August 15, 2021
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 10 (NIV)
1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.............Continue Reading
12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Pastor spoke a few weeks ago about the unifying power of Christ. When we come to God we are all equal…equally sinners that need to be saved. No one comes in any better position than anyone else. But ALL will be given the chance to hear and that means believers sharing with unbelievers of this unifying love and mercy that He gives freely to ALL who believe! This free gift must be shared and we must boldly speak.
Romans 10 verse 10 and 11 For it is with your heart that you believed and are justified and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Verse 13 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
Romans 10-11
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NIV
https://romans.bible/romans-10-9
If Romans 9 emphasizes the sovereignty of God, Romans 10 emphasizes the choice of humankind. The Jews missed the righteousness that comes from faith because they tried to establish their own righteousness in the law (may we be careful not to do the same). And yet where is this salvation faith and what is it’s substance? Well it is near you and in your heart if you are willing to believe and it’s substance is Jesus is Lord and He was raised from the dead. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. What a promise that is huh?
And yet the choice of mankind is not just to believe but also to spread the good news. Because in order for someone to believe the message, someone has to proclaim it..and if someone is going to proclaim it, then they have to be sent. And God is sending us. And people need to hear the message, both Jews and gentiles. And us gentiles can’t be frustrated by the Jewish unbelief, because God is seeking to use our faith to wake up the Jews to that righteousness that is by faith in Jesus. And they might be a little confused and jealous at the same time because of it…
Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
I am wondering if when Paul refers to election, he is talking about the Jews, not Gentiles. I have thought this many times when reading Ephesians because he talks to the Jews and then he says, “in Him you also trusted when you heard the word of truth.” Then he talks about the mystery of the inclusion of the Gentiles being fellow heirs.
Is it saying here that all Israel will be saved? That is what it says. Does that mean that Israel will be unhardened and given the chance to accept the gospel once the Gentiles have come in, will they be grafted back in? This seems to fit with Revelation where there are the 3 witnesses and the Angel preaches the gospel to all the nations (somewhere in Revelation). Will those who died “hardened” be given another chance to hear the gospel, or is that what Jesus did when he “led captivity captive” in Ephesians 4?
that ^ comment should have been for chapter 11.