Romans 10:14-21

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Means God Uses to Bring People to Salvation

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. The gospel must be preached before it can be believed.

  2. The gospel must be believed before it can save.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. How beautiful are your feet?

QUESTIONS

  1. What is the divine side of our salvation?

  2. What is the human side of our salvation?

  3. Israel had a zeal for God. Israel engaged in a sincere effort to follow the law of God. Was this enough for salvation?

  4. List the five links in the chain of evangelism, moving from effect to cause.

  5. What was the link that Israel missed in the message of salvation?

ANSWERS

  1. God Himself, in the person of His Son, became man and went to the cross to die for our sins. The penalty for our sins was death, but the Lord Jesus died as our substitute. What is the result? A holy and righteous God can save unholy and unrighteous people.

  2. The human side of salvation is to respond in faith to the message of God's grace in Jesus Christ.

  3. No. They thought they could establish their own righteousness by keeping the law of Moses. Righteousness based on the law is impossible because the law must be kept perfectly all of the time, and no one can do this. They were ignorant of God's righteousness (Romans 10:3), and failed to respond in faith.

  4. a) the preacher is sent with a message, b) the preacher preaches the message, c) the unbeliever hears the message, d) the unbeliever believes the message, and e) the unbeliever calls on the Lord. The message moves from head to heart, resulting in salvation (see Romans 10:13).

  5. Israel did not believe the message. The gospel must be believed before it can save. Faith must follow the hearing of the word.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Israel had a zeal for God, but they missed out on the plan of salvation. Is this true of people today, that they are sincere, but sincerely mistaken?

  2. How did Israel respond to the salvation of many of the Gentiles?

CHALLENGE

  1. How beautiful are your feet? Are you sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with unbelievers?

KEY VERSES

  • "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13

  • "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:15

  • "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17



Romans, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsRomans 10:14-21