the Gospel is expected to be shared couched in the stories that God has and is giving to us. God is the One who is always behind it all, He started and saw it through completion. And, the Apostle Paul stresses here the utter importance of our involvement in it.
A week just after I trusted the Lord Jesus as my Savior on October 26, 1981, the Lord began to place the name of a man on my heart. Daily the Lord pounded me with the need for me to share my story with this man. He did this because He knew this man's time on this earth was very, very short. Since, I didn't know this part of the story, I dragged my feet. I allowed very flimsy excuses to keep me from sharing the truth that alters our eternity forever.
One day, a friend informed me that the man the Lord had been putting on my heart was in the hospital in a coma. Needless to say, I was thrust into intense action. And, even though this man never came out of the coma, I went to the hospital that day and shared my story with him. I also, shared the Gospel and challenged him to believe. I have often wondered if he heard me and if I will see him one day in heaven. This is why today's passage is so very important. Even though we can not believe on the Lord Jesus on another person's behalf, this should never keep us from sharing with them. After all, their eternity depends to some degree on our decision to be selfless and tell them of the most important news we can ever share with anyone.
