Romans 10
Today’s Passage: Romans 10
As I studied Romans 10 recently I noticed something that I never noticed before. You can sense the HEARTBREAK of Paul as he looks at the Jews, praying for their salvation. It started earlier in the beginning of Romans 9:1-3…
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.
In the beginning of Romans 10 Paul is in the same place - heartbroken. But I think He brings some words around something that we encounter every day in Kentucky - Cultural Christianity.
What I mean by this is that there are people who go to church, who genuinely try their best, to have a Bible, and yet do not have a relationship with God through Jesus and if they died today they would not go to heaven to be with Jesus.
This should break our hearts. We should be on our knees praying for these people in our lives. We should be strategizing on how to get the gospel to them. We should be begging God.
Look at the words Paul brings to this spiritual condition:
1) ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE (v.2)
Here is what this means - they want to love God but they don’t know what they are loving. They have outward excitement for God but they don’t know what it means to actually be saved from their sin. This should break our hearts. This should lead us to tell them how they can actually know Jesus.
2) IGNORANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.3)
Again, they don’t know what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. The heartbreaking part of this is that they think they do. That they think that they have done everything needed to be right with God but if they died tonight it would look very different than they imagined. This is SCARY and HEARTBREAKING. And because they are ignorant of what it really means to be in a relationship with God through Jesus they…
3) SEEK TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN WAY (v.3)
They try their best. They try to do the right things. They try to love God. They are honestly good, moral people. They just aren’t righteous. Righteousness comes from God.
Paul reminds us there is only one answer… TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS (v.4-21)
He goes on to explain why this doesn’t get us to God and how a relationship with God has a very simple beginning: a cry of our heart in faith to Jesus. To believe in Him and call on Him. And we get to tell them about Him (v.14-17)
So…
Written By: Nick Parsons
As I studied Romans 10 recently I noticed something that I never noticed before. You can sense the HEARTBREAK of Paul as he looks at the Jews, praying for their salvation. It started earlier in the beginning of Romans 9:1-3…
With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.
In the beginning of Romans 10 Paul is in the same place - heartbroken. But I think He brings some words around something that we encounter every day in Kentucky - Cultural Christianity.
What I mean by this is that there are people who go to church, who genuinely try their best, to have a Bible, and yet do not have a relationship with God through Jesus and if they died today they would not go to heaven to be with Jesus.
This should break our hearts. We should be on our knees praying for these people in our lives. We should be strategizing on how to get the gospel to them. We should be begging God.
Look at the words Paul brings to this spiritual condition:
1) ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE (v.2)
Here is what this means - they want to love God but they don’t know what they are loving. They have outward excitement for God but they don’t know what it means to actually be saved from their sin. This should break our hearts. This should lead us to tell them how they can actually know Jesus.
2) IGNORANT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.3)
Again, they don’t know what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. The heartbreaking part of this is that they think they do. That they think that they have done everything needed to be right with God but if they died tonight it would look very different than they imagined. This is SCARY and HEARTBREAKING. And because they are ignorant of what it really means to be in a relationship with God through Jesus they…
3) SEEK TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN WAY (v.3)
They try their best. They try to do the right things. They try to love God. They are honestly good, moral people. They just aren’t righteous. Righteousness comes from God.
Paul reminds us there is only one answer… TELL THEM ABOUT JESUS (v.4-21)
He goes on to explain why this doesn’t get us to God and how a relationship with God has a very simple beginning: a cry of our heart in faith to Jesus. To believe in Him and call on Him. And we get to tell them about Him (v.14-17)
So…
- Identify those people in your life.
- Pray daily for their salvation and on ramps to share with them.
- Tell them about Jesus.
- Pray for God to make it clear and to change their heart!
Written By: Nick Parsons
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