Faith by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God; To Hear or not to Hear, that is the Question:

Chapters 9 – 11 of Romans teach the Sovereignty of God in Election & Restoration: Election in that God chose/elected the Nation of Israel to be His people, however they rejected Him, first when they crucified their Messiah, then when they stoned His messenger Stephen to death, thus rejecting the offer of His Kingdom; Restoration in that a remnant of Israel will someday be placed in a position of prominence as the leading Kingdom on earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns after the Tribulation. The end of the 9^th and the full 10^th chapter document the status of Israel and Gentiles for almost 2000 years. Nothing Israel has done surprised God, as demonstrated by the 10 quotations from Old Testament (OT) Scriptures in Romans 10 because they prophesied Israel’s failures and future, as well as the salvation of Gentiles. Today, individual Jews and Gentiles are blessed through Israel in that their rejected Messiah, a Jew, died for mankind’s sins, guaranteeing salvation to anyone who believes in His finished work on the cross.

We pick up in Romans 10 with: “For Moses describeth the righteousness,* which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.” Romans 10:5, quoted from Leviticus 18:5. This teaches that Israel, under the Law of Moses, was required to keep the Law in order to be righteous before God. However, Israel did not attain to the law of righteousness because they tried to do it by the works of the law and not by faith, Romans 9:31 – 32. They were ignorant of God’s righteousness; they went about to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to the righteousness of God, Romans 10:3. Christ “… is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” ** Romans 10:4, see also: Romans 3:21 – 27; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:10 – 13. The righteousness of faith speaks or tells us, Romans 10:6a, “ … Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;” Romans 10:6 – 8, quoted from Deuteronomy 12:12 – 14.

The Greek translated “word” used twice in these verses is not from the Greek word Logos. The Second Person of the Trinity who came as Jesus Christ and is now our Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as the Logos: “In the beginning was the Word, (Logos) and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1 -2 “And the Word (Logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14.

The Greek translated “word” used twice in Romans 10:8 is “rhema or hrema,” which is usually translated “word,” but not always. It occurs 4 times in Romans 10:5 – 18; nowhere else in Romans. According to a Critical Greek Lexicon it means “that which is spoken, a sentence, saying, speech, discourse, a declaration, command or promise. Then, the thing spoken of, the matter, affair, thing.” It occurs 70 times in the New Testament (NT), all of which were reviewed pursuant to this study. The first and last place a word occurs in the NT sometimes provides a key to its meaning. Rhema is first used in Matthew 4:4: “But he (Jesus Christ) answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3. It last occurs in Revelation 17:17: “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” (In John 6:63 Jesus said: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; (gives life) the flesh profiteth nothing: the words (rhema) that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”)

Therefore Romans 10:6 – 8 teaches there is nothing man can do to obtain righteousness, however, the word of faith that Paul and all since him have preached, is immediately available for mouths to confess and for hearts to believe: “That if thou shalt confess (to say the same thing as another, to agree with, to assent) with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart (our inner most self) that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. “For with the heart (our inner most self) man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession (that Christ died and was raised from the dead) is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10. (See 1 Corinthians 15:1 – 4) Believing in the “heart” is true belief in the Gospel; it is not merely outwardly saying or assenting to it. “For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 10:11, quoted from Isaiah 28:16, repeated from Romans 9:32 – 33 “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 9:31 – 33. When Jesus came to the earth, all Israel had to do was to believe He was their Messiah and they would not have been ashamed, that is, they would have been righteous before God. However, as Isaiah prophesied, they stumbled on Him and had Him crucified.

But after Israel as a nation rejected the Messiah, God revealed to Paul the Gospel of God’s Grace, which has been in effect for almost 2000 years now, as Paul continues in Romans 10:12 – 15: “vs. 12: For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. vs. 13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. vs. 14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? vs. 15: 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!” (verse 13 quotes Joel 2:32 and verse 15 quotes Isaiah 52:7).

“But they have not all obeyed (the Greek translated “obeyed” means listened or harkened to) the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” Romans 10:16, quoted from Isaiah 53:1 The Greek word translated “report” at the end of this verse is translated “hearing” 10 times and “ears” 4 times elsewhere in the NT. Then Romans 10:17 begins with the words “so then,” which are translated from a Greek word that is translated “therefore” and “wherefore” elsewhere in the NT. Thus, the phrase that follows “so then” is a conclusion drawn from what precedes, which was the question posed in Romans 10:16: who hath believed our report (or hearing or ears)? So, the thought from Romans 10:16 to Romans 10:17, is that just as they have not all listened or harkened to the Gospel, as Isaiah prophesied, who hath believed our report (or what they hear)? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of God.” Romans 10:17. Simply put, saving faith is available to all who truly hear the Word of God that is preached.

Just ask yourself, have you ever told someone in clear, plain English, knowing they had to have heard the sound of your voice, but it later became clear that what you said didn’t sink in, i.e., not understood? It may have been because they weren’t really listening or that they had no understanding of what you were saying; either way, they just didn’t get it. So it is with the Word of God; many people may attend a meeting where the Gospel is preached but only a few truly believe while many leave just like they came in, in total unbelief. Paul continues: “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words (rhema) unto the ends of the world.” Romans10:18, quoted from Psalms 19:4. The word “sound” here is from a Greek word only used twice in the NT, here and in 1 Corinthians 14:7. It means “a musical sound, whether vocal or instrumental.” So even though the word of God has gone throughout the earth, not everyone who heard the sound thereof harkened to it. Only those who truly heard it really believed, thus having faith and so it is that faith by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

“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 (unintelligent, without understanding) nation I will anger you.” Romans 10:19 quoted from Deuteronomy 32:21, the Greek word translated “people” and “nation” are both translated from the same Greek word “ethnos,” which is translated “gentiles” 93 out of the 164 times it occurs in the NT. And so it is that Israel has not yet received the blessings God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for almost 2000 years, instead, they have been provoked by the Gentile nations who have kicked them from pillar to post throughout the world: “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.” Romans 10:20 quoted from Isaiah 65:1. And instead of Israel receiving God’s promises, Gentiles, who “… were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:” Ephesians 2:12, “But now in Christ Jesus ye (Gentiles) who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13.

“But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.” Romans 10:21 quoted from Isaiah 65:1. The Word of God has gone out for almost 2000 years to a disobedient (meaning unbelieving) and gainsaying (meaning to speak against or contradictive) Nation of Israel. However, as we continue on into chapter 11, we will see how God has saved individual Jews for almost 2000 years and that He will turn the Nation of Israel from ungodliness and restore it to its promised position in the future.

* The Greek “dikaiosu’ne” translated “righteousness.” Defined as “the state of one who is as he/she ought to be; the condition acceptable to God,” used 92 times in the NT, most frequently in Romans at 36; 7 in the 10^th chapter, second only to the 4^th chapter, where it occurs 8 times.

** The Greek “pisteu’o” translated “believe” or “believeth.” Defined as “to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in” used 7 times in the 10^th chapter of Romans.