Romans 10:15-21

 

Rom 10:15 (KJV)
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

(Isa 52:7 KJV) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Paul asks the fourth question concerning how can anyone preach or proclaim the Gospel unless they are sent? This is the great question which every truly born again person must answer. It is a shame that when parents plan the future of their Christian children, it seems missions is never an option, only industry. God sees the feet of those who bring the true Gospel as beautiful. In fact, the word “beautiful” carries with it the meaning of “timely or seasonable.” Whenever we bring the Gospel to anyone, it is always in a timely manner because they may not see tomorrow or we may not see tomorrow. This is why it is important for Christians to get busy doing something because sooner or later God is going to wrap it all up. We wouldn’t want to go to Heaven with an empty life.

Rom 10:16 (KJV)
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

Here Paul states that not all Israel has obeyed the Gospel in Isaiah’s time of prophesying. The question is then asked who hath believed our report? Well only those whom God has chosen from the foundations of the world will believe the Gospel. The majority of those in ancient Israel did not believe the reports of the prophets and the majority of the people in the world will not believe the proclamation of the true Gospel, yet it is the responsibility of all believers to continue in evangelism, no matter what hindrances they run in to.

Rom 10:17 (KJV)
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Here is the essence of the matter. Those who are truly saved are never saved apart from the hearing of the Word of God. It has been asked that what happens if there is a tribe somewhere in the world that never hears the Gospel? If that is the case, then that means there was no Elect among that specific group and therefore the word of God did not have to be preached to them, but we do not know whether there is Elect among any nation so it is our responsibility to continue to send forth the Gospel everywhere we can. Presently there are some people who believe that we do not have to hear the gospel to be saved. Billy Graham and Robert Schuller teach that you do not have to hear the true word of God to become saved. They are convinced that there will be many in Heaven from different religions. That is so heretical because we read above that faith (salvation) comes from the hearing of the word of God. When the Elect of God are hearing the Gospel proclaimed and it is their time of salvation, then they will become saved on that hearing. The absence of the Gospel is not a means of salvation. If it was, then we should stop all Bible preaching so people can become saved without the Gospel. Isn’t that ridiculous, especially in light of the Lord’s Great Commission. (Mark 16:15 KJV) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. If a person can be saved outside of hearing the Gospel, then why did the Lord command us to go and preach to all the world? He should have said, go and be silent in all the world. When people espouse theories like that, they should be branded a heretic but what do Christians do with people like that? They send them millions of dollars to keep them preaching their heresy. May God forgive us for supporting heresy based on the personality of the one bringing it.

Rom 10:18 (KJV)
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Now Paul switches his emphasis from the ones who bring the message to those who hear it. Who is the they? Paul is now emphasizing that Israel has already heard the Gospel, in fact, they have been saturated with it. Paul here speaks of the known world not the entire world as has been reached today. During the time Paul lived, there was probably not one Jew who did not know about the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and who He was, plus the claims that He made. Think of the thousands that must have been instantly told about the raising of Lazarus. Do we think an event like that would not warrant publicity? Israel was the most evangelized nation with all her prophets and divine warnings. Israel had no excuse concerning her behavior toward the true Gospel.

Rom 10:19 (KJV)
But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

(Deu 32:21 KJV) They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. God had continued to preach the Gospel to Israel and the first one He used was Moses. Moses had penned the first five books of the Bible leaving them a record of God’s grace and warnings. God said that He would provoke them to jealousy by bestowing His grace on another foolish nation. That nation is the nation of Gentiles that God has saved through His grace. When the Israelites saw the Gentiles coming into the Kingdom of God, it was to provoke the Israelites to become jealous that instead of them receiving God’s favor, a nation of rebellious people who did not know God would receive the favor. The Gentiles did not know God but after Calvary when the Holy Spirit was given, the Jews saw thousands of Gentiles coming into the Kingdom and this should have provoked them to at least inquire but instead in their rebellion, they continued to persecute them.

Rom 10:20 (KJV)
But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

(Isa 65:1 KJV) I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. Here is one the most clearest verses on Election. The Gentiles who did not seek after God nor did they want anything to do with Him, suddenly have become Christians. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says I think today I am going to get saved. God revealed Himself, through Grace, to many thousands of Gentiles. Whether it is in Isaiah’s time or in Paul’s time or in our time, no one is saved apart from the Grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. During the time of Isaiah, Judah was being a very stiff necked people so God was already revealing that He was about to bring His salvation program outside of the borders of Israel, eventually to the entire world. There would be many in different countries who would become saved from false religions. When a person is in a false religion, they are not seeking after the true God because salvation is always on His terms and not theirs.

Rom 10:21 (KJV)
But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

(Isa 65:2 KJV) I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; Here God gives another indictment against Israel. He stated that He was going to provoke them to jealousy by bringing the Gospel to other nations. Yet, this did not move Israel in the slightest to mend her ways concerning the things of God. God had had a special relationship with the nation of Israel from the time they came out of the land of Egypt and all His goodness was only returned with rebellion. Israel had thought they had a permanent covenant with God and that their actions would not abrogate that covenant. They were wrong because God finally dissolved both the Northern Kingdom and Judah and assimilated them into the nations, never to be heard from again. Since Calvary, God is now dealing with the whole world, not just one nation.