Lesson 23 – Romans Chapter 10:11-21
Rom. 10:11
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
Now we’ve just come from verses 9 and 10, which are kind of a litmus test to see whether you’re saved or not. Looking at our verse here, I can’t imagine that anyone would be disappointed in salvation. Salvation means believing in Jesus Christ. It’s my feeling that anyone who is totally devoted to Jesus is never disappointed in Him. Other religions are probably disappointed in Jesus because of the fact that He’s no longer in His grave, and all the other gods are still in their graves.
Whoever… this means “all,” and remember, all always means all. Everyone who trusts Jesus for their salvation… will not be disappointed!
I Cor. 2:9
“That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
God’s saving acts toward us surpass our human expectations. It’s like the song says, “We can only imagine” what it’s going to be like in heaven, but I’m pretty sure none of us will be disappointed.
Rom. 10:12
“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;”
Jews and Gentiles have the same universal salvation, there is no distinction, one is not above the other. Jesus is for everyone; nobody will be turned away no matter how great their sin might be.
Rom. 3:22
“Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;”
“For all who call on Him;” “For all those who believe,” everyone who places their faith in Jesus will never be rejected by God.
Acts 10:36
“The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ He is Lord of all.”
Acts 10:34
“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.”
It’s a great relief to know that God doesn’t show favoritism to any people group, we’re all on a level playing field… and this truth will never change.
Heb. 13:8
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Our God who saves is a God who can be depended upon, anyone who calls on Him to be saved, will be saved. This attribute of God will never change.
Rom. 10:13
“For “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
When we call on the name of the Lord, two things happen, when the call is from God’s children, He hears us. When a call to God comes from a repentant unbeliever, God listens.
Whoever… we find the same word from verse 11 being used here… meaning “ALL.” God sees us when we call upon Jesus, and He saves us! This goes for anyone and everyone.
Paul is quoting this from…
Joel 2:32
“But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, for some on Mount Zion in Jerusalem will escape, just as the Lord has said. These will be among the survivors whom the Lord has called.” (NLT)
Paul has already proven that when it comes to condemnation, there is no distinction. (Rom 3:20-23)
And now we see, there’s no difference for the Jews or Gentiles when it comes to our salvation.
Acts 2:21
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
When we read the truths of God’s word like this, it should put His peace into your heart.
Jer. 17:14
“Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are my praise.”
Then Jesus teaches us and says that we should endure as believers right up to the very end…
Matt. 10:22, 24:13
“You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
Mark 13:13
“You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
• So, what does it mean for us to endure?
The word endure means; to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee. Also, to persevere under misfortunes and trials and to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ… to bear bravely and calmly in spite of ill treatments.
Keep in mind that our salvation isn’t conditional in that we must endure to be saved, but that our endurance will be a Spirit-empowered outcome for us and proof that we are truly saved.
Zep. 3:9
“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
Remember, you can call on the Lord 24/7, He’s always waiting to hear from you.
Rom. 10:14
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
“But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” (NLT)
Paul is saying that if God didn’t send any preachers, no one would hear the good news… if no one could hear, then no one would believe.
If no one could believe, then nobody would know that they need to call on the Lord… then nobody would be saved. God sends preachers into the world to spread His word. Preachers are important.
Rom. 10:15
“And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
• What does it mean for us to be sent?
Jesus has shown us in His words and His actions just how to achieve the work that He has given us. As the Father has sent Jesus, Jesus now sends His followers.
Matt. 10:16
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
John 20:21
“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Mark 16:15
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Some believers see this as the sticky part about being a Christian, to actually tell someone about Jesus.
A person gladly receives God’s gift of salvation, but when it comes to sharing their faith with someone, many shy away. This is probably satan’s favorite area of attack, where he intimidates any timid followers of Christ to keep their saving faith to themselves. People say, “That’s not my gift,” or “I don’t know the Scriptures enough to say something.”
II Tim. 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (self-control).”
We really can’t say that God hasn’t sent each one of us to go out into the world and tell others about His free gift of salvation, there are too many Scriptures that tell us to do so.
Act 1:6-8
“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
I once heard of a woman, all she could say to people was, “You need Jesus Christ,” but God used her to save souls.
“The Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
This is from Isaiah 52:7
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” (NLT)
The vision is of the feet, of the person who runs from the scene of a battle across the mountains and into the city waiting for the news. The glorious message of this runner is salvation, meaning a “victorious deliverance.” This is the good news or glad tidings. The idea appears in the New Testament as well, “to tell the Good News.” The message; God of Israel reigns, stands behind all of history; the Lord controls every power on earth.
Now not very many feet in this world are beautiful to look at, but they become beautiful when those feet bring you in front of a person who’s hearing the Good News from you! So, make the effort to have beautiful feet, don’t let satan get in your head and scare you into keeping your mouth shut. The Holy Spirit is in you and will tell you what to say.
Rom. 10:16
“However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
The Jews did not step out in faith and receive Jesus as their Messiah. Paul is quoting Isaiah 53:1, which is really a rhetorical question, it is also quoted in John 12:38.
John 12:37-41
“But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,
“He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart, and be converted and I heal them.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.”
Paul says, they did not all heed the Good News. Meaning that some of them did, but most did not.
Rom. 10:17
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
Paul is summarizing what he’s been talking about in chapter 10.
Here we have another “flagship” verse from Paul… So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Salvation doesn’t come through any intuition, any mystical experience, meditation, reasoning, or some kind of agreement. It comes from hearing and having faith in the finished work of Jesus.
To identify faith, we just need to go to the “Faith Hall of Fame,” in Hebrews chapter 11.
Heb. 11:1
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Another way to word it is, faith is a belief in or confident attitude toward God, it involves a commitment to His will for your life. We see in James (2:19) where true faith is much more than a mere intellectual belief… “even the demons believe there is one God.” Real saving faith is to have a personal attachment to Jesus. Unfortunately, the Jews never went that far with Jesus.
Paul says faith comes by hearing …I don’t think we do this on our own. Remember previously we talked about the Paraklētos, the “Helper”, which is God’s Holy Spirit coming along side us before we were believers. I believe it is the Holy Spirit who testifies to our soul when we hear God’s word, which can result in saving faith.
Hearing by the word of Christ…
John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus is the Word, and Jesus made sure the Bible (the Word) came to be, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So, when we hear the word of God, whether from a preacher, a bible teacher, or your next door neighbor… or even by reading God’s Word, the Holy Spirit is right there with us increasing our faith. The key is, are we willing to listen?
Rom. 10:18
“But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
“But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.” (NLT)
People might say to Paul, “But how do you know if Israel really heard?” Paul backs up his statement with Psalm 19.
Psalm 19:1-4
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known…
They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”
Again, this is also reminiscent of Romans chapter 1.
Rom. 1:19-20
“They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (NLT)
Israel heard but she did not heed. No wonder Jesus was heard saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Rom. 10:19
“But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, by a nation without understanding will I anger you.”
Not a nation and a nation without understanding is describing the Gentiles, and the Scripture from Moses is a prophecy that comes from Deut. 32:21. God sent the gospel message to the Gentiles to save them (save us).
This was done so that the Jews might become jealous because God was giving His attention to the Gentiles. We find this in Isaiah as well.
Isa. 65:1
“I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I, to a nation which did not call on My name.”
God has always shown favor to His people the Jews. Paul said it in Romans 1:16… “To the Jew first and also to the Gentile.” Jesus began His ministry with the Jews.
Matt. 10:1, 5-6
“Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.”
“Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel – God’s lost sheep.”
God has provided for the Jews so many times and in so many ways, yet she still rejected His Messiah.
Rom. 10:20
“And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
This is from Isaiah 65:1. What a blessing from God that He offered us Gentiles His free gift of salvation.
Gal. 3:13-14
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” – in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
After reading the Bible for over thirty years, I’ve seen all the stories of how God loved and protected Israel over and over again. And so many times Israel would disobey God and turn her back on Him. It is so sad to think about how many Jews are lost and separated from God still.
Rom. 10:21
“But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
Warren Wiersbe; “This quotation is from Isaiah 65:2. “All day long” certainly refers to this present “day of salvation” or day of grace which we live. While Israel as a nation has been set aside, individual Jewish people can be saved and are being saved. The phrase “all day long” makes us think of Paul’s ministry to the Jews in Rome when he arrived there as a prisoner.
“From morning till evening” Paul expounded the Scriptures to them and sought to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah. Through Paul, God was stretching out His arms of love to His disobedient people, yearning over them, and asking them to return. God’s favor to the Gentiles did not change His love for the Jews. God wants to use us to share the Gospel with both Jews and Gentiles. God can use our feet and arms just as He used Paul’s. Jesus Christ wept over Jerusalem and longed to gather His people in His arms! Instead, those arms were stretched out on a cross where He willingly died for Jews and Gentiles alike. God is long-suffering and patient “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Always count your blessings, that God reached out to you, He called you by name and you responded to Him through faith. Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy.