Study 24 (Tthe task remaining")
We ran through Paul's sequence of thought in Romans 10. In Romans 9 he has began to answer the question of why the Jews, God's chosen people, have remained unsaved. And there his answer is, "They were not elect". In Romans 10 his answer is that they were "disobedient and contrary people" (v.21). So here we see the 2 truths that must always be held together: God is absolutely sovereign, and man is is absolutely morally responsible.
Paul begins the chapter by declaring that the Jews (like he was) had a zeal...but not according to (true) knowledge of God. They did not know His righteousness provided for them and did not submit to its revelation in Christ, who is the 'end' (= the terminus, the fulfillment) of the law (v .4).
Then he goes on to a more complicated argument based on a passages in Leviticus 18:5 and Deut 3):12-14. Here he takes the accessibility of the law spoken of in these passages and applies it to Christ. Christ has come from heaven - he is the Divine Lord. He has been raised from the dead. The word of salvation He brings is very near us, in our "mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it" (Dt 30:14). He then takes the latter verse and calls the word the "word of faith" - that is, the objective truth of God's provision of righteousness by faith (Ro 10:6) as well as the word that we can put our personal trust in.
One of the great lessons of Romans 10:8-10 is that true saving faith in the heart will manifest in confession with our lips of the inward reality we have. "Confession" is not an admission of wrongdoing, but a public testimony to Christ (c.f. 1 Tim 6:12). This recalls James warning that true saving faith always manifests as works (Js 2:14-26). This prepares us for his next sections on missions.
We noted that in the Bible, the word 'for' can mean that the sentence or phrase following can be the cause of the initial sentence or phrase (e.g. "I am hungry, for I did not eat breakfast") or can be the evidence of the initial sentence (e.g. "I am hungry, for my stomach is rumbling") (Credit to John Piper!)
So I think his argument in vs. 8-13 goes like this:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For (cause)
with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
For (evidence)
the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
For (cause)
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
for (cause),
the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
For (evidence)
“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And with the last summary statement he lays out the logical pattern for missions:
Paul concludes the chapter by saying that the Jews have heard (v.18) the good news and understood (v. 19) because blessings of salvation were given to the Gentiles. And yet they have turned away from God's gracious offer.
Our study today reminds us that there is a preponderance of 'Paul' type missionaries who go where the gospel has never been preqched (Ro 15:20) compared to 'Timothy' type missionaries who minister in places where the gospel is already present. I mentioned how the idea of "unread he'd people groups" as opposed to countries was first mooted by Ralph Winter at the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization in 1974, changing the missions paradigm for generations to come.
We also looked at Mt 24:14 and 2 Pet 3:11-12 and asked: can our actions (or lack thereof) truly 'hasten' the coming of the Lord. And we said, that as with prayer, from His perspective, God's sovereign will is done. And from our perspective, our actions make it so that the coming of Christ is hastened. Our actions are part of God's ordained means to hasten the end.
Paul begins the chapter by declaring that the Jews (like he was) had a zeal...but not according to (true) knowledge of God. They did not know His righteousness provided for them and did not submit to its revelation in Christ, who is the 'end' (= the terminus, the fulfillment) of the law (v .4).
Then he goes on to a more complicated argument based on a passages in Leviticus 18:5 and Deut 3):12-14. Here he takes the accessibility of the law spoken of in these passages and applies it to Christ. Christ has come from heaven - he is the Divine Lord. He has been raised from the dead. The word of salvation He brings is very near us, in our "mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it" (Dt 30:14). He then takes the latter verse and calls the word the "word of faith" - that is, the objective truth of God's provision of righteousness by faith (Ro 10:6) as well as the word that we can put our personal trust in.
One of the great lessons of Romans 10:8-10 is that true saving faith in the heart will manifest in confession with our lips of the inward reality we have. "Confession" is not an admission of wrongdoing, but a public testimony to Christ (c.f. 1 Tim 6:12). This recalls James warning that true saving faith always manifests as works (Js 2:14-26). This prepares us for his next sections on missions.
We noted that in the Bible, the word 'for' can mean that the sentence or phrase following can be the cause of the initial sentence or phrase (e.g. "I am hungry, for I did not eat breakfast") or can be the evidence of the initial sentence (e.g. "I am hungry, for my stomach is rumbling") (Credit to John Piper!)
So I think his argument in vs. 8-13 goes like this:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For (cause)
with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
For (evidence)
the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
For (cause)
there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
for (cause),
the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
For (evidence)
“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And with the last summary statement he lays out the logical pattern for missions:
- God sends (c.f. Mt 9:38)
- Preachers go
- People hear
- Some believe
- They call on the name of the Lord. (The latter speaks of calling to Him for help - the Lord being the one we trust and depend on to save us from all danger, Joel 2:32).
Paul concludes the chapter by saying that the Jews have heard (v.18) the good news and understood (v. 19) because blessings of salvation were given to the Gentiles. And yet they have turned away from God's gracious offer.
Our study today reminds us that there is a preponderance of 'Paul' type missionaries who go where the gospel has never been preqched (Ro 15:20) compared to 'Timothy' type missionaries who minister in places where the gospel is already present. I mentioned how the idea of "unread he'd people groups" as opposed to countries was first mooted by Ralph Winter at the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization in 1974, changing the missions paradigm for generations to come.
We also looked at Mt 24:14 and 2 Pet 3:11-12 and asked: can our actions (or lack thereof) truly 'hasten' the coming of the Lord. And we said, that as with prayer, from His perspective, God's sovereign will is done. And from our perspective, our actions make it so that the coming of Christ is hastened. Our actions are part of God's ordained means to hasten the end.
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