Tag: Romans 10:14-15

JEFF TURNER

When a jailer asked Paul and Silas what he needed to do to be saved, their answer was short. They said believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Some have pointed to this exchange as proof that the gospel message requires no doctrine, no mention of repentance, and no explanation of who Jesus is or what he has done. But that reading pulls the answer completely out of its context and ignores what must have already taken place before those words were spoken.

Before a person can believe in someone, do they not first need to know who that person is? Before they can grasp what they are being saved from, doesn’t that condition has to be explained?

Paul’s short answer to the jailer assumes that all of this groundwork had already been laid. Romans 10 makes the same point. Faith comes through hearing, and hearing requires a messenger who explains the details. The command to believe was the call to act on what had already been shared, not a standalone formula that replaces the full gospel message.

How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Romans 10:14

DAVID INGRAM

You may have heard someone introduced as a preacher. Or Bible teacher. or both. Are they really different things? Absolutely! Preaching and teaching are not the same, though they overlap.

Preaching comes from a word meaning herald. It means proclamation. A preacher announces the gospel to those who haven’t believed, or calls believers to act.

Teaching, on the other hand, comes from a word meaning instructor. It’s explanation of the scripture and it is directed to people who have already accepted Jesus’ blood for the redemption of sin.

So, why is this important? Consider this. You can be the most learned person, and still not do a thing to spread the Gospel. You can be quite comfortable in church where you will most likely receive complements on your understanding. But have you shared the Gospel with anyone?

Romans 10:14-15

How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”