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10 Things We Learn From Romans 10 Robert Fulghum wrote a popular article titled, "ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN." Among the things he listed was; share everything, play fair, don’t hit people, put things back where you found them, clean up your own mess, don’t take things that are not yours, and wash your hands before you eat. He listed some more but you get the idea. These are basic lessons that apply to all of us. Problems occur when we forget these lessons and do something else.This got me to thinking about some lessons we learn from Romans 10. I can not say everything we need to know about God and salvation can be found in Romans 10 but there are 10 basic lessons taught in that chapter. First, being religious is not enough. " For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God" (Romans 10.3). Most people we read about in the Bible were religious. The Hittites, the Perizzites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, and the Canaanites were all religious people. The prophets of Baal that Elijah challenged in 1 Kings 18 were obviously religious. In the New Testament we read of the Gentiles and their various gods. At Ephesus there was a problem because the silversmith was afraid the goddess Diana would be cast aside, Acts 19. 27. After the Day of Pentecost, some of the Jews were still clinging to the Law of Moses. In Romans 10 Paul acknowledges the zeal of his Jewish brethren but they were not submitting to the righteousness of God. For this reason they were lost. One can only be justified in Jesus. Today a lot of people are religious and some are zealous, but are they submitting to the Law of Christ. Unfortunately most are trying to be righteous in some way other than taught in the Bible. That is not good enough.Second, God’s word is right here. " But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is to bring Christ up from the dead). 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 preach)" (Romans 10.6-8). The Bible is the word of God and is given for our learning, 2 Timothy 3.16-17. The way some people act one would think that God has some how hidden His word from us. We read of the "lost books of the Bible" or some "new revelation", but we have it all in the Bible. We do not have to go to heaven to bring it down here, or go to the grave to bring it up to man; we just have to read it.Third, we learn when we listen, so we need to listen. Romans 10.8 speak of the word which was being preached. For preaching to do any good it must be scriptural, and it must be listened to. There is a difference between listening and hearing. A lot of people hear things and don’t pay any attention but those that really listen will learn. So, if you want to learn more about God’s word, listen to the word being preached. Fourth, think about what you are hearing. "For with the heart one believes" (Romans 10.10a). Most of the time the heart in the Bible, is referring to the mind and intellect of man. God gave man the ability to reason; to take information and make up his own mind. The greatest preacher of all time, Jesus, was not able to overcome the hard heartedness of His audience. Prejudice will cause us to either not listen or reason illogically. Thinking is hard work but that is what the Bible student is called upon to do.Fifth, you can not believe what you do not know. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10.17). There is a clear distinction between faith and superstition. Faith requires book, chapter, and verse. In other words we can read about it in the Word of God. Superstition is based on what "I think" or what "I feel." People that say they can not explain what they believe but they know what they believe do not have the faith of Romans 10.17. Sixth, you can not be righteous unless you believe the right thing. "for I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge… "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness" (Romans 10.2, 3). We are not at liberty to have our own truth. The one religion is as good as another religion crowd is right to a point. One man made religion will cause a person to be lost as well as another man made religion. None are good enough to save us. Only when we believe the truth will we be saved. Seventh, one can not be saved unless they are willing to confess Christ, but in order to confess Christ one must hear and believe. "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10.9). To confess means to say that same thing. Confessing Christ is more than a ritual. It does not good to say Jesus is the Son of God if we do not believe He is. It also does not good if we are not saying He is our Lord and Master. By confessing Him we are saying we will abide by His word. He is our Master and we are His servants. Eight, every one can be saved. "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10.13). This must be understood in light of Acts 2.21 and 38. Peter quotes the Prophet Joel in Acts 2.21, "And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Peter then proceeded to prove that they had crucified the Son of God. In response they asked, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2.37b). Peter explained what they had to do in order to "call on the name of the Lord." They had to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (the Lord, d.t.) to receive the remission of sins, Acts 2.38. Nine, every person will be saved by doing the same thing. "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him" (Romans 10.16). There was a not a plan of salvation for the Jews and another for the Gentiles. We do not have our own personal "plans of salvation" today. What it took to become a Christian in the first century is what it takes today. What one person must do is the same as anyone else. Ten, some will obey and some will not. "But they have not all obeyed the gospel, For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’" (Romans 10.16). On the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 obeyed the Gospel; the rest did not, Acts 2.41. At Corinth and other Gentile cities some obeyed the Gospel but most did not. According to Matthew 7.13-14 most will be lost, the minority will be saved. While Jesus died for all mankind, only the obedient will be saved. Fortunately we decide for ourselves whether to obey or disobey God. Your decision does not have to be my decision. We should never allow someone else to stop us from going to heaven. — Dennis Tucker |