Title: Man's Responsibility to Grace

Text: Rom 10:

Date: Jan 21, 1996

Last week we looked at chapter 9 we saw that God has predetermined the manner in which all men come to Him for salvation both Jew and Gentile. It was by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That was the focus of the first 8 chapters of this letter to the Roman church it was Paul's message to his brothers in the flesh Israel, It is his message, modern man. The gospel message and plan of salvation has not changed over time and it does not change because of race, or any other external conditions. Israel had a special relationship to God and Paul mentioned the benefits of that relationship, yet his heart was broken because they refused to believe that Messiah had come in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. And Paul said if it were possible he would give his very life and forfeit his own salvation if it would bring them to Christ. But he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t give his life for theirs. The only one able to do that was God’s Messiah and he had already come and died for them. They had a responsibility to accept Messiah and God’s plan but salvation and they rejected it. Today we also have a responsibility in God's plan of salvation. As we look at chapter 10 it is a two-fold responsibility: The first responsibility is to respond.

I. Responding to God’ Grace Paul tells us three things here concerning responding to God’s grace.

         1. Zeal is not enough v.v. 1-5

In these first five verses Paul acknowledges that the Jews were zealous or had a great enthusiasm for God. Paul certainly understood that, He had been the same way.

Phil 3:4-6

though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

The Jews were zealous or enthusiastic about God’s law, but they did not know the righteousness of God - not that they did not have an intellectual knowledge of God’s righteousness as revealed through the law, they certainly had that. But, their mistake was in trying to obtain God’s righteousness through obedience to the law rather than faith.

Paul has already told us the law was holy and just and obedience was and is important. The problem was they sought to be obedient to the law because it was the law, not out of love for God. We see that in the parable found in Lk 18:10-13 about the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer

10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 12 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' 13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'

Lk 18:10-13 NASB

The Pharisee was a representation of Israel. In seeking to live by obedience to the law without faith they were in essence attempting to established their own path to righteousness. But the law is like a chain, when you break one link the whole chain is broken; when you break one law the entire law is broken. And Paul’s point is the only remedy for that is Jesus Christ.

In the previous 9 chapters Paul has been building this argument. In chapter 2 he wrote it is not the hearers of the law that are justified but the doers of the law. He went on to explain that the obedience to God’s law he was referring to must be obedience from the heart. He explained Gentiles who are obedient to the law do so not because they have the written law but because God’s law was written in their hearts by faith. He stressed that even more emphatically in 3:20 he wrote by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight. And in 3:28 he wrote, For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. NASB He was clearly pointing out the difference between a ritual obedience and obedience that comes through faith. Now he goes even further saying Christ was the ultimate fulfillment of the law regarding righteousness. They were zealous in their attempts to ritually keep the law their ultimate failure is refusing to have faith in the pinnacle of the law which was Jesus Christ.

Paul points out in Gal 3:24 the law was intended to lead us to Christ and Israel was wandering in the wilderness again and they were not following it’s leading.

That’s why the church has to keep calling men and women to faith in Christ. So we don’t get caught in the same trap believing that because we are in the church or in a church we are righteous or because of the church activities we are made righteous. The church like the law is intended to lead men and women to faith in Christ we are part of the church and take part in the things of the church because of our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Obviously everyone who attends church or takes part in church activities is not a Christian so we continue to proclaim the gospel of salvation by grace through faith.

Responding to the gospel is not hard. That message is a simple one – We don’t have to go on a spiritual quest to become righteous. We don’t have to struggle in an attempt to find God. That’s Paul’s point in verses 6-8 the second truth about responding to Grace.

         2. We don’t have to search for God v. v. 6-8

In verses 6-8 we learn that 1). God is not far away and 2). He has chosen to reveal himself or make Himself know to mankind

Jesus said I came to seek and save that which was lost (Lk 19:10). Paul wrote in Gal 4:4 in the fullness of time God sent His son. Jn 3:16 says God so loved the world he sent His only begotten Son.

When I could not come up to Him He came down to me. We sing that song Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

The message of salvation is not complicated. It is a simple message that only requires child-like faith. But it does require faith, and that’s where we struggle because for the most part we like to earn things so we can say we did it or take credit for accomplishing something and our analytical or logical minds balk at something so simple as being made righteous by faith.

         3. Responding to Grace requires a confession of faith and

         a profession of faith v. 9-13

Ro 10:9-10

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:9-10 has long been one of the most helpful portions of Scripture in leading others to accepting Christ. Verse 9 and 10 are reminiscent of Hebrew parallelism. They lay out the necessity of faith and the role of a public profession of that faith. There is no significance that confession is mentioned before belief in this passage because Paul has already made clear the necessity of belief but Paul, here as elsewhere is drawing on from the Old Testament and preserves the word order of Deut 30:14.

The word confess is the Greek homologeo- here has a two-fold meaning

By definition to confess means 1) to say the same thing as another, that is, to agree with, to assent - it implies more than just speaking words. When the Bible talks about confessing our sins it’s not talking about just naming them off, or listing them or telling them to someone else. It means to agree with God they are in fact sins. The understanding is that it is a matter of belief. I confess something is a sin because I believe in my heart it is and agree with God about it. When Paul says confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, he is referring to more than just mouthing the words. He explains that when he adds and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and explains it further in verse 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

The implication is not only to confess or agree with God about the nature of Jesus Christ but also to profess to declare openly that faith. William Barclay says Christianity is belief plus confession. That confession is that Jesus is Lord - Sovereign Master, He is Divine - He is God in the flesh; He alone is the redeemer. The outward profession of faith arises from a profound inward conviction. It’s not the speaking of the words that saves someone it is the belief of the heart that leads to the confession that results in Salvation.

The word translated Lord in this passage in reference to Jesus is used over 6000 times in the LXX (the Jewish translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) for Yahweh Or God. It means Jesus’ authority is absolute, unlimited and universal.

The late theologian C. E. B. Cranfield said: The confession that Jesus is Lord is the acknowledgment that Jesus shares the name, the nature. the holiness. the authority, power, majesty and eternity of the one and only true God . . .(see Romans, Kent Hughes, p187.) Dr Robert Mounce says it means Jesus’ authority is absolute, unlimited and universal. Those who come to Christ by faith are acknowledging they have placed themselves entirely and without reserve under His authority. (Mounce, NAC Vol 27, p. 209)

We know Paul is talking about something more than just repeating the phrase, Jesus is Lord because of the context of Romans where Paul has stressed from the start justification by faith. We also understand it’s deeper meaning from 1 Co 12:3

“. . . no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” NASB

Jesus said in Matt 10:32-33 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Verse 10 is not just a formula to be recited from memory - but the expression of genuine belief. The Confession is giving expression in words to the genuine acceptance and conviction of Jesus Lordship over your life.

The key to the confession “Jesus is Lord” is faith and Paul nails that faith to the of the resurrection of Jesus. Which Jesus is Lord? There were many false Messiah’s and many who would claim to be Lord, but the one who is Lord is the one whom God raised from the dead. The resurrection which will obviously be talked about more as Easter approaches plays a major role in the message of grace.

Rom 1:1-4

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

1 Cor 15:12-14

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

The fact of the resurrection affirms the truth of the entire gospel message.

Paul said it this way to the Corinthian church referring to the gospel in 1 Co 15:3-4:

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Co 15:1-4 NASB

When Paul writes about belief in the resurrection in v. 11 He is implying belief that Jesus was God who came in the flesh, died on the cross for our sins and was raised by the power of God from the dead for our justification. Which is what Paul wrote in Ro 4:25.

We see from these verses the we have the responsibility to receive the message of God’s grace. We also have the responsibility to proclaim that message

II. A Responsibility to proclaim the message v. v. 11-21

11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him; 13 for "Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." NASB

This message is for everyone God chose to use the nation of Israel to be the bearer of the promise, but it has always been a universal message for all people. Paul quotes two Old testament passages to support what he wrote. In verse 11 he quotes Isa 28:16 In v13 he quotes Joel 2:32

These verses tell us three things about the message of grace:

         1. The gospel is universal in it’s scope

Ro 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. NASB

We understand that the distinction between Jew and Greek Paul refers to is not just about those two nationalities but is the distinction between the Jews who were God’s chosen people as Paul pointed out in chapter 9 with all those privileges that entailed and all other nations. The message of the cross, the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is not localized but universal.