Romans 10:16 – Who’s the Fool?
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 the Lord Jesus 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 “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall 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 report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
The first part of this verse is a Hebraism (a Hebrew expression) that 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 his own 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, wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, and sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross to pay for our sins so that we can have that personal relationship with Him.
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 © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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