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INDEX
PREVIOUS
NEX
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COLLECTIONS
Commentaries, Word
Studies, Devotionals, Sermons, Illustrations
Old and New Testament. |
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Summary of
Romans
9-11 |
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Romans 9 |
Romans 10 |
Romans 11 |
Past
Election |
Present
Rejection |
Future
Reception |
God's Sovereignty
Israel's Election by God |
Man's responsibility
Israel's Rejection of God |
God's Ways Higher
God Not Rejecting Israel |
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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 |
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Greek:
alla
ti
legei? (3SPAI)
Eggus
sou
to
rhema
estin, (3SPAI)
en
to
stomati
sou
kai
en
te
kardia
sou;
tout'
estin (3SPAI)
to
rhema
tes
pisteos
o
kerussomen. (1PPAI)
Amplified: But what does it say? The Word (God's message in
Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word
(the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach
ESV: But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth
and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
ICB: This is what the Scripture says: "God's teaching is
near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." That is the teaching
of faith that we tell.
NIV: But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and
in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
NKJV: 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):
NLT: Salvation that comes from trusting Christ--which is the message we
preach--is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say,
"The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart."
Phillips: 'The
word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart'. It is the
secret of faith, which is the burden of our preaching,
Wuest: But what does it say? Near you the word is, in
your mouth and in your heart. This is the word of the Faith which we
are proclaiming.
Young's Literal: But what doth it say? 'Nigh thee is the saying -- in thy mouth, and
in thy heart:' that is, the saying of the faith, that we preach; |
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BUT WHAT DOES IT SAY: alla ti legei (3SPAI):
"It" refers to the
personification of "Righteousness based on faith" (v6).
THE WORD IS
NEAR YOU IN YOUR MOUTH & IN YOUR HEART (Dt30:14): eggus sou
to rhema estin (3SPAI) en to stomati sou kai en te kardia sou:
Paul take a passage from the OT...
"But the word is very near you, in
your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it." (Deuteronomy
30:14)
Instead of
having to go to great lengths to achieve righteousness by the law, we
can immediately receive righteousness by faith, by trusting in the word
of the gospel. In other words, men do not have to ascend or descend to
find it, because God’s way of salvation had already been clearly and
abundantly revealed. His chosen people had been engulfed in and
surrounded by the word of faith that Paul was now preaching. Even under
the Old Covenant men could claim God’s grace simply by receiving it in
faith.
Much of western society today is like the Israel of Paul’s day. Although
most unbelievers have a limited and often distorted concept of
Christianity, they have a general idea of its claims and have access to
Bibles, churches, and Christians—through which they could easily
discover the gospel if they honestly desired to. Tragically, however,
men still choose works righteousness and “suppress the truth in
unrighteousness...” (Ro1:18-20).
THAT IS THE WORD OF
(the specific) FAITH WHICH WE ARE
PREACHING: tout estin (3SPAI) to rhema tes pisteos o kerussomen (1PPAI):
(17;
1:16,17;
Isaiah 57:19;
Mark 16:15,16;
Acts 10:43;
13:38,39;
16:31;
Galatians 3:2,5;
1 Timothy 4:6;
1 Peter 1:23,25)
(the) faith (see study of "the
faith - pistis")
Preaching (2784)
(kerusso) means to herald (as a public crier), to announce, to
preach, to proclaim, all with the suggestion of formality, gravity and
an authority which must be listened to and obeyed. The Greco-Roman
rulers had special heralds who made announcements to the people. They
were commissioned by the ruler and were to proclaim their announcements
in a loud, clear voice so that everyone could hear. In the ancient world
not to heed the ruler’s messenger was a serious error and to abuse the
messenger was even worse.
In the
context of Romans, "the Word of the faith" Paul was
preaching
was the gospel. In the OT passage the "word" is God's word as found in
the law. Paul takes the passage and applies it to the gospel, "the word
of faith"--the main point being the accessibility of the gospel.
Righteousness is gained by faith, not by deeds, and is readily available
to anyone who will receive it freely from God through Christ. |
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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; |
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Greek:
hoti
ean
homologeses (2SAAS)
en
to
stomati
sou
kurion
Iesoun,
kai
pisteuses (2SAAS)
en
te
kardia
sou
hoti
o
theos
auton
egeiren (3SAAI)
ek
nekron,
sothese (2SFPI)
Amplified: Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely
on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
ESV: because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved.
ICB: If you use your mouth to say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe in
your heart that God raised Jesus from death, then you will be saved.
NIV: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
NKJV: 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.
NLT: For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Phillips: If you openly admit by your own mouth that
Jesus Christ is the Lord, and if you believe in your own heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Wuest: If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from among the dead, you
will be saved.
Young's Literal: that if thou mayest confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
mayest believe in thy heart that God did raise him out of the dead,
thou shalt be saved, |
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THAT IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH JESUS AS
LORD AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART: hoti ean homologeses (2SAAS) en to stomati sou kurion Iesoun:
(14:11;
Matthew 10:32,33;
Luke 12:8;
John 9:22;
12:42,43;
Philippians 2:11;
1 John 4:2,3;
2 John 1:7)
(8:34;
John 6:69-71;
20:26-29;
Acts 8:37;
1 Corinthians 15:14-18;
1 Peter 1:21)
Confess (3670)
(homologeo from homoú = together with + légo = say)
means to say the same and so to agree in one's statement. Homologeo
means to express openly one's allegiance to a proposition or a person,
in this context the person of Christ. It is a statement
of identification, faith, confidence, and trust.
The idea of
"confess" is yes to do so with one's lips but to validate such
a confession with one's life (behavior). Thus one can confess Christ
with the mouth, and confess Him through righteous behavior. In Titus
1:16 we confession with one's mouth but refutation or denial with one's
behavior, Paul recording that...
They profess (present
tense - their
habitual practice) to know God, but by their deeds they deny (say with
their behavior and lifestyle that they do not know Jesus or are in any
way related to Him) Him, being (present
tense -
continually) detestable (root word means to "stink"!) and disobedient,
and worthless (their deeds are rejected after examination = their works
do not stand God's test of deeds wrought by abiding in the Vine, Christ
Jesus) for any good deed. (see notes on
Titus 1:16)
We are to confess Christ “before men.” This emphasizes the
public character of the confession, and its meaning cannot be avoided.
When we confess...the Lord Jesus, we are agreeing with what God says
about Jesus, and with what Jesus says about Himself. It means we
recognize that Jesus is God, that He is the Messiah, and that His work
on the cross made the only way of salvation for mankind. If the heart
truly believes, the mouth will be eager to confess. Confession is not
merely a human work, it is prompted and energized by God, subsequent to
the act of believing but inseparable from it. Again, confession is
characteristic of true faith; it is not an additional condition of
salvation.
C H Spurgeon has a
devotional entitle "Mouth Confession, Heart Belief" from "Faith's
Checkbook", writing that...
THERE must be confession with the
mouth. Have I made it? Have I openly avowed my faith in Jesus as the
Savior whom God has raised from the dead, and have I done it in God’s
way? Let me honestly answer this question.
There must also be belief with the heart. Do I sincerely believe in the
risen Lord Jesus? Do I trust in Him as my sole hope of salvation? Is
this trust from my heart? Let me answer as before God.
If I can truly claim that I have both confessed Christ and believed in
him, then I am saved. The text does not say it may be so, but it is
plain as a pikestaff and clear as the sun in the heavens: “Thou shalt
be saved.” As a believer and a confessor, I may lay my hand on this
promise and plead it before the Lord God at this moment, and throughout
life, and in the hour of death, and at the day of judgment.
I must be saved from the guilt of sin, the power of sin, the punishment
of sin, and ultimately from the very being of sin. God hath said it:
“Thou shalt be saved.” I believe it. I shall be saved: I am saved.
Glory be to God for ever and ever!
In view of the fact that "Lord" (kurios) is used over 8,600x in the
Septuagint to translate the name of Israel's God (Yahweh), it is clear
that Paul, when using this word of Jesus, is ascribing Deity to Him.
We can never forget all that it meant to say that Jesus Christ is Lord.
"If a man called Jesus kurios he was ranking him with the Emperor and
with God; he was giving him the supreme place in his life; he was
pledging him implicit obedience and reverent worship." (Barclay)
A T Robertson on Jesus Christ is Lord: "No Jew would do this who had not
really trusted Christ, for Kurios in the lxx is used of God. No Gentile
would do it who had not ceased worshipping the emperor as Kurios. The
word Kurios was and is the touchstone of faith."
Lord is from kurios, which signifies sovereign power and authority. In
the book of Acts, Jesus is twice referred to as Savior but ninety-two
times as Lord. In the entire New Testament, He is referred to some ten
times as Savior and some seven hundred times as Lord. When the two
titles are mentioned together, Lord always precedes Savior. And even if,
as some erroneously contend, Lord were simply a synonym for God, the
very term God by definition includes the idea of sovereign authority,
that is, of lordship.
Regarding belief, it is important to emphasize that mere
intellectual agreement with the facts of the Cross and the Resurrection
is not necessarily faith that saves. Faith alone saves but the faith
that saves results in a changed heart obedience.
Robert Haldane explains
genuine faith as follows...
A person becomes righteous by
believing God’s record concerning His Son. But the evidence that this
faith is genuine is found in the open confession of the Lord with the
mouth. Confession of Christ is as necessary as faith in Him, but
necessary for a different purpose. Faith is necessary to obtain the gift
of righteousness. Confession is necessary to prove that this gift is
received. In saying, then, that confession is made unto salvation, the
apostle does not mean that it is the cause of salvation, or that without
it the title to salvation is incomplete. When a person believes in his
heart, he is justified. But confession of Christ is in effect of faith,
and will be evidence of it at the last day. Faith which interests the
sinner in the righteousness of Christ is manifested by the confession of
His name in the face of danger. (Source Unknown)
THAT GOD HAS RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD: hoti o theos auton
egeiren (3SAAI) ek nekron:
A bedrock truth of Christian doctrine
(1Co15:4, 14, 17) and the central thrust of apostolic preaching
(Ac2:31-32 3:15 4:10 10:40). Christians believe not only that Jesus
lived but also that he still lives.
Scripture never approves, much less commends, contentless faith, a
“faith in faith” as it is often described. Paul here specifies two
truths that must be believed in order to be saved. The first is that
Jesus is Lord, the second that God raised Him from the dead.
YOU SHALL BE SAVED: sothese (2SFPI):
Following the order of v8, which quotes Dt30:14, Paul speaks first of
confession, which is with the mouth, and then of faith, which is in the
heart. In v10, however, he mentions them in reverse order, which is the
chronological order of redemption. First, with the heart man believes
and is granted righteousness; second, with the mouth he confesses and is
granted salvation. Read the
following devotional by F B Meyer entitled "The Assurance of Salvation"
from his daily devotional, Our Daily Walk...
SALVATION IS a great word. It is
conjugated in three tenses: The Past Tense. We saved at the moment when
we first trusted Christ.
This salvation is a distinct and
definite matter, which is ours at the moment we exercise simple faith in
Jesus. "Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him" (Rom 5:9).
The Present Tense. "To us who are
being saved, Christ is the power of God," such is the accurate rendering
of 1Co 1:18. We are being saved perpetually from the love and power of
sin. The disinfectant of Christ's Presence is ever warding off the germs
of deadly temptation. The mighty arm of the Divine Keeper is always
holding the door against the attempts of the adversary. The water is
always flowing over the eye to remove the tiny grit or mote that may
alight. "We are being saved by His life" (Rom 5:10).
The Future Tense. We are being kept
by the power of God unto a salvation which waits to be revealed in the
last time (1 Pet. 1.). Salvation is a great word. It includes the
forgiveness that remembers our sin no more; deliverance from the curse
and penalty of our evil ways; emancipation from the thrall of evil
habit; the growing conformity of the soul to the image of Christ, and
the final resurrection of the body in spiritual beauty and energy, to be
for ever the companion and vehicle of the redeemed spirit.
PRAYER
Oh blessed Spirit of God, we pray Thee to give us the assurance of being
the children of God, the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty;
and so prepare us for the glory to be revealed to us, and for that great
hour when
the whole creation, which now groans and travails in pain, shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God. AMEN.
Our Daily Bread
has the following story entitled "If
I Tell The World" relating to confession of Christ...
At the close of an evangelistic
meeting held by D. L. Moody, a Norwegian youth stood up to testify of
his faith in the Lord. He wanted the congregation to know that he had
been saved, but he had difficulty speaking English. Haltingly he managed
to say, "I'm up here because Jesus wants me to be a witness. He promised
that if I tell the world about Him, He'll tell the Father about me!"
Moody later remarked, "That boy's testimony went straight to the heart
of everyone present. 'If I tell the world'--yes, that's exactly what the
Bible means when it says we must confess Christ!"
Our Lord does not want us to be silent disciples. He encourages us to
witness boldly to others about His grace. Scripture provides eloquent
proof that we are to be vocal about our standing in Christ. Romans 10:9
states, "Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus." And verse 14 asks,
"How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?"
If you love the Lord, it's your duty to witness to others. Maybe all you
need to say to someone is: "Jesus means so much to me. I wish you knew
Him too!" You will be surprised what such a simple, straightforward
testimony can accomplish. Determine today to "tell the world." --HGB
I'll tell the world that I'm a
Christian--
I'm not ashamed His name to bear;
I'll tell the world that I'm a Christian--
I'll take Him with me anywhere. --Fox
If your faith in Christ is worth
having, it's worth sharing
In his book Our Daily Homily,
F B Meyer concludes that in Romans 10:9...
Salvation is evidently to be taken in
its most extended meaning. It stands even more for the deliverance of
the soul from the love and dominion of sin than for the removal of its
justly incurred penalty. That we should be pure in heart, holy in
thought, consecrated in life, with all the range of our nature
controlled by his indwelling
Spirit
— such is the Divine intention with respect to us, as suggested by this
deep, great word Salvation. But there are two conditions, on our
compliance with which this saving power is realized.
We must confess Jesus as Lord. —
Throughout Scripture there is a close connection between Christ’s
Royalty and his Saviorship. “Behold, thy King cometh to thee, ... having
salvation;” “Him hath God set forth to be a Prince and a Savior.”
“Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, ... made like unto
the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.” We shall never know
Christ as a Savior from inbred sin until we have
definitely
and absolutely enthroned Him in our hearts. A physician is not content
with healing outbreaks of disease and fever when they occur; but claims
leave to examine all the arrangements of the house, so as to deal with
the sources of the mischief.
We must also steadfastly believe in
the Resurrection.
— The risen Lord, sitting at the right hand of God, in all the vigour of
an indissoluble life: still working in the world, and energising the
hearts of his own entering to indwell, to fill, to unite with his own
eternal life — such is the vision offered to our faith. Let us look away
to Him with a persistent, unwavering gaze, until sin ceases to attract
us, and Satan finds a Stronger in possession.
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IF THOU SHALT CONFESS
by John R. Clements |
O lost one in
the wilds of sin,
So long from God away;
Before thee lies an open path,
Where thou canst walk today.
For if thou shalt confess
the Lord,
And in thine heart believe;
His Word is sure, it stands secure,
“Thou shalt be saved,”
“Thou shalt be saved.”
So many roads across the
marsh
But lead to vales of night;
This one, “the true and living way,”
Ends in the fadeless light. Refrain
How many paths at first seem
fair,
That lead to loss and pain!
This one yields comfort all the way,
The end eternal gain. Refrain
(Play
hymn) |
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Romans
10:10 for with the
heart a person
believes,
resulting in
righteousness,
and with the
mouth he
confesses,
resulting in
salvation. |
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Greek:
kardia
gar
pisteuetai (3PPPI)
eis
dikaiosunen,
stomati
de
homologeitai (3PPPI)
eis
soterian
Amplified: For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in,
and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous,
acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly
and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.
ESV: For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with
the mouth one confesses and is saved.
ICB: We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And
we use our mouths to say that we believe, and so we are saved.
NIV: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
NKJV: For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
NLT: For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with
God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
Phillips: For it is believing in the heart that makes a
man righteous before God, and it is stating his belief by his own
mouth that confirms his salvation.
Wuest: For with the heart faith is exercised resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made resulting in
salvation.
Young's Literal: for with the heart doth one believe to righteousness, and with the
mouth is confession made to salvation; |
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FOR WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVES RESULTING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS (Ro1:16,17): kardia gar pisteuetai (3PPPI) eis dikaiosunen:
(Luke
8:15;
John 1:12,13;
3:19-21;
Hebrews 3:12;
10:22)
(Galatians
2:16;
Philippians 3:9)
Refers here to
righteousness of God which is judicially reckoned to all who believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ.
AND WITH THE MOUTH HE CONFESSES RESULTING IN SALVATION: stomati de
homologeitai (3PPPI) eis soterian: (9;
1 John 4:15;
Revelation 2:13)
MacArthur writes:
Righteousness has to do with what we become, and
salvation has to do with what we escape. The first has to do with the
eternal life we receive but do not deserve, the second with the eternal
punishment we deserve but do not receive. The first relates to entering
into blessedness, the second relates to escaping cursedness.
Another contrast between the two verses is that, whereas v9 is a
personal invitation to believe, focusing on the individual (you), v10
presents gospel truth concerning man in general.
Our Daily Bread
has the following story entitled
"Highway to heaven"
Under the headline Car Lover Buried
In Corvette, the newspaper column opened with: "If there is a highway to
heaven, George Swanson may get to the Pearly Gates in style. He was
buried in his white Corvette." His wife Carolyn said, "A lot of people
say they want to take it with them. Well, he took it with him."
Yes, there's a highway to heaven, but you can't travel it in a Corvette
after you die. You must get on this highway while you are alive, and you
get on it by placing your trust in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 10:1-13, Paul declared that the road to heaven is not
difficult to find nor to access. It is right in front of us in the Word
of God. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn.
14:6). He died for our sins, broke the power of death by His
resurrection, lives in heaven as our Advocate and Intercessor, and
places on the highway to heaven all who trust Him as their Savior and
Lord.
Whether or not you're buried in a Corvette makes no difference. The
highway to heaven starts on this side of death, and the entrance is easy
to find. The Bible says, "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Rom. 10:13). Are you on the right road? --HVL
There aren't many ways into heaven;
God's Word says there is only one:
Confessing Christ Jesus as Savior,
Believing in God's only Son. --Sper
To get to heaven, you must go by the
way of the Cross.
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O BE SAVED
by Fanny Crosby |
Sinner, how
thy heart is troubled,
God is coming very near;
Do not hide thy deep emotion,
Do not check that falling tear.
Refrain
O be saved, His grace is free;
O be saved, He died for thee;
O be saved, He died for thee.
Jesus now is bending o’er
thee,
Jesus lowly, meek and mild;
To the Friend Who died to save thee,
Canst thou not be reconciled? Refrain
Art thou waiting till the morrow?
Thou may’st never see its light;
Come at once—accept His mercy,
He is waiting—come tonight. Refrain
With a lowly, contrite spirit,
Kneeling at the Savior’s feet;
Thou canst feel this very moment,
Pardon—precious, pure and sweet. Refrain
Let the angels bear the tidings,
Upward to the courts of Heav’n;
Let them sing, with holy rapture,
O’er another soul forgiv’n. Refrain
(Play
hymn) |
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