Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Rom 10:1 and following. Indeed, the Apostle’s affections for his people were translated in the right way: into prayers. It is also our first duty to those of our loved ones who are not converted. For Paul knew from his own experience that one could be zealous for God while going completely wrong. Indeed, how many companies, often generous and sincere, are doomed to failure because they are not “according to knowledge”! And this is all the more true of the vain efforts made by so many people to reach heaven, when it is enough to grasp the Word that is “of you” (Rom 10:8).
Like a man who fell into a precipice who would persist in climbing it up on his own rather than relying on the rope that rescuers threw at his fingertips. For the faith of the heart and the declaration of the mouth are inseparable. One can doubt the reality of a conversion that does not have the courage to declare itself (Rom 10:9-10). “Forit is by believing from the heart that one attains righteousness, and it is by confessing with the mouth that one attains salvation, according to what Scripture says: Whoever believes in him will not be confused.”
Now in Rom 3:19-26, let us note that there was no difference before sin. All were guilty. Here there is no difference as to salvation:”There is no difference, in fact, between the Jew and the Greek, since they all have the same Lord, who is rich for all those who invoke him. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:12-13). For all can obtain it, and the Lord is rich enough to meet the needs of all who call upon Him.
For “Faith comes from what one hears, and what one hears comes from the Word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). It is therefore indispensable that this effective Word be proclaimed throughout the world. “How many are beautiful… the feet of the one who brings good news,” the prophet already wrote (Isaiah 52:7). It was then Christ alone. Now it is a question of “those who announce good things”, because the redeemed become preachers in their turn. Yes, if each of them wanted to be, where the Lord sends him, a messenger full of fervor, the calls of the gospel would resound to the ends of the inhabited earth (Rom 10:18). And we see how believers have to preach: Not only by their words, but also by the moral beauty of their walk, their feet being shod with “the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Rom 10:15; Eph 6:13-20).
Unfortunately the saddened question: “Who believed…?” (Rom 10:16; Isaiah 53:1-3) points out that many hearts will remain closed. This was the case with Israel, despite the warnings of the entire Old Testament: Moses (Rom 10:19), David (Rom 10:18), Isaiah (Rom 10:15, 16, 20, 21), that is, the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets. But let us be careful not to be disobedient and of those who contest.
Thus, the gravity of God’s ways toward Israel had in no way stifled his feelings for his brethren. On the contrary, she had produced in her heart an ardent supplication for them, so that they would be saved. For love does not sour; he always seeks motives that mitigate guilt, and so he acts in accordance with God, who all day long extends his hand to a rebellious people (Isa. 65:2). “Brethren, the wish of my heart, and the supplication I address to God for them, is that they be saved.
For I testify to them that they are zealous for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom 1:2). Thus, it was neither unbelief nor wickedness that the apostle presents as the cause of their sad state: no, love recognizes their zeal for God, but this zeal was not according to knowledge. “For, ignoring the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3).
For Israel has distanced itself from God, but still it can return to Him. The commandment is not too wonderful, nor too far from him; he does not need to fetch him from heaven or beyond the sea; he is very close to him, in his mouth and in his heart. On the ground of law, Israel has only judgment to wait, but on the ground of grace and faith, there is still hope for it. Despite his infidelity, despite the law violated, God’s goodness will still be addressed to him, as soon as his heart sincerely returns to God.
It is therefore not necessary to make great efforts, or vast preparations, or arduous journeys to find Christ. The word of the cross is preached freely to all; it is, so to speak, brought to our homes. The only question that arises is whether we want to receive it or not in faith. There is no need to possess vast intelligence or eminent abilities, to confess Jesus as Lord with his mouth and to believe in his heart that God raised him from the dead; even the simplest and weakest beings can do this; it is often even easier for them than for intelligent men. There is only one way of salvation for everyone, the one that God’s love has prepared. “I am the way,” says the Lord Jesus; it is not a path between many, it is the only path. Blessed is he who has taken this path.
Let us notice the two necessary things named: confession and faith! Indeed, confession is named in the first place, not because it is the most important, but because it contributes the most to the glory of the Lord Jesus. It goes without saying that a simple confession of the lips, without true faith of the heart, has no value, but only increases the responsibility of man. This is why the apostle adds, reversing both things:”For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” For the faith of the heart must precede the confession of the mouth.
Man must be awakened from his sleep of death; the Word of God, alive and effective, must produce in the soul, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the conviction of sin, then purification, before the soul truly cries out to God. His gaze then turns to the cross; it hears and receives by faith the message of redemption. She grasps not only that Jesus died for her, but also that He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. By believing “from the heart” to righteousness, she comes to know Christ as the one who passed through death but now lives at the right hand of God. It is “the end of the law for justice to every believer.”
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Examples of Foolish Zeal
Mk 1:45 But this man, having left, began to publish the thing highly and to divulge it, so that Jesus could no longer enter a city publicly. He stood outside, in deserted places, and people came to him from all sides. Mk 7:36 Jesus advised them not to tell anyone about it; but the more He recommended it to them, the more they published it. Rom 10:2 I testify to them that they are zealous for God, but without intelligence.
Evil zeal: Mi 7.3 Their hands are skilled at doing evil: The prince has demands, The judge demands a salary, The great manifests his greed, And so they make common cause. Mt 23:15 Woe to you, hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! because you run the sea and the land to make a proselyte; and, when he has become a proselyte, you make him a son of gehenna twice as much as you. Acts 26:11 I often chastised them in all the synagogues, and forced them to blaspheme. In my excesses of fury against them, I persecuted them even in foreign cities. Gal 1:13 You have known, in fact, what my conduct once was in Judaism, how I persecuted excessively and ravaged the Church of God; Phil 3:6 as to the zeal, persecutor of the Church; irreproachable, with regard to the justice of the law.
- Warning against Stubbornness
Ps 32:9 Do not be like a horse or mule without intelligence; They are bridled with a brake and a bit, which are adorned, so that they do not approach you. Ps 78:8 That they might not be, like their fathers, an indocile and rebellious race, a race whose heart was not firm, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Isa 46:12 Listen to me, hardened people of heart, Enemies of righteousness! Is 48:4 Knowing that you are hardened, that your neck is an iron bar, and that you have a brass forehead; Ml 2:2 If you do not listen, if you do not take to heart to give glory to my name, says the Lord of hosts, I will send among you the curse, and I will curse your blessings; Yes, I will curse them, because you do not have it at heart.
- Own justice, examples
Jb 32:1 These three men stopped answering Job because he looked at himself as righteous. Jb 33:9 I am pure, I am sinless, I am sharp, there is no iniquity in me. Mt 23:30 and you say: If we had lived in the time of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets. Lk 10:29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus: And who is my neighbor? Lk 16:15 Jesus said to them: You seek to appear righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is lifted up among men is an abomination before God. Lk 18:9 He says this parable again, in view of some people persuading themselves that they were righteous, and disregarding others; Rom 10:3 not knowing God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness;
- Spiritual hearing of believers
Pr 8:32 And now, my sons, listen to me, and blessed are those who observe my ways! Pr 15:31 The attentive ear to the reprimands that lead to life Makes his stay in the midst of the sages. Ec 4:17 Beware of your feet when you enter the house of God; approach to listen, rather than to offer the sacrifice of the foolish, for they do not know that they are hurting. Lk 8:15 What has fallen into the good earth are those who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold it back, and bear fruit with perseverance. John 1:19 Know it, my beloved brethren. Thus, let every man be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry;
From all the above, we note that thesoul can then, with gratitude and joy, confess it with his mouth “to salvation”. Is it not by the fact that every confession of his name, which is based on the faith of the heart, produces and increases the inner joy, the happiness of the heart? Such a confession manifests faith and attests to its sincerity, while strengthening it. For as long as a soul fears to confess Christ as his Lord and hesitates to put himself on his side, he remains fearful and worried. More than one believer has experienced that it is only through a frank confession in the name of Jesus that he has acquired true joy and a true assurance of salvation. Thus, the legislator whom they held in such great esteem had already revealed God’s intention to excite his people Israel to jealousy by his thoughts of grace towards “that which is not a nation”, and “a nation without intelligence” (clear allusions to the Pagans). But there is more: Isaiah, the greatest of their prophets, had said that God wanted to be found from those who did not seek Him and that He would manifest Himself to those who did not enthrone about Him. “But as for Israel, he says, ‘He says: I have been stretching out my hands all day to a rebellious and contradicting people. Thus, by the law, the psalms and the prophets, the three great divisions of the Old Testament, the proof was made that Israel would harden and that God had, from the beginning, stopped him from using mercy towards the nations. This evidence was unanswered and no sincere Jew could refute it. Was it to be concluded that God had definitively turned away from His people? Certainly not. Our prayers accompany you in the growth of your faith in Jesus Christ.
PRAYER FOR ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Ghost. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and for centuries of centuries. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on”the rejection of the Jews is partial, and through the fall of Israel, salvation has reached thenations.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.