Good News, But Who Will Share? 

Romans 10:5 – For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. ⁶ But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth). ⁷ And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” ⁸ In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: ⁹ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. ¹¹ As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” ¹² Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. ¹³ For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? ¹⁵ And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (NLT)

In this passage, Paul writes about saving faith – a faith that makes us right with God.  We should note that in this letter, Paul has already stated that it was impossible to be made right with God by keeping the law, because it was impossible to keep the law.  Romans 4:15 – “For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!”  So, that pretty much leaves out the keeping law as a way of being right with God! 

In verses six through eight, Paul is referring to Deuteronomy 30:11-14, and he adds his own commentary, which may be in parentheses in your Bible.  Romans 10:6 – “But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth). ⁷ And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” Paul was stating that it should be obvious that we cannot go up to heaven, or go to the place of the dead, and return. The point here is that human works cannot obtain salvation. 

Paul then makes it clear that it is faith in what Jesus has done for us that makes us right with God.  Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”  We must understand that Paul is not separating believing and confessing.  Translating the Greek syntax makes it appear so to us – but we could also translate verse ten as: “For one believes with their heart and confesses with their lips and is justified and saved.”  We don’t have a two step process here.  Believing with your heart and confessing with your mouth need to go hand in hand. 

The message of salvation, of being made right with God, is Good News, but it is too good of news to keep to ourselves!  Because it is too good to keep to ourselves, Paul ends this passage with a call to being a witness.  No one can believe and be right with God if they have not heard, and they will not hear unless someone tells them.  Many Christians live under the assumption that everyone in our country knows this good news, but that is not the case.  Many people believe that Christians worship a God that wants to condemn people.  We need to share that God is loving, and that God does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9). 

Today, let us share this Good News so that others may know and come to believe! 

Posted by Ramón Torres