Daily Scripture Reading Romans 10:1-21
Many modern churches have become seeker sensitive and they try to make Christianity as palatable as possible in order to have as many so-called converts as possible. In today’s passage we will see a clear expression of the requirement to be saved. Unfortunately, many seeker-sensitive churches are not clearly articulating the Biblical requirement to be saved; thus, many of the so-called converts in modern churches may not actually be saved.
The 9th chapter of Romans tells us that the Gentiles were not pursuing righteousness, but they gained it by faith. Meanwhile, the Jews were pursuing righteousness, but they did not attain it because they were pursuing it via works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.
Rom. 10:1 ¶ Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
The pronoun “them” refers to Israel.
Rom. 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
There is both a positive and a negative in this verse. The positive is the Jews had zeal for God. The negative is they lacked knowledge. The unspoken implication is that zeal without knowledge is bad.
In recent decades, Christianity has focused on emotions and downplayed the importance of doctrine and Bible study. Much effort is expended to create emotional experiences on Sunday morning, with the result that Sunday morning services are devoid of depth.
As a result, today, there are many church attenders who exhibit a zeal for God. However, many of them are also biblically illiterate, so their zeal lacks knowledge. If it was a negative for the Jews to have zeal without knowledge, then it is also bad that modern day Christians have zeal without knowledge.
Part of the solution is for churches to abandon the contemporary music and fluff teaching that appeals to emotion, and instead focus on imparting knowledge which leads to conviction and repentance.
Rom. 10:3 For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
Many modern Christians live by worldly standards and values instead of Biblical standards and values.
Rom. 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Rom. 10:5 ¶ For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of law: “THE MAN WHO DOES THESE THINGS SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”
This is a quote from Leviticus 18. The Israelites were commanded not to do as was done in Egypt and Canaan. Instead, they were to commanded obey Yahweh and were promised that if they did so, they would live.
Rom. 10:6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way: “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL GO UP INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down),
Rom. 10:7 or ‘WHO WILL GO DOWN INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Rom. 10:8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
Verses 6-8 contain quotes from Deuteronomy 30:12-14. Moses told the Israelites that God’s commandments were not too difficult because they were not in heaven or beyond the sea. They were near them.
Paul quoted this to imply that it is not difficult for people to gain righteousness because we do not have to search for the word of faith. We already have it.
Rom. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Look at the word “that”. Verse 9 is the word of faith which is mentioned in verse 8. This verse tells us how to become saved. A person needs to make Jesus Lord of their life and believe He rose from the dead.
Rom. 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, leading to righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, leading to salvation.
This verse repeats the necessity of belief and confession.
Many modern churches have become seeker sensitive and they try to make Christianity as palatable as possible in order to have as many so-called converts as possible. In the process of doing that, they do not clearly articulate the path to salvation found in Romans 10:9-10. That means many of the so-called believers may not actually be Christians.
Rom. 10:11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES UPON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
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,
Rom. 10:13 for “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”
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?
Rom. 10:15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PROCLAIM GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
Rom. 10:16 ¶ However, they did not all heed the good news, for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
Rom. 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Rom. 10:18 ¶ But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have;
“THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH,
AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”
This is a quote from Psalm 19:4. This is the Psalm in which David wrote that the heavens declare the glory of God. In other words, every human has seen evidence that God exists.
Rom. 10:19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says,
“I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION,
BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.”
This is a quote from Deut 32:21. The Israelites spurned God; therefore, God threatened to use non-Israelites to anger them and make them jealous. One of the ways that has been fulfilled is the church becoming primarily Gentile.
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.”
In Isaiah 65, Isaiah essentially communicated the same concept that was expressed in Deut 32:21.
Rom. 10:21 But as for Israel He says, “ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
Verses 9-10 of the 10th chapter of Romans gives us the requirement to be saved. One must make Jesus the Lord of their life and believe He rose from the dead.
To what extent has your church become a seeker-sensitive church?
What are some examples of your church ignoring Biblical truth in order to make Christianity more palatable to those who are not saved?
How accurately and completely is your church declaring the true path to salvation as articulated in Romans 10:9-10?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”