“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! But not all Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” 

Romans 10:15-17

As believers of Christ, our heart loves what Christ loves and our heart hates what God hates.  As believers, we’ve been gifted with the enlightenment of God and we need to realize what a privilege and honor that is.  We need to have hearts that long for the things God longs for.  “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites (in our case, everyone, both Jew and gentile) is that they may be saved.” Romans 10:1 Paul is declaring that while his eyes have already been opened and God made it very well known to him that He is real, his heart now longs for everyone to be saved, to experience the good news.  As you grow closer to Christ, the longing Christ has for the salvation of others naturally pours over into you.  A desire for everyone to be saved is a natural reaction to you being saved yourself and we have the tools to help bring others to light.

“The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim; if you declare it with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:8-10  Your mouth, your tongue- the greatest weapon you’ve been given, which has the ability to either build up or tear down someone, has the words that can plant seeds of salvation in someone.  It starts in the heart and is professed through your mouth.  “Jesus is Lord”.  Your tongue shares the word, your tongue confesses it out loud, but the true life change is within your heart.  Again, we need to love the thing that Jesus loves and hate the things that Jesus hates.  Our hearts need to be in the right place and Jesus desires for others to know who he is, our hearts should have that same desire.  So Paul gives us a major tool to bringing others to the light, God’s word.  We read God’s Word, we hear God’s word and we’ve experienced how His word alone pierces like a double edged sword.  I’d guess that the word is at your fingertips (quite literally, most people have it on an app on their phones).  Paul reminds us that the word is right in front of us and we need to be the vessel of God’s word.  We, who have seen and heard the good news need to then use our words to share His word.

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13  “But he did a bad thing and hurt me”, no difference.  “But they have turned their back on God”, no difference.  “But she doesn’t belong to this church”, no difference.  “But I haven’t done X,Y,Z to receive it”, no difference.  Read those verses in Romans again, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.  Jesus didn’t die only for the salvation of the Israelites.  Jesus didn’t wipe clean the sins of only the Jews, no he wiped all of our sin clean when he bore that cross.  He had you in mind.  He had me in mind.  Jesus loves both Jew and Gentile, that means you and me.  That means you and your enemy.  That means you and the person you don’t think will ever be saved.  You and me, no difference.  Someone might belong to one church and think you need to fulfill certain things in order to receive salvation, but that isn’t true.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9  God’s grace has already given us a way to be saved, not by anything we can do through completing certain things here on earth, but by God’s grace alone.  With that, we need to believe it with our whole hearts and then spread the Good news that others too, have the gift of salvation.  There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, don’t let anyone make you think you’re unworthy.  

Paul then brings up the same question I often think when I think of those who are not saved.  “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” Romans 10:14-15  I can’t help but smile when I read those verses.  Paul is answering the questions through his questions- I love that.  How can they believe in someone they have not heard? Starts in your heart, spoken through your mouth.  How can they hear without someone preaching to them? Starts in your heart, spoken through your mouth.  Those who bring the good news.  You and I.  What a privilege and an honor God has given us to spread the good news.  “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17 Remember, Paul stated earlier in Romans 10 where the Word is, where in distance and proximity the Word is, “the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” How can one have faith without hearing about Jesus and what he’s done for not just everyone, but you specifically.  We aren’t called to just hear the good news, but to share the good news.  It is in your heart, it can be spoken through your words with intentionality and boldness.  What a gift we’ve been given, that someone had the desire to save in their hearts, and through their words, we now have that same desire in our heart with the ability to speak His Word through our words.  Use your words wisely and persevere with confidence that God can and will deliver the good news to those who are not yet saved.