Author: Will

Romans 10:16 – Who’s the Fool?

Posted on by Will

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, who has believed our report?"

Truth to Learn

Many people will not listen to or believe the Gospel message.

 

Behind the Words

“Obeyed” is from the Greek word hupakouō, which is make up of hupo, meaning “under” or “beneath” and akouō, meaning “to hear.” This word has two basic meanings, “to listen attentively” or “to yield to a superior command or force” that is, to obey (whether voluntarily or not).

The word “report” is translated from akoē (from akouō, “to hear”) which refers to “something which is, or may be, heard.” Notice Paul’s play on words between “obeyed” and “report.” He will continue to emphasize forms of the Greek word akouō in the next couple of verses.

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has just been talking about how simple it is to be saved (Romans 10:9 – that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.). He has also just said that anyone, Jew or Gentile, can get saved (Romans 10:13 – For "Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will be saved.")

The current verse is in response to an anticipated objection by the Jewish Christians in Rome which might sound something like this, “If all that you say is true, then how come there are so many who don’t believe?” Or, as Paul has stated it in the first part of this verse, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel.”

In response to this objection, Paul now quotes from Isaiah at the very beginning of chapter 53,

Isaiah 53:1 – Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

The first part of this verse is a Hebraism (a Hebrew expression) which means, “But nobody has believed our message.” This is an interesting statement by Isaiah because it applies both to the response of the people of Isaiah’s day who wouldn’t listen to his messages, as well as to people in the days of the coming of the Messiah. If you read through the entire 53rd chapter of Isaiah (it’s a fairly short chapter), you will see that it is a clear depiction of the final days of Christ’s earthly ministry, that is, His sacrificial death on the cross. It speaks of the Messiah as one who is rejected even as He is offering Himself up for the sins of those who reject Him.

Paul’s point is that Isaiah predicted many years ago that most of the Jews (as well as the Gentiles) would reject the message about the Messiah even in the face of overwhelming evidence. And this is still true today. In spite of the evidence of prophecy and historical verification of the death of Jesus Christ, many today would rather believe that we have evolved from single cell amoeba than to believe that God created us. God wants to have a personal relationship with us, and sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross to pay for our sins so that He can have that personal relationship with us.

 

Application

When you witness to the unsaved, don’t be surprised if they reject your message and think of you as a fool. Keep in mind, the real fool is the one who rejects God’s free gift of salvation!

The fool has said in his heart,"There is no God!" (Psalms 14:1a and Psalms 53:1a)

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:15 – Evangelists in Full Bloom

Posted on by Will

And how might they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim the good news!"

Truth to Learn

Those who proclaim the gospel are seen as particularly beautiful.

 

Behind the Words

The word “sent” is from apostellō, meaning “to send away.” The Greek word pempō also means “to send,” but its emphasis is primarily on the destination, whereas apostellō emphasizes the purpose or mission. Our English word “apostle” is derived from this word.

“Beautiful” is normally the translation of the Greek word kalos. In this verse, however, it is the word hōrios, which literally refers to “the right hour or season.” Figuratively, it is used in reference to a flower in full bloom or to a woman who is beautifully adorned and ready for marriage. Hence, it is a reference to something that is in its most beautiful state.

The word that is translated as “proclaim the good news” is euangelidzō, from which we get our English word “evangelize.” This word is made up of eu, meaning “good” or “well” and a form of angellō, which means “to deliver a message.” Our English word “angel” comes from this word, referring to a messenger of God. Therefore, we see that euangelidzō means “to deliver a good message” or “to announce the good news.”

 

Meaning Explained

Before Jesus was taken up into heaven he gave His disciples specific instructions regarding what He wanted them to do. He said: "Going into all the world preach the gospel to all of creation. (Mark 16:15) Matthew recorded the message a little differently. Here’s how he recorded it: "Having gone, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you; (Matthew 28:19, 20a)

Even though this message was specifically given to His eleven disciples (and later to the Apostle Paul), it is implied that we too are given the command to preach the gospel and to make disciples. Because the eleven were given this command, they are referred to as Apostles (ones who have been sent with a message).

Today’s verse now gives us some insight as to how God views those who openly proclaim the message of salvation. He does so by quoting a passage from Isaiah:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him proclaiming good news, making peace heard, bringing tidings of good things, proclaiming salvation, saying to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)

The reason for referring to the feet is because it is the part of the body that transports us to where there are people who need to hear the message. Our Father sees exquisite beauty in the preaching of the Good News of salvation.

 

Application

For many of us, sharing the gospel message is difficult and we feel awkward doing so. But just because it isn’t easy doesn’t relieve us from the responsibility of doing it. Let’s each one of us commit to sharing the gospel message with someone new this week. You may feel awkward doing it, but you may be awkwardly opening the door to eternal life for someone else! And, keep in mind that as you preach the Gospel to the lost of this world, you will be perceived by our Father as being as beautiful as a rose in all its glorious blooming splendor.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:14 – You’re the Preacher

Posted on by Will

How then can they call on the one in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching?

Truth to Learn

The responsibility of sharing the Gospel message falls upon everyone who has believed it.

 

Behind the Words

“Believe” is from the Greek verb pisteuō. This word is based on the noun pistis, which means “firm persuasion, conviction, or belief in the truth.” Hence, pisteuō means “to have a firm conviction or belief in some truth.” It does not mean to simply accept a statement as fact, but to firmly grasp it as reality.

The word translated “heard” is akouō, which can refer to “the physiological process of hearing a sound” or to “the process of understanding spoken ideas.”

“Without someone preaching” is translated from chōris kērussontos. Chōris means “at a space from” or “separate from” and kērussontos is a form of kērussō, which we saw back in verse eight means, “to proclaim or herald as a public crier would do.” It is expressed in this verse as a present participle, literally meaning “preaching.” Thus, we see that Paul says, “How shall they hear apart from preaching?”

 

Meaning Explained

Previously we pointed out that Paul was seen as a traitor by many Jews who believed that he deserted the Jews and the adherence to the Law as the way to righteousness, and that he had turned to the way of the Gentiles. Paul, himself, will say in the next chapter of this letter that he was called to be the Apostle (one sent with a message) to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13). But he has been demonstrating in this chapter that salvation and righteousness are through faith, which belongs both to the Jews and the Gentiles. And in the previous verse he proclaimed, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

Since that “Everyone” includes the Gentiles, he now makes the point that the Gentiles need to hear the gospel message. He says, in order to call on Him they have to believe first, and in order to believe they have to hear the good news, and the only way they will hear the good news is through the preaching. This is the very crux of Paul’s ministry, preaching the gospel message to the Gentiles so they can believe.

The Jews have had the Law and the Prophets proclaiming the gospel message to them for centuries (as Paul has just demonstrated), but the Gentiles have been denied these sources so they need someone to proclaim the message of salvation to them. However, Paul is not the only one who is supposed to proclaim the blessed news of salvation by grace through faith. All of us who possess the gift of eternal life have an obligation to proclaim the news to those around us. It is the gospel (the good news) that is offered to all of mankind!

 

Application

If you have recognized your sinful condition, humbling yourself before the mighty hand of God, and have appealed to Him for the salvation that you don’t deserve, then you now have an obligation to share this truth with others. Have you shared this message with someone else recently? Don’t think it is someone else’s responsibility to share the Gospel message. It’s yours. You are called to be a preacher!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:13 – Admission, Submission, and Appeal

Posted on by Will

For "Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD will be saved."

Truth to Learn

Admission, submission, and appeal are all important aspects of our salvation.

 

Behind the Words

The words “calls upon” are translated from the Greek word epikaleō, which we looked at in the previous verse. In both these verses the word is expressed in the middle voice. In Greek grammar, the middle voice expresses an action that is done by a person to, or about, himself or herself.

This same word was used by the Apostle Paul when he stood before Festus accused of a crime worthy of death. Knowing that he was innocent, Paul called upon Caesar to judge him. In Acts 25:11 it is translated this way: “I appeal to Caesar.” Thus, we see that this word expresses more than simply naming a name or acknowledging a higher authority. It implies an appeal that a person makes by himself for himself to a higher authority who is able to pass judgment on the person making the appeal.

“Name” is translated from onoma, which is “the word or words by which a person is known or called.” It is often used as a reference to a person’s position or authority. Referring to the name of a person is a reference to that person himself. For example, Proverbs 18:10 – “The name of the LORD is a strong tower.” That is, God Himself is a strong tower.

 

Meaning Explained

One of the most amazing things about the gospel message is its simplicity. Paul states that “Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.” It does not require obeying a lot of rules, it does not require an animal sacrifice, and it does not require payment of a large sum of money. It simply requires the penitent sinner to realize his or her helpless condition and to appeal to God to save him or her.

There are two things we want to mention about this simple act, however. First, the expression “call on the name” means to call upon God Himself. The second thing is the implication made by this calling on the Lord. This implication is that the person calling realizes that he or she needs saving. In other words, before one can be saved, he or she must realize that he or she needs to be saved. This realization along with the act of appealing to God indicates a submission on the part of the sinner. Speaking to God or invoking the name of Jesus and demanding salvation will produce nothing. But for a person who realizes that he or she is a sinner deserving of Hell who cannot save him or herself, appealing to God for salvation is an act of submission that produces the guarantee of salvation.

Therefore, calling on the name of the Lord means:

(1)  Admission – we know we have sinned against God and that we deserve the judgment of Hell.

(2)  Submission – to call upon him is to acknowledge him as our God, our Lord, and our Master; therefore, it is an indication that we submit ourselves to Him.

(2)  Appeal – Since He alone can pardon us, it is natural that if we are to obtain pardon, we should appeal to God.

 

Application

Do you know that you are a sinner destined for Hell because of your sins? Do you recognize God as the supreme authority over you and your life? Have you appealed to Him for salvation?

In God's service, for His glory,

 

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:12 – Everyone’s the Same

Posted on by Will

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord of all is rich to all those calling upon Him.

Truth to Learn

God doesn’t care who your ancestors are. He will respond to your call for salvation.

 

Behind the Words

“Distinction” is translated from the Greek word diastolē, which is the noun form of the verb diastellō, made up of dia, indicating a transition and stellō, meaning “to send.” Hence it means “to send (or cause) a change,” that is, “to make things different. The noun form, diastolē, refers to this change, difference, or distinction.

The words “is rich” are from the Greek verb plouteō, which is based on the noun ploutos, referring to “riches or wealth, either in money or possessions.”

“Calling upon” is translated from epikaleō, which is made up of epi, meaning “over or upon” and kaleō, meaning “to call.” Therefore,  epikaleō means “to call upon or request aid from someone else.”

 

Meaning Explained

Before we get into this verse let me point out that when Paul refers to Greeks in these verses, he is using the name as a metonym, which is using a name of one object or concept for that of another. He doesn’t really mean the Greek people; he means all non-Jews or all Gentiles. Since the common language of the entire Roman Empire was Greek, it became a common expression among the Jews to refer to all Gentiles as Greeks.

In the previous verse Paul said that everyone believing on Jesus will not be put to shame. Clearly he was implying that this applies to both the Jews and the Gentiles. Throughout the first four chapters of this letter, Paul set out to show that there is no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles in God’s eyes. Notice particularly what he said in Romans 3:28-30:

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since it is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

In the current verse Paul makes it abundantly clear that God treats all mankind the same whether they are Jewish or not. As you read through the book of Acts, you will see the difficulty that even the Apostles had in believing that God accepts the Gentiles without having to satisfy the Law. In fact, it comes to a head in Acts chapter 15 where Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem from Antioch to get this matter settled. If the Apostles had such a difficulty with this concept, it is understandable that Paul would make such a big deal of it for the Jewish Christians in Rome.

In the current verse Paul states that the same Lord who is over us all is rich in his giving to all of us who call on Him, whether we are Jew or Gentile. God will freely bestow His riches of grace and mercy upon all who submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ and call upon Him for salvation.
 

Application

It doesn’t matter what your ethnic background is, what family you’re part or, or who your ancestors are. If you confess Christ as your Lord and Savior, God will grant you the riches of His righteousness. That’s His promise!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:11 – Unashamed Christians

Posted on by Will

For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Truth to Learn

There is no shame in being called a Christian, and there is no shame in sharing the glorious news of salvation through faith.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “Scripture” is graphē, which is the noun form of graphō, properly meaning “to engrave” but by interpretation it means “to write.” Graphē, then refers to that which has been written. It was common practice among the people of the first century to refer to Holy Scripture with this word.

“Put to shame” is from the Greek word kataischunō, which is made up of kata, used as a negative intensifier and aischunō, meaning “to be ashamed of oneself.” Thus we see that this word means “to put to shame” or “to humiliate.”

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul stated one of the most blessed truths that mankind has ever heard, namely that a heartfelt belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and a verbal confession that He is Lord results in a person receiving the righteousness of God and the promise of salvation from the penalty of his or her sins.

Paul now quotes a portion of a passage from Isaiah 28:16 which says,

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I lay a foundation stone in Zion — a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”

You will notice, however, that the ending of this verse in Isaiah is different from what Paul says in Romans. That is because Paul, as is normally his practice, is quoting from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of what we call the Old Testament. And, in reality, the two are saying the same thing, for what Isaiah means by “whoever believes will not act hastily” is that he will not make haste to run away from the sufferings he meets with in the way of his duty. That is, he will not be ashamed of his religion even though he and it are despised by others.

One of the things that Paul is doing by quoting this verse from Isaiah is demonstrating to the Jewish Christians in Rome that there really is no difference between how the Jews are saved and how Christians are saved. We will say more about this in the next verse.

Paul’s point in the current verse is that anyone who truly believes in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and confesses him as Lord will never be ashamed to declare Jesus Christ as Lord. As we said in the previous verse, anyone who is truly saved wants to confess it to others and, as a result, wants to tell others how to be saved.

 

Application

Have you confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If so, you should be unashamed, even eager, to share the gospel message with those around you.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:10 – Heart and Mouth Connection

Posted on by Will

For with the heart a person believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth is confession unto salvation.

Truth to Learn

True belief and confession go hand in hand.

 

Meaning Explained

According to this verse and the previous one, the things required for salvation are belief and confession. It’s as simple as that, and yet not so simple, for I fear that there are many who have professed to be saved who really aren’t. They may claim to be Christians, they may even believe themselves to be Christians, but they really aren’t. Let’s see why.

Paul says here that “with the heart a person believes unto righteousness.” In the previous verse he told us what it is we must believe: “that God has raised Him (Jesus) from the dead.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof that He is more than mere man. It is proof that He is God in the flesh. Implied in the belief in His resurrection is the belief that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine, for the sins of all of mankind. Also implied is the recognition that we are sinners and in need of salvation. Why is all this true? Because if He was resurrected from the dead, then He is God and everything that He said is true and, therefore, everything that is written in the Bible is true.

What does Paul mean by believing with the heart? This means more than mere head knowledge. It implies more than an act of understanding. It takes in the consent of the will, an inward, hearty, sincere, and strong consent.

Notice that I said consent of the will. This believing requires submission of our will to His. If we truly believe that Jesus is God, then we must recognize that we are the creatures whom He created and He is far above us in power, intellect, holiness, majesty, and glory. We are His subjects, not the other way around. We are here to do His will. He is not here to do ours. If we have not subjected our will to His, then we don’t really believe that He is God.

When we believe, according to what Paul told us in the earlier portion of this letter, God freely grants to us the righteousness of Christ. That is, in God’s record book we are recorded as being forever without sin!

But the second half of this verse says that “with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Does this mean that if you believe with your heart but don’t confess with your mouth, you won’t be saved? Let’s think about this. If one truly believes with the heart, then a verbal confession is the natural outcome. When we first get saved we want to tell others, especially other Christians. None of us who has any kind of exciting news ever wants to keep it to ourselves. We want to tell others! This is the case when we get saved, we want to confess it to someone; we want to tell others that we have been born again.

 

Application

As I said earlier, I fear that there are many who know about Jesus, who know the fact that he died on a cross. They may have even “asked Jesus into their heart” but have never submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, the Judge of all mankind. To these, I fear, God will one day say, “Depart from me you worker of iniquity. I never knew you.” That will be a tragedy!

How about you? Are you submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ?

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:9 – Resurrected Lord

Posted on by Will

that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Truth to Learn

Christ must be both your Master and your risen Savior.

 

Behind the Words

 “Confess” is translated from the Greek word homologeo, which is a compound word made up of homos, meaning “together, or the same” and a form of logos, meaning “something said.” Actually it is more accurately the thoughts or ideas behind what is said. Hence, homologeo means “to agree with, or to have the same thoughts as someone else.”

The word “Lord” is the Greek word kurios, which means “one who is supreme in authority.”

“Saved” is from the Greek verb sōdzō, meaning “to save or to deliver and protect from harm.” It is expressed here in the future tense. In other words, it does not mean “you are saved” but “you will be saved.”

 

Meaning Explained

This verse and the next comprise another of the pinnacles of the book of Romans. This may, in fact, be the highest of the peaks. Paul proclaims here how the righteousness of faith is obtained. Remember, Paul has told us that all of us are sinners.

 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

And that the result of sin is death, that is, separation from God.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Now, Paul tells us that the way to gain the righteousness of God, that is, the way to be saved from the death that sin has caused, is to confess and believe. We are told that we must agree with God that Jesus is our Lord.

Putting this all together we see that Paul is telling us that we need to agree with God that Jesus is the supreme authority over us. This means that He is our Lord, which requires submission on our part. We also need to believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead, which is proof that He is the sinless Son of God, and that His death was sufficient payment for our sins. If we do these things, Paul says that we will be saved.

If we do not do both of these things, that is if we do not submit to Jesus’ supreme authority or if we don’t believe that He is risen from the dead, then we will not be saved. All those people who believe that Jesus was a good man, perhaps even a prophet but who is now dead, will not be saved. Those who believe that Jesus was raised from the dead but have not submitted to His lordship over their lives will not be saved.

 

Application

Have you confessed that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Master? Do you believe that God has raised Him from the dead? Those may be the two most important questions you will ever answer!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:8 – Proclaiming the Word of Faith

Posted on by Will

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:

Truth to Learn

The gospel proclamation centers on faith, not works.

 

Behind the Words

“Word” is translated from the Greek word rhēma, which refers to “an utterance.” By implication it refers to a topic of discussion. In this case it is the topic of righteousness which is the result of faith.

The verb translated “preach” is kērussō, meaning “to proclaim or herald as a public crier would do.” It refers to loudly or forcefully proclaiming a truth. In this case it is the truth that righteousness comes by faith.

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous two verses Paul told us, by slightly modifying a quotation from Deuteronomy 30, that the righteousness of faith is not a difficult thing. What he said, in effect, is that it is not like ascending into heaven to bring Christ and His righteousness down or like descending into the deep (the abyss) to bring Christ up from the dead. After all, these things are impossible for anyone except God Himself. But the righteousness of faith is not impossible. It is, in fact, very possible and very near at hand. It was, in fact, a topic of conversation among the Jews.

He says so as he continues with his quotation from Deuteronomy 30:14, the end of which says:

But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

The meaning is that the doctrine was already so familiar, and so well understood, that it was actually in their mouth, that is, their language, their common conversation. Paul is saying that the righteousness of faith, which comes by the Word of Faith (the gospel), is something that the Jews had been talking about and learning about ever since Moses delivered the Law. In fact, this righteousness of faith has been spoken of among the Jews ever since Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. This righteousness comes from believing in the Messiah. The problem with most of the Jews, however, is that they were so hung-up on obeying the Law that they totally missed the Messiah. They were trying to obtain the righteousness of works instead of the righteousness of faith.

The Word of Faith which Paul is proclaiming is that the Messiah (the Christ) has come and has paid the price of salvation by fulfilling the Law and then offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He is the Paschal Lamb that the Jews commemorated every year. This Paschal Lamb is the Jewish Messiah; He is the Christ, the anointed Son of God. All we have to do is to believe this gospel (good news) and openly declare that we believe. That’s how we obtain this righteousness of faith, and in the next verse Paul will state this very plainly and succinctly.

 

Application

Do you talk about the topic of salvation through belief in the Gospel? Do you openly proclaim this truth? Or do you proclaim that righteousness comes by obedience to rules and ordinances of the church? The difference is between preaching faith which produces life and preaching obedience which produces death.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 10:7 – Risen Christ

Posted on by Will

or, "Who will descend into the abyss?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ is God and He is risen from the dead!

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “abyss” is the Greek word abussos, from which we get our English word, abyss. It is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of buthos, which refers to “the bottom or depth of something.” Hence, this word properly means “something that is so deep as to be perceived as bottomless.” In the New Testament this word is used to refer to the depth of the oceans, but it is also used to refer to the bottomless pit in Hades where spirit beings (like fallen angels) are incarcerated. This word is only used two times outside of the book of Revelation, here and Luke 8:31.

“Bring up” is from the verb anagō, which is made up of ana, meaning “up, again, or away” and agō, meaning “to lead or to bring.”

 

Meaning Explained

This part of Paul’s reference to the Old Testament is not identical to what is contained in Deuteronomy (either in the Hebrew version or the Septuagint), but the sense of it is the same. Moses referred to going to the region beyond the sea. In the time when Moses made this statement, sea travel was very difficult, and to travel to the region beyond the sea was a task of nearly infinite proportion. Also, the ancients believed that the ocean was bottomless. Moses was telling the Israelites that the commandment (that which could bring righteousness) was not far away from them, and it did not require a huge effort to obtain it. He was referring to faith, not a task to be done.

What Paul is saying about the righteousness of faith is essentially the same thing; it is not far away and it does not require huge effort to obtain it. However, since sea travel in Paul’s day was far easier than in Moses’ day, a direct quotation of Moses would not carry the impact that it did in Moses’ day. Instead, Paul uses the concept of descending into the abyss. Since Paul is talking about bringing Christ up from the dead in this verse, he obviously is referring to Hades. Note that Paul is NOT saying that someone has to go down and bring Christ up from the dead because He has already risen. In fact, only God could accomplish this. Paul’s statement is that we don’t have to do this impossible thing in order to obtain faith. As in the previous verse, the monumental task of bringing Christ up again from the dead could not produce righteousness. In fact, it’s just the other way around, only the righteousness of God in Christ could raise Him from the dead.

It is interesting to note that the two primary attacks against our faith are in regard to these two aspects of Christ. Attackers say that He is not God (He did not come down from heaven) and He is not alive today (He has not been raised from the dead). We can’t prove these two facts, we can only accept them by faith, the faith which produces righteousness.

 

Application

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He is 100% God and He is 100% man. As such, he completely satisfied God’s law of righteousness and then voluntarily gave his life for us, proving His righteousness by rising from the dead. Amen!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2018 Will Krause. All rights reserved