Romans 10:14-21: Ethnic Israel Rejected the Gospel (part 2)

 

Romans 10 part 2

Ethnic Israel (Rom 9:3 Fleshly, racial, bloodline, DNA-based) focused on behavior-based righteousness and rejected the gospel of grace that changes the hearts first through regeneration and conversion and then proper behavior follows in the believer’s life. It is spiritual suicide to get these two backwards. Good works result from true salvation; they never produce salvation. When you hear and see the gospel and reject general and special revelation, your guilt before God increases significantly.

I. Ethnic Israel does not understand the true gospel of grace vs. 1-13

II. Ethnic Israel has rejected the true gospel (all but the remnant) vs. 14-21

A. The prerequisites (required conditions) to salvation for Israel and all humans vs. 14-15a

1. God must send a person with the gospel message

2. The sent person must proclaim/share the gospel message

3. The people must hear and understand the gospel message in their language

4. The person must believe the gospel message that they have understood

5. The people must call on the name of the Lord

a. To pray in repentance, requesting forgiveness and salvation

b. To surrender to Jesus as Master, King, Boss, LORD

B. The blessing of obediently sharing or proclaiming the gospel message vs. 15b

1. Beautiful feet carry the good news that the Babylonian captivity is over and Israel will be restored (Isa 52:7) and now that sins captivity is over and spiritual Israel will be expanded. Because the message is itself a precious treasure bringing joy, the messenger can run, leap, and skip for joy—his feet (body language) can match his message

2. Those who do not pray, give, send, and go must realize the destiny of those who have never heard. Look at the prerequisites. Foreign Missions is not optional. Salvation is exclusive to belief in Jesus the Messiah (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

C. The two results that occur when the gospel message is proclaimed vs. 16-17

1. Some will not obey the gospel call to surrender to the Messiah as Lord. Often this is the majority, but not always in every era or every location

2. Even the Old Covenant prophets’ message about faith in the coming Messiah and the need for heart-produced loyalty and faithfulness was rejected by the majority in Ethnic Israel (Isa 53:1; a verse in a Messianic prophecy)

3. Some will obey the gospel and repent, believe, and surrender to Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God

4. Faith cannot be produced in the heart of a sinner apart from the message about Christ. (Two textual variants to choose from in vs. 17)

a. The word of Christ, a specific message about the Messiah, Jesus

b. The word of God, the gospel, a specific message about the Messiah

5. Hearing and understanding the written Word of God and the specific gospel message about the Messiah contained in it is absolutely vital for salvation

D. The first three prerequisites for Ethnic Israel to be saved have been accomplished by God vs. 18-20

1. Israel had never heard the gospel. No one told us that Jesus was the Messiah who came to save us from our sins. Paul is using irony and literary sarcasm here vs. 18 (see Ecclesiastes)

2. Yes, ethnic Israel has been told. Those in Israel saw the evidence that Jesus was God in the flesh. Disease was almost removed from Israel for three years. Paul preached to the Jews first in the synagogues throughout the Roman Empire that Jesus was the Messiah

3. Evidence # 1: General revelation reveals to all humans God’s design and glory. The Hebrew Bible says, “Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Psa 19:4a HCSB). All men have known about God since creation. The Jews cannot plead ignorance. They knew

4. Evidence # 2: Special revelation: Noah found grace in the eye of the Lord, Abraham lived by faith, the prophets told them of the coming Messiah and that works could not save them. The sacrifices told them that blood must be shed for human sin. John the Baptist came in fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy and told them the Messiah was present. Jesus preached and demonstrated that He was the God-Man. The Apostles of Christ preached and died rather than deny Jesus’ resurrection. Yes, Israel had heard the gospel message accompanied by irrefutable evidence

5. Evidence # 3: Special revelation revealed that during the Messianic age the Gentiles would receive God’s righteousness. This was happening before their eyes

a. Moses in the curses of the covenant predicted the future salvation of the Gentiles would occur to incite jealousy among Ethnic Israel. Why? So, they will awaken to what they have missed and respond by believing the gospel message and surrendering to the Messiah, Jesus (Deut 32:21)

b. Isaiah declares God was found by those who did not seek Him and revealed Himself to those not seeking Him (Isa 65:1; Rom 9:30). This is in his final prophesies that are concerned with the Suffering Servant, the Messiah and His coming age. The Gentiles will enter into a covenant relationship with Yahweh during the Messianic age. This was happening before Ethnic Israel’s eyes and continues to this day

E. The last two prerequisites for Ethnic Israel are the responsibility of the Israelites themselves vs. 21

1. In Romans 9, God is 100% sovereign, Romans 10, man is 100% responsible

2. Spurgeon said human responsibility and divine sovereignty are friends that work side-by-side, so they do not need to be reconciled like two people in a feud

3. Because of the limitations of human intellect, there is a mystery here that is beyond our full comprehension and explanation. We are not omniscient. God is

4. Isaiah labeled the real problems: rebellious attitudes and an obstinate will. All men have a bad record and a bad heart. Their love of sin and obstinate will guarantee their coming judgment (Isa 65:2)

5. Ethnic Israel had heard the gospel message, understood what it claimed, and they rejected and opposed the gospel message

6. Ethnic Israel willfully did not obey the gospel and willfully rejected the true gospel of everlasting salvation

7. Am I like Ethnic Israel, refusing to fully comprehend the gospel and embrace Jesus the Messiah by repentance, faith, and full surrender, or am I like the remnant of spiritual Israel that has surrendered to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith?

8. Future good news for Ethnic Israel is in Romans 11