Calling on the Saviour.

Central Truth: By confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead, salvation is assured.

Introduction

When the gospel was revealed, the law of works was set aside. With this change in God’s dealings with humanity, what was expected of people also changed. Under the law, humanity strove to perform works to earn salvation, but under the grace of the gospel, people must simply believe and trust in the work Jesus completed by dying on the cross.

Body

1. THE FAILURE OF THOSE WHO TRIED TO FULFILL THE LAW.

As previously mentioned, the law was given exclusively to Israel. Despite this privilege, they did not attain salvation. For this reason, Paul continued to pray for them:

"Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved." (v. 1).

It is striking that after centuries of having the Law of Moses, the people of Israel had not found life. Paul explains the real problem:

"For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." (v. 2).

The Israelites were very religious, but their devotion was not based on true understanding:

"For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God." (v. 3).

Instead of trusting in the salvation God freely offers, they tried to please God through their own efforts. They failed to grasp the central lesson of the law—that humanity cannot save itself. For this reason, God decided to bring the law of works to an end:

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (v. 4).

Now that Christ has come, salvation is available through faith in Him, making the law unnecessary for salvation.

2. SALVATION BY THE LAW IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Under the law of works, it was impossible for people to attain salvation:

"For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them." (v. 5).

The law’s primary demand was total obedience to all its commands to attain salvation. The problem is that, although the law is good and holy, humanity is not. Therefore, it is impossible for people to fulfill God’s

requirements no matter how hard they try. Recognizing this impossibility, God opened the true path of hope: the gospel of Jesus.

3. SALVATION BY FAITH IS SIMPLE.

While the law of works demanded complete obedience to all the law and not just part—which proved impossible—the gospel of Jesus is accessible to everyone:

"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).” (v. 6-7).

God’s grace does not demand impossible tasks from humanity, such as ascending to heaven or descending into the abyss. Instead, it requires only one thing:

"that 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." (v. 9).

The gospel calls people to believe wholeheartedly in the salvation accomplished through the cross and to confess their exclusive loyalty to the Son of God.

Application

Today, God deals with humanity on the basis of grace and faith. People are not required to do more than believe in the value of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. This is sufficient for salvation:

"For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame’" (v. 11).

Now is the time to receive salvation by believing in the One who died and rose again so we might have life.

How does understanding that salvation is based on faith rather than works impact your relationship with God?

What does it mean to you to confess Jesus as Lord in your daily life?

In what ways have you personally experienced the grace of God in your journey towards faith?

How can we support others in our community who are still trying to attain righteousness through their own efforts?

What are some practical steps you can take to deepen your faith in Jesus and His work on the cross?

Can you think of a time when you felt like you had to earn something, and how did that feel compared to receiving a gift?

Why do you think it’s important to believe in Jesus to be saved?

How can you show that Jesus is Lord in the way you treat your friends and family?

What is something you can do this week to share the message of Jesus with someone else?

How can we remind each other about God's grace when we feel like we’re not doing enough?