In Romans 10:4-10 there are five ways in which the word of faith confronts rebellion against God’s way of salvation, Israel’s rebellion and our rebellion. Last week we considered three negative aspects of being confronted by the word of faith in verses 4-8 and this week we will cover two positive aspects in verses 8-10. We begin with a brief summary of the first three points, then examine the final two points.

I. The Word of Faith Ends the Law (v. 4)

When Paul said that the word of faith ends the law, he wasn’t saying that the law’s demands had ended. The Jews believed that they would be judged by the law. But they knew they could not keep the Law perfectly, so they devised a set of laws that they believed they could obey. Christians tend to believe we are judged by whether we have trusted Jesus. Neither is strictly true; we are judged by the eternal standard of God’s character of perfect righteousness, justice and holiness.

Christ is the end of the law means that the law is fulfilled. When Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He was saying that the righteous demands of the law had been met for believers. While perfection is the standard, Jesus brought an end to humanity’s needing to live perfectly. This is the beauty of the gospel. Christ did it for us. When we believe, we are declared legally right with God, and we enter into a right standing with Him through that faith. Belief is not mere mental assent to the facts of Christianity, but a complete surrender of self-effort, coming under the lordship of Christ.

II. The Word of Faith Ends Human Effort (v. 5)

The word of faith ends human effort to satisfy the perfection required by God. God knows we can’t meet the standard, and many think that God is unfair for demanding such. However, man is accountable to the standard in the sense that he must submit to God’s way in order to be justified. The gospel message is simple, but the reason people struggle with receiving it is that they must submit to the lordship of Christ.

III. The Word of Faith Ends Vain Journeys (vv. 6-7)

Any attempt to be right with God based on man’s effort is a vain pursuit. The person who does not submit to God’s plan has an inflated perception of their righteousness. They think that they are good enough, smart enough, and powerful enough to stand before God on their own merit. This is an impossible journey. Throughout their whole life, many are on vain journeys searching for truth but never finding it. The word of faith, the gospel, ends all vain journeys.

IV. The Word of Faith is Near (v. 8)

A way to understand the idea of the gospel being near is that the gospel is simple.

• What does it say?

Moses simply commanded Israel to “obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments” (Deuteronomy 30:8). Paul quoted Deuteronomy 30:14, “But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” We tend to complicate the gospel, but God’s commandments were simple, as is the gospel. We can do it because “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Romans 10:8).

• Near physically

God is near through His creation. Romans 1:20 tells us that, through creation, God has made known His existence divine attributes and, by extension, the requirements for His creatures. God was near physically as He interacted with Adam, Moses, Israel, David, Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc. Also, in the fullness of time, God came near physically when Jesus was born of woman (Galatians 4:4). John 1:14, shows the nearness of God when He walked on the earth; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” We see the glory of God in His Son, Jesus. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.’ (Hebrews 1:3) God came near in Jesus in order to fulfill the law.

• Near verbally

The word of faith is near so that we can understand it: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” The gospel is brought to us in our own language, so we understand; it is accessible. Believers don’t have to search for the word of faith because it is already on our tongue; we have already confessed it.

• Near spiritually

The word of faith is not only on our tongue; it is in our heart spiritually. Since the gospel is in our heart, we begin to live a life worthy of the gospel. The gospel does not come differently in the New Testament from the way it came in the Old Testament, but the Spirit acts differently in the two Testaments. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon a person only to enable them to accomplish a specific task. The Holy Spirit was with David on many occasions, and after David was restored from his sin with Bathsheba, he pleaded with God to not take His Holy Spirit from him. (Psalm 51:11) David knew what it was like to have God’s Spirit with him, and he grieved over the thought of having Him leave. 

Now, the Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently. At the Last Supper, Jesus comforted His disciples after telling them that He was going to leave them. He told them that the Holy Spirit would dwell with and in them. (John 14:17) In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul amplified the idea that the Holy Spirit would live in believers: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The word of faith dwells within believers.

The word of faith accomplishes within the believer:

• Creates new life in a soul sin dead in sin (Titus 3:5)

• Assures the believer that he belongs to God (Romans 8:15-17)

• Installs the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church (1 Corinthians 12:13)

• Gives spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:11)

• Helps the believer understand and apply Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:12)

• Enriches the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for him (Romans 6:26-27)

• Empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ and do His will (Galatians 5:16)

• Leads the believer in paths of righteousness (Romans 8:14) producing fruit (Galatians 5:22)

• Convicts the believer when he sins (Ephesians 4:30), leads him to confession so that fellowship with God is restored (1 John 1:9)

• Seals the believer until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14)

We have a guarantee of redemption because we know that in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). We know we are secure in Christ, so we look forward to the hope of glory with certainty (Colossians 1:27). We can say this with confidence because the word of faith is within us.

• Near in preaching

The word of faith comes near to us through preaching. Although a highly significant factor, preaching doesn’t just mean pastors proclaiming the gospel from a pulpit; it includes each of us as we interact with people in our everyday life. God has ordained us to take His message of salvation to the world (Matthew 28:19-20). The message that we are to take is that righteousness comes by faith, the thesis statement of this epistle. (Romans 1:17) We are to call people to put their trust in this simple truth. It is not difficult; it is not complicated. The way of salvation is super easy: justification comes by faith; righteousness comes by faith.

Paul continued to hammer this message to the Jews because they knew the Old Testament Scriptures had declared to them that salvation was by faith, yet they ignored the message. Habakkuk 2:4 says, “the righteous shall live by his faith”. Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Faith in God is a constant theme throughout the Old Testament. On the Day of Pentecost, the word of faith was especially evident as the Holy Spirit descended on the crowd and people heard the gospel message in their own language, again emphasizing that the gospel is accessible to all people.

• He is always near

We find great comfort when we feel that God is near to us. Yet there are times when we feel that God is distant. These times may be caused by guilt feelings from sin, but not always. We may feel this way just because sometimes life is hard, and we don’t understand why God allows trials. God’s nearness does not depend on us; it is based on His promises and His power. The Lord is “near to all who call on him” (Psalm 145:18); He is near also to the “brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18). Psalm 34:19 tells us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” This does not mean that God always removes the difficulties we face, but it does mean that we can find comfort in knowing that God is near. Over and over throughout Scripture, God promised to never leave us; He is always near.

Jesus experienced all the emotions that we face and more: rejection by His people, disappointments, mocking, joy, sorrow, beating, rejection by His Father, and crucifixion. Our reaction to trials is sometimes to give up on God or to drown our troubles with drugs or alcohol, etc. We are prone to evaluate God’s nearness based on arbitrary feelings rather than on God’s promises. God said to Israel, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Faith has a subjective element, but the heart of faith is objective. “But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.” (Psalm 119:151) We need to preach to ourselves the fact that the nearness of God is assured in the truth and reality of Scripture.

V. The Word of Faith is Found in Christ

• A confession of His Lordship (v. 9a)

The word of faith begins with a confession that Jesus is Lord (v. 9). To confess means to agree with; thus, we agree with God that Jesus is Master, Lord, Ruler, Owner, and the Supreme Authority in our life. He is the I AM of Scripture, Yahweh (Exodus 3:14), the covenant-keeping, self-existent God of Israel. Our confession identifies the object of our faith. Often people base their confession on a prayer they recited or on their baptism or on a creed, but the confession must be that Jesus is the object of our faith, the Lord over all aspects of our life. 

MacArthur said, “The gospel call to life predisposes that sinners must repent of their sins and yield to Christ’s authority.” A person who rejects Christ’s authority does not have saving faith. True faith encompasses a surrender to God. The gospel message is a call to discipleship to follow after Christ. Jesus said in Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Jesus is talking about coming under His authority, renouncing all that he has (Luke 14:33). Paul demonstrated his surrender to the lordship of Christ by his obedience (Acts 9:4-8). How we view the authority of Scripture is a measure of our submission. Is God directing you or are you directing yourself? Who is the supreme authority in your life?

• Belief in the resurrection (v. 9b)

A belief in the resurrection means a belief in God and all He has said. Belief is trust, trust that God was pleased with Jesus’ sacrifice, that God raised Him from the dead, and that our righteousness comes only through Christ’s resurrection, not from our works. If the resurrection is not true, we should abandon Christianity. Paul said, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14) The resurrection does not accomplish our justification, but it assures us of our justification. The resurrection is so crucial that the truth of Scripture rises and falls with it. 

• A response to His call (v. 10)

True believers respond to the call with all their heart, with all their emotions, intellect, will, their entire self. Regarding belief, John Calvin said, “Let us know that the seed of faith is not in the head but in the heart. I’m going to argue about the part of the body where faith is located, but since the word heart generally means serious and sincere affection, I maintain that faith is a firm, effectual confidence and not just a bare idea.” Once experienced, it cannot be denied. This is the reason martyrs would go to their death. Faith is a part of who we are. If we believe in God and care about the eternal destiny of others, we will not shrink back from sharing the gospel.

Verses 9 and 10 tell us that we are saved through our belief and our confession. As we grow in sanctification, our confession is seen in worship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, submission to the authority of church leadership, conduct, evangelism, response to temptation, response to trials and, eventually, our death. Understood correctly, the death of a believer is a final act of confession and worship of God. William Carey said, “When I am gone, say nothing about Doctor Carey, speak only of Doctor Carey’s Savior.” John Bunyan said, “Weep not for me, but for yourselves. I go to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will, no doubt, through the mediation of his blessed Son, receive me, though a sinner. We shall ere long meet to sing the new song, and remain everlastingly happy, a world without end. Amen.” These are men who believed in God with their whole heart and confessed Jesus as their Lord.

A proper response to the word of faith is personal evangelism. True believers love people and love to share the good news of the gospel. Paul loved his people, and he persisted in trying to help them see the truth of Scripture regarding the way of salvation. Paul wanted them and us to see from the word of faith that we cannot be perfect, we cannot strive in our own effort, we don’t have to search our whole life for this truth, it is near, clear, and accessible, and the word of faith is a person, Jesus Christ.

Selah:

1. When do you feel God’s closeness and when do you feel He is distant?

2. What area of your life is not fully submitted to the Lordship of Christ?

3. What most often prevents you from boldly sharing the gospel?