Romans 10.15-Paul Poses A Fourth Rhetorical Question And Cites Isaiah 52.7 To Demonstrate Israel's Culpability
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday May 31, 2009
Romans: Romans 10:15-Paul Poses A Fourth Rhetorical Question And Cites Isaiah 52:7 To Demonstrate Israel’s Culpability
Lesson # 344
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 10:1.
This past Thursday we noted Romans 10:14 in which Paul poses three rhetorical questions that demonstrate Israel’s culpability.
They also emphasize the importance of the communicators of the gospel in order that the unsaved Jew might have an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior so as to be saved and declared justified by God.
This morning we will note Romans 10:15 and in this verse, Paul poses a fourth rhetorical question and cites Isaiah 52:7 to demonstrate Israel’s culpability.
Like verse 14, this passage also emphasizes the importance of the communicators of the gospel in order that the unsaved Jew might have an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior so as to be saved and declared justified by God.
Let’s read Romans 10:1-15 and then concentrate on verse 15.
Romans 10:1, “Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
Romans 10:2, “For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.”
Romans 10:3, “For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”
Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
Romans 10:5, “For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.”
Romans 10:6, “But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: ‘DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ (that is, to bring Christ down).”
Romans 10:7, “Or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
Romans 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.”
Romans 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.”
Romans 10:10, “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Romans 10:11, “For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’”
Romans 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.”
Romans 10:13, “For ‘WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’”
Romans 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?”
Romans 10:15, “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’”
Romans 10:15 contains a fourth rhetorical question that is the direct result or consequence from the third one posed by Paul.
The rhetorical question “How will they preach unless they are sent?” infers that no one can proclaim the gospel of Jesus unless they are sent by God to do so.
At the moment of his salvation, the church age believer was given a royal ambassadorship in which he is to represent the absent Christ who sits as the right hand of the Father and present the gospel message of peace with God to the unsaved through faith alone in Christ alone (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).
As royal ambassadors, believers are responsible for “witnessing” to the unbeliever, which is communicating God’s plan of salvation to unbelievers on a personal basis in two ways: (1) The example of your life (2 Cor. 3:3; 6:3). (2) Your words (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 6:2).
Every church age believer as a royal ambassador for Christ has the responsibility to proclaim the gospel to the unbeliever.
Romans 10:15, “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’”
“Just as” indicates a comparison between the rhetorical question at the beginning of Romans 10:15 and the quotation from Isaiah 52:7 that appears after it.
Isaiah 52:7, “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’”
So to validate his assertion that those unsaved Jews in Israel are culpable for their rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7.
Paul’s statement in Romans 10:18 clearly indicates that God has commissioned people to communicate the gospel as heralds publicly to the unsaved in Israel.
“HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET” contains the figure of “synecdoche of the part” where the feet of the communicator of the gospel, is put for his or her entire person.
Therefore, the expression means “how beautiful are the feet, i.e. the people” that communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:15, “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!’”
“OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS” is the verb euangelizo (eu)aggelivzvzw) (yoo-ang-ghel-id-zo), which is used in relation to the communication of the gospel and means “to announce or proclaim the good news” that one can receive eternal salvation as a gift through faith alone in Christ alone.
“OF GOOD THINGS” is the articular accusative neuter plural form of the adjective agathos (a)gaqov$) (ag-ath-os), which is used with reference to the gospel and describes it as being “divine in quality and character.”
The adjective describes the gospel of Jesus Christ as being “intrinsically valuable, intrinsically good, inherently good in quality but with the idea of good which is also profitable, useful, benefiting others, benevolent” since it originates from the perfect character and nature of God.
It expresses the perfect character and nature of God and His attitude towards His moral rational creatures.
The word describes the gospel as having man’s best interests in mind and is not designed to hurt him.
In Romans 10:14, Paul poses three rhetorical questions that emphasize the importance of the communicators of the gospel in order that the unsaved Jew might have an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior so as to be saved.
The first rhetorical question infers that no one can call on Christ if they have not believed in Him.
The second rhetorical question infers that no one can believe in Christ as Savior if no one has heard about Him.
The third rhetorical question infers that no one can hear about Jesus Christ without someone proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.
In Romans 10:15, Paul poses a fourth rhetorical question and cites Isaiah 52:7 to demonstrate Israel’s culpability.
Like verse 14, this passage also emphasizes the importance of the communicators of the gospel in order that the unsaved Jew might have an opportunity to exercise faith in Jesus Christ as Savior so as to be saved and declared justified by God.
In the fourth rhetorical question, in Romans 10:15, Paul infers that no one can proclaim the gospel to the Jews unless God sends them.
The purpose of these three rhetorical questions and the one in Romans 10:15 is to demonstrate to Paul’s readers that Israel is culpable because they did hear the gospel through Jesus Christ Himself, His apostles, pastor-teachers, evangelists and believers operating in their royal ambassadorship but rejected Jesus Christ.
These rhetorical questions are employed with reference to the unsaved Jews in Israel as indicated by Paul’s statements in Romans 10:16-21 where he teaches that Israel rejected Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior, which was anticipated by God in the prophets of the Old Testament.
Paul’s statements about Israel’s culpability in rejecting the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior in Romans 10:18-21 is demonstrated by these four rhetorical questions in Romans 10:14-15.