Romans 10
COMMENTARY:
: 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (2205 “zeal” [zelos] means heat, earnest concern, eager rivalry, fervent mind, jealous over, excitement of mind, ardour in embracing, or fervour of spirit.)
DEVOTION: Paul is dealing with the difference between legalist Jews and Christians. The legalist Jews believed that if they obeyed the external laws of God they would be saved. Paul was one of them before his conversion. He had a earnest concern that everyone follow the LORD the way he thought they should follow God. If they obeyed the external rules the Jewish leaders had laid down – they would be a true follower of God. One of the things that Paul was sure of is that the Jews were excited about religion.
They, however, were excited in the wrong way with the wrong beliefs. They were excited without full understanding of the message of God. The message came through Jesus Christ. The Jews didn’t accept Jesus Christ. HE taught things that were contrary to their ways.
It took the Damascus way to convince Paul/Saul that he was heading in the wrong direction. Here he wished that he would not be saved if all of his fellow Jews could be saved. That was not possible but it was his wise.
We find many in our world that are excited about their religion. Some are willing to commit suicide for their religion. Some are willing to make social changes for their religion. Some are willing to change the teachings of the Bible for their religion. Some are writing their own Bible for their religion. Some are obeying a set of rules for their religion. They are all heading in the wrong direction. They are trying to do it without a full knowledge of what Christ taught and what the Word of God teaches.
Can we be excited with the wrong beliefs? Can we be doing things that we think God wants us to do and still not be saved? Many are going to stand in front of Jesus on judgment day and say “Have we not done many wonderful works in thy name” and Jesus is going to say “Depart from ME.” Make sure you beliefs are Biblical and not just tradition. Make sure that you are not just having an external religion instead of an internal relationship with Christ.
Don’t follow a religion as the Jews were in Paul’s day. The Jews were trying to establish their own righteousness. Are we?
CHALLENGE: Continually check your actions with the teachings of the Word of God.
: 9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised HIM from the dead you shall be saved. (4982 “saved” [sozo] means make whole, heal, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment, rescue, or deliver into divine salvation.)
DEVOTION: These two verses are used in the Romans road to salvation. This verse states that everyone coming to God has to confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord in their life.
This means that they want HIM to control their life in every aspect. They will study HIS word, the Bible, and apply what they learn to their life for the rest of their life.
Confession of sin is just the starting point of the Christian life. Trying to sin less comes through maturity. There is the realization that they will never reach sinlessness while they are here on the earth. There is also the realization that work is needed to be successful each day.
This verse continues to state that there has to be a heart change. God doesn’t just want external changes in our life. HE wants to have us change from the inside out. HE wants to turn our world right side up.
Our normal way of doing things is to want our own way. That is not what God wants. HE wants our normal to be doing what HE wants. Then we can apply the fact that we are in proper relationship to HIM.
The Bible uses the word “saved” to describe someone who was walking away from God in the direction of a cliff where we will fall into eternity to a place called the lake of fire. We need to do an about face and start walking toward God to a place called heaven.
CHALLENGE: This change of direction saves us and all those who make this decision from falling into the lake of fire for eternity.
: 10 For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (3670 “confession is made” [homologeo] means acknowledge, to make open and free declaration of, admit, agree, to promise, to speak the same language, or to profess one’s self the worshipper of one.)
DEVOTION: Again this verse is used as well to show that we are headed in the right direction toward eternity in heaven. This walk is described as doing things that are right in the eyes of the LORD. Right living is the opposite of living for us. Right living is living according to the directions we receive from the Holy Spirit through the Word of God and our prayer life.
Also attached to our heart change is a difference in our speech. We want to confess our sins and when we meet others we want to tell them about a change that has happened in our life.
We are not only speaking to God in our prayer life about turning toward HIM but we are telling others that we have moved from our old life to a new life in Christ. This is not easy for some because they had established relationships with people they considered friends who would not look well on this change and would like to cause them to go back to their old life with them.
Decisions have to be made daily regarding which direction the newly saved individual will go. There will be times that they will think that it would be easier to go back to the old life rather than to confess Jesus to their old friends.
CHALLENGE: Again it is a choice regarding our commitment to Jesus. A genuine choice means a change of attitude and action on our part with the help of the ministry fo the Holy Spirit.
: 21 But to Israel he says, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. (471 “gainsaying” [antepo] means to speak against, oppose, talk back, contradict, refute, be rebellious and obstinate, or to declare in opposition.)
DEVOTION: Isaiah describes what is going on in Israel in his day. The children of Israel were disobedient to the Word of God. They had received many warning from the true prophets of God but wanted to worship the gods of the land. They didn’t want to have anything to do with God except receive HIS blessings. They thought as long as they had the Temple and the priesthood they were OK in the sight of God. They were wrong.
Isaiah also stated that they were individuals who liked to say the opposite of what God said. They were a people that liked to talk back to God because they had a better idea.
So they were a people who by their actions and by their speech didn’t agree with God. They didn’t think they needed HIM. Life was good without HIM or so they thought.
When an enemy came to take over their territory they would go to God to protect them. God had a better idea. HE said they didn’t want me in their times of blessing but when times of trouble came they wanted HIM. So HE stated through Isaiah that they could seek HIM but HE would not be found during their times of trouble.
Many nations who have claimed to follow the LORD have turned their backs to God when they had times of plenty. Now that they have times of trouble with everything going in the wrong direction they thought it would be nice to go back to church and see what God would do for them. That is not how God works.
HE wants us to serve HIM in times of plenty as well as in times of trouble. Our nation wants to cancel all of God’s standards but also wants to have HIS blessing in their life. It doesn’t work that way. Revival is possible if God’s people truly repent and seek HIS face. I think it is about time for this to happen. What do you think?
CHALLENGE: Talking back to God has never worked. Talking to HIM with a true sign of repentance for neglecting HIS standards is a good place to start.
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