HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT ALL HEED THE
GOOD NEWS (GLAD TIDINGS):
All' ou pantes hupekousan (3PAAI) to euaggelio: (3:3;
11:17;
John 10:26;
Acts 28:24;
Hebrews 4:2;
1 Peter 2:8)
(1:5;
2:8;
6:17;
16:26;
Isaiah 50:10;
Galatians 3:1;
5:7;
2 Thessalonians 1:8;
Hebrews 5:9;
11:8;
1 Peter 1:22;
3:1)
They did not all heed the good
news - Notice that "heed" or obey is used in this verse as
synonymous with believe. (See related topic -
Obedience of faith).
Faith alone saves but the faith that saves is inextricably linked with
obedience. There are many in our day who see no clear and vital
relationship between faith and obedience (or "heeding" as in Romans
10:16). Listen to what some of the giants of the Christian faith have to
say about faith and obedience.
Therefore everyone who hears
these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a
wise man, who built his house upon the rock. (See notes
Matthew 7:24)
— The Lord Jesus Christ
On the contrary. Blessed are those
who hear the word of God, and observe it. (Luke
11:28) — The Lord
Jesus Christ when someone sought to bestow blessing on his mother
Mary
Faith is the fountain, the
foundation and the fosterer of obedience. — C. H. Spurgeon
Faith and obedience are
bound up in the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that
trusts God, obeys God. — C. H. Spurgeon
Obedience is the hallmark of
faith. — C. H. Spurgeon
When a person truly trusts
Christ, he or she will obey Him. — Warren Wiersbe
We see in the flood account (we see
that) God has always saved people the same way: by grace (Genesis 6:8),
through faith (Heb. 11:7)... (and) True faith leads to
obedience (6:22; 7:5). — Warren Wiersbe
James 2:14-26 discusses the
relationship between faith and works, and James uses this event to
illustrate his main point: true faith is always proved by
obedience.— Warren Wiersbe
Hebrews 11:17-19 indicates that
Abraham believed that God could even raise Isaac from the dead! In
short, Abraham proved his faith by his works. His obedience to the Word
was evidence of his faith in the Word. His faith was made perfect
(brought to maturity) in his act of obedience. — Warren Wiersbe
The threefold purpose of the Bible is
to inform, to inspire faith and to secure obedience. Whenever it is used
for any other purpose, it is used wrongly and may do actual injury. The
Holy Scriptures will do us good only as we present an open mind to be
taught, a tender heart to believe and a surrendered will to
obey.— A W Tozer
The best measure of a spiritual life
is not its ecstasies but its obedience. —Oswald Chambers
The message of the gospel is to call
people to the obedience of faith, which is here used as a synonym
for salvation...It is not that faith plus obedience equals salvation but
that obedient faith equals salvation. True faith is verified in
obedience. Obedient faith proves itself true, whereas disobedient faith
proves itself false. It is for having true faith, that is, obedient
faith, that Paul goes on to commend the Roman believers... Together,
faith and obedience manifest the inseparable two sides of the
coin of salvation, which Paul here calls the obedience of faith. — John
MacArthur (Romans)
Faith is the starting-post of obedience.
— Thomas Chalmers
Obedience to the faith
is very important to God. God saves us by faith, not by works; but after
He has saved us, He wants to talk to us about our works, about our
obedience to Him. I hear many people talk about believing in Jesus, then
they live like the Devil and seem to be serving him. My friend,
saving faith makes you obedient to Jesus Christ.— J Vernon
McGee
Faith and obedience are bound up in the same bundle. He that
obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God, obeys God.
— C. H. Spurgeon
Obedience is the hallmark of faith, and the proof of grace;
but Judas and others worked miracles, and were lost.— C. H. Spurgeon
He does
not believe that does not live according to his belief. — Thomas Fuller
Let the acts of the offspring
indicate similarity to the Father. — Augustine
It is faith alone that justifies, but
the faith that justifies is not alone. —John Calvin
If we
would know whether our faith is genuine, we do well to ask ourselves how
we are living. — J. C. Ryle
The Bible recognizes no faith
that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any
obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are
opposite sides of the same coin.— A W Tozer
Faith that saves has one
distinguishing quality; saving faith is a faith that produces
obedience, it is a faith that brings about a way of life. — Billy
Graham
Only he who believes
is obedient; only he who is obedient believes.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Believing and obeying
always run side by side. — C. H. Spurgeon
What saves is faith alone, but the
faith that saves is never alone. —J. I. Packer
Faith must have adequate evidence,
else it is mere superstition. — A. A. Hodge
True, God-exalting obedience
comes from faith. Any other kind of obedience is not true
obedience at all. — John Piper
Faith alone unites us to
Christ and Christ alone is the ground of our justification. Our
obedience is the fruit of that faith. The faith that justifies is
the kind of faith that, by the Holy Spirit (Romans
8:13), changes us.
If your faith in Christ leaves you unchanged, you don’t have saving
faith. Obedience—not perfection, but a new direction of thought and
affections and behavior—is the fruit that shows that the faith is alive.
James put it this way, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have
works, is dead” (James 2:17). Faith alone justifies, but the faith that
justifies is never alone. It is always accompanied by “newness of life”
(Romans
6:4). —
John Piper (Sermon)
If lips and life do not agree, the
testimony will not amount to much. —Harry Ironside
In His Word, God tells us again and
again that as believing children we are to live by faith and we are to
walk by faith. This reference is to God's believing, trusting people and
to the kind of faith that is saving faith. There are many other brands
of faith being displayed in our world today. Saving faith—biblical
faith—is on the highest level, for it is the life of trust and
obedience that our Lord requires of us.— A W Tozer
The difficulty we modern Christians
face is not misunderstanding the Bible, but persuading our untamed
hearts to accept its plain instructions. Our problem is to get the
consent of our world-loving minds to make Jesus Lord in fact as well as
in word. For it is one thing to say, "Lord, Lord," and quite another
thing to obey the Lord's commandments. We may sing, "Crown Him Lord of
all," and rejoice in the tones of the loud-sounding organ and the deep
melody of harmonious voices, but still we have done nothing until we
have left the world and set our faces toward the city of God in hard
practical reality. When faith becomes obedience then it is
true faith indeed. — A W Tozer
A visitor, passing through a certain
department of a large shop, noticed a set of regulations written on a
blackboard. He also noticed that, in several particulars, every man in
the shop was disregarding them. He questioned the foreman concerning the
matter. At first the man was reluctant about answering him. Finally he
said, "Those rules were written by one of the firm. He has neither
wisdom nor judgment. If we should follow his directions, we would ruin a
good part of the work." The men took their own way because they lacked
faith in their commander. However else we may characterize it, failure
to obey is simply lack of faith.— Bible Illustrations
The man that believes will obey;
failure to obey is convincing proof that there is not true faith
present. — A W Tozer
Heed (5219) (hupakouo
from hupó = agency or
means, under + akoúo physical hearing and apprehension of
something with the mind - akouo gives us our English acoustics -
the science of design which helps one hear) (Click
also the word study on the related noun
hupakoe) literally means to
listen under with attentiveness and to respond positively to what is
heard.
To "listen or hear under" conveys the
idea of subordinating one’s self to the person or thing heard, and hence
to obey. It means to hearken (give respectful attention) or to
listen attentively in order to answer or respond.
The sense is that one understands and
responds accordingly. Note that hupakouo implies an inward
attitude of respect and honor, as well as external acts of obedience.
Paul cites Isaiah 53:1 which
introduces an extremely detailed prophecy of the redemptive work of
Jesus. This clear passage is avoided or denied by unbelieving Jews. The
problem is not hearing, but believing (heeding)!
Faith and
obedience are closely related, C H Spurgeon writing
that...
Faith and obedience are bound up in
the same bundle. He that obeys God, trusts God; and he that trusts God,
obeys God.
If you desire Christ for a perpetual
guest, give him all the keys of your heart; let not one cabinet be
locked up from him; give him the range of every room and the key of
every chamber.
Good News
(2098)
(euaggelion
from eú =
good + aggéllo = proclaim, tell)
means good news, glad tidings, Saxon = gōd-spell = lit. "good tale,
message". Euaggelion
originally referred to a reward for good news and later became the good
news itself. The word euaggelion was in just as common use in the
first century as our words good news today. “Have you any good news for
me today?” would have been a common question. In this secular use
euaggelion described good news of any kind and prior
to the writing of the New Testament, had no definite religious
connotation in the ancient world until it was taken over by the "Cult of
Caesar" which was the state religion and in which the emperor was
worshipped as a god (see more discussion of this use below).
Euaggelion
was commonly used in the Greco-Roman culture as "a technical
term for "news of victory." The messenger appears, raises his right hand
in greeting and calls out with a loud voice: "rejoice …we are
victorious". By his appearance it is known already that he brings good
news. His face shines, his spear is decked with laurel, his head is
crowned, he swings a branch of palms, joy fills the city, euaggelia are
offered, the temples are garlanded, an agon (race) is held, crowns are
put on for the sacrifices and the one to whom the message is owed is
honored with a wreath...[thus] euaggelion is closely linked with the
thought of victory in battle. " (Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament) This is a convicting definition - here a pagan messenger
radiantly announces good news of an earthly victory. How much more
radiant should we be who are the bearers of the great news of Christ's
eternal triumph over sin, Satan, and death!
The writers of the New Testament
adapted the term as God's message of salvation for lost sinners.
Euaggelion is found in several combination phrases, each describing
the gospel like a multifaceted jewel in various terms from a different
viewpoint (from the NASB, 1977): "the gospel of the kingdom" (Mt4:23),
"the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mk1:1)
because it centers in Christ, "the gospel of God" (Mk1:14)
because it originates with God and was not invented by man, "the gospel
of the kingdom of God" (Lu16:16),
"the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts20:24),
"the gospel of His Son" (Ro1:9),
"the gospel of Christ" (Ro15:19),
"the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2Co4:4),
"the gospel of your salvation" (Eph1:13),
"the gospel of peace" (Eph
6:15), "the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2Th1:8),
"the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (1Ti1:11)
FOR ISAIAH SAYS LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT: Esaias gar legei (3SPAI) kurie, tis
episteusen (3SAAI) te akoe hemon:
(John 12:38-40)
For Isaiah says - In this
passage Paul quotes from the great
chapter on "The Suffering Servant"...
Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? (Isaiah
53:1)
What is the "report" Isaiah is
referring to? Here it is...Isaiah
53
2 For He grew up before Him like a
tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately
form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we
should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised,
and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we
ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for
our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by
His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own
way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent
before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His
generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the
living, For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in
His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in
His mouth.
10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He
would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He
will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in
His hand.
11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be
satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify
the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will
divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to
death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the
sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.
It's the glorious
report of the substitutionary death of the Messiah, Who bore all our
sins, the truth of which is the basis for the good news of the gospel.
Who has believed our report?
- Paul's rhetorical question in the
original Greek construction expects a
negative answer.
Report (189) (akoe
from verb akoúo = to hear) means "the thing heard” and so refers
to “a report”.
Paul proves not all of Israel would obey His Word. This verse introduced
one of the greatest messianic chapters in the OT.
Traditionally and
tragically, Jewish scholars have misapplied (suppressed the truth in
unrighteousness) the truths of Isaiah 53 to the nation of Israel rather than to
an individual person, the Messiah
However it is worth noting that
many ancient rabbis did interpret Isaiah 53 as presenting a picture of a
suffering
Messiah who would bear the sins of His people (see the discourse
between Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch regarding the meaning of Isaiah
53 in Acts 8:26-40).
In Isaiah’s day, the
people did not believe God’s Word, nor did they believe when the Living
Word was in their very midst. John records that...
though He (Jesus) had performed so
many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; 38
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he
spoke, (quoting Isaiah 53:1)
LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?
AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?
For this cause they could not believe
(they refused the light they had), for Isaiah said again,
HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES, AND HE
HARDENED THEIR HEART; LEST THEY SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND PERCEIVE WITH
THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, AND I HEAL THEM (quoting from Isaiah 6:10
"Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and
their eyes dim, lest they see with their eyes, Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed." The
Israelites in Isaiah’s day had already hardened their hearts against the
Lord, and His retributive judgment on them had already begun when Isaiah
received his commission. The point is that when they would hear Isaiah's
prophetic message, God explained that they would become even more
hardened against the Lord.)
These things Isaiah said, because he
saw His (Jesus') glory (In Isaiah 6:1ff), and he spoke of Him. (John 12:37-41)
John cites Isaiah 53:1 to
explain how the nation saw Christ’s miracles and still refused to
believe. Because they would not believe, judgment came on
them and they could not believe.
