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How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The responsibility of sharing the Gospel message falls upon everyone who has believed it.<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve<\/span>\u201d is from the Greek verb pisteu\u014d<\/em><\/span>. This word is based on the noun pistis<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cfirm persuasion, conviction, or belief in the truth.\u201d Hence, pisteu\u014d<\/em> <\/span>means \u201cto have a firm conviction or belief in some truth.\u201d It does not mean to simply accept a statement as fact, but to firmly grasp it as reality.<\/p>\n The word translated \u201cheard<\/span>\u201d is akou\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which can refer to \u201cthe physiological process of hearing a sound\u201d or to \u201cthe process of understanding spoken ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a preacher<\/span>\u201d is translated from ch\u014dris<\/em> k\u0113russontos<\/em><\/span>. Ch\u014dris<\/em> <\/span>means \u201cat a space from\u201d or \u201cseparate from\u201d and k\u0113russontos<\/em> <\/span>is a form of k\u0113russ\u014d<\/em><\/span>, which we saw back in verse eight means, \u201cto proclaim or herald as a public crier would do.\u201d It is expressed in this verse as a present participle, literally meaning \u201cpreaching.\u201d Thus, we see that Paul says, \u201cHow shall they hear apart from preaching?\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/strong><\/span>). 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, \u201cWhoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n Since that \u201cwhoever\u201d 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\u2019s ministry, preaching the gospel message to the Gentiles so they can believe.<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n If you have recognized your sinful condition, humbling yourself before the mighty hand of God, and appealing to Him for the salvation that you don\u2019t deserve, then you now have an obligation to share this truth with others. Have you shared this message with someone else recently? Don\u2019t think it is someone else\u2019s responsibility to share the Gospel message. It\u2019s yours!<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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