Romans 10:14-15 - The Gospel Sent Forth

Romans 10:14-15 - 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? 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!”

Message: The Gospel is Brought to People

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
The progression of the message from Paul continues. Man is not to create his own righteousness or think that by keeping the Law a person can be saved (10:3). We are all sinners and righteousness must be based on faith (10:6). This is a message for everyone. Each person is to confess and believe and they will be saved (10:9). Each person is to call upon the name of the Lord (10:13; Joel 2:32). These are the facts. 

A Dilemma
In verse 14, Paul introduces a dilemma. How will people know this? The reality is Paul admits that people come up with their own means of getting to God. People come up with their own set of rules. People devise their own methods. I think people want the answer but people don't seek God for that answer. They instead come up with something that they are comfortable with. 

But Paul makes it clear the message doesn't just happen. The message needs a conduit. 

1. If we know a person must call upon the name of the Lord, then how will a person call that has not believed? Verse 10 of Romans 10 stated, "believe results in being made righteous and calling results in salvation." So, calling on the name of the Lord saves a person, but this calling is preceded by a belief. A person is not going to call on the name of the Lord when they don't even believe their is a God or a Savior that can save them. 
2. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? So, if we need to get a person to first believe, that person must have heard. "Have you heard of God?" 
3. How will they hear without a preacher? In order for people to hear, there must be someone to give the message. 
4. How will they preach unless they are sent? Interesting, a person must be sent. It is not just a preacher that is necessary, but a person must be sent.

That last one is interesting. Is that last one mostly forgotten? Do we send people? Or is this talking about God being the one that does the sending? 

Matthew 9:38 states, "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” This verse in Matthew speaks of the idea that we are to pray to God for harvest workers as He will send out workers to the harvest, that is, the Lord.

Then in Matthew 28:18-20 is the sending message from Jesus: And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

Is Jesus simply making a statement in the same way a pastor might tell people to "Go spread the good news" echoing the words of God? And yet, Jesus speaks of an authority that has bestowed upon Him. This authority is something He has received that we do not see. And we know that the Lord sends out workers to the Harvest. So, it seems that the Lord sending out workers and Jesus sending out workers of the harvest is one sort of substantiate evidence for Jesus being God or at the least that they both have the same mission and authority. Either way, the command is clearly given by Jesus. Jesus had the authority from God. 

Matthew 28 is a message Jesus gave to the disciples, so is this a command only to the disciples and no one else? Well, I know already from reading Romans 1 that Paul was encouraged by the way the Roman Christians were preaching the gospel. 

I say this because as I talk to people of other faiths, they often try to make out the Bible is not a message to all people but only to a select few. Thus, when Jesus gave commands in the New Testament, those commands were often to the disciples. So, the argument is often made that the disciples are the only ones that are to be obedient to those commands. This is an argument I've heard from a Muslim. And then from an LDS missionary I've heard the command that it is only through the laying on of hands that a person can proclaim the gospel. Yet, I know in the Bible, the call to repent is a call Jesus made to everyone, like in Acts 17:30. Joel 2:32 refers to everyone that calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:9-10 talks about each person confessing and believing. 

But, isn't preaching or spreading the Gospel an act of service? Ephesians 4 talks about gifts given to people for the purpose of equipping the saints. 

Conclusion
I think the significance of these verses is that for someone to believe, they must hear. And for them to hear, one must preach. And for one to preach, they must have been sent. But, being sent is a part of being a Christian. The message of repentance is to all people, not just to a select few. He is our shepherd and we are the sheep. He leads the sheep of the pasture. 

Paul quotes from 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!”

Promise: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”