The Way to Eternal Life
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10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
This morning’s text is the best explanation in the scripture of what must take place in order for a person to be saved. But we find it in an unusual place right in the middle of these three chapters where Paul is answering an objection which must be deal with.
Right at the outset of this letter Paul stated
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
See the problem first shows up right there in the first Chapter. In those last five words of vs 16 “and also for the Greek”
But as we have seen now in Ch 9. this issue is even worse than we thought because not only can heathen also be saved through this gospel, the church was growing at this time predominately among the Gentiles.
If this is the power of God to salvation then it must be manifest among God’s chosen people otherwise what about all those promises in the scriptures for Israel?
So Paul began in ch 9 explaining how being born Jewish doesn’t make you true Israel to whom the promises are made. And also there are many Gentiles. God’s people are the ones that God has chosen, He has called them
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Then in ch 10 Paul tells us that the reason that there is a large number of Jews who are not God’s people is because they did not submit to the righteousness of God but they sought to establish their own righteousness. They did not see that the purpose of the law was Christ for righteousness to everyone who believes.
This has led Paul into an explanation of the process of conversion.
I believe that it is important that we always keep the context of our passage clear. Although this is the best description we have in the Bible of the process of conversion Paul has written it to explain Israels unbelief
Who Can Have Eternal Life?
Who Can Have Eternal Life?
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
How Can Anyone Have Eternal Life?
How Can Anyone Have Eternal Life?
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
9 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.
What Must Happen First?
What Must Happen First?
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
They must be sent
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
They must preach
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
What must they preach?
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 preach):
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
They must hear
There must be someone to hear
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Who will hear?
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
30 I and My Father are one.”
They must Believe
9 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.
This is not just a head belief that Jesus lived and died and rose again. This is a heart faith that yes indeed Jesus did live and die on the cross, was buried and God raised Him from the dead, but more than that you must believe in your heart that Jesus has taken your sins upon Himself and that He died on the cross for your sins. That He rose again to live and sit at the right hand of God the Father and that He is there as you advocate. That God has given to you the righteousness on Christ. That the work is finished. This you must believe with all your heart. But is that it? Just believe? No true heart faith must lead to the calling.
They must Call
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Many call out to God but are not saved. So what is spacial about this call?
9 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.
Genuine faith does not just believe some facts about Jesus.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
If you truly believe in your heart then you will surrender to Jesus as Lord. Paul has not added to faith another work that we must call, he is just saying that genuine faith in the gospel of Jesus will cause the heart to surrender to Christ and to cry out “Lord save me”