Romans Chapter 10, The Word (gospel) is near to all and offered to all. Whosoever calls will be saved. Most won't listen. Prayer For Unbelievers; Evangelistic Praying; Religious Zeal; What must be believed to save? Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone

1. Romans 10
The Word (gospel) is near to all and offered to all.
Whosoever calls will be saved. Most won't listen.
Prayer For Unbelievers; Evangelistic Praying;
Religious Zeal; What must be believed to save?
Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone
Photographer Mark Kelley's incredible images from Glacier Bay are
featured in this month's issue of Alaska magazine

2. BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and
there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge.
Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

3. Romans Outline
• Sinners All, 1-3
• Salvation is by grace alone, 3:21-5
• Sanctification, our walk, 6-7
• Sovereign security and assurance, 8
• Salvation, privileges, position, promises
of Israel, 9-11
• Service to God, 12
• Submit to Authorities for God, 13
• Stick to essentials, liberty in nonessentials, 14
• Serve each other, singing rejoicing, 15:1-19
• Saints to visit, 15:20-16:27
3

4. Roman 9-11, Israel’s Privileges
Problems Promises Prospects
• Roman 10
• Paul’s prayer, 10:1
• Israel’s problem, 10:2-4
• God’s plan; 10:5-15
• Israel rejected God’s plan; 10:16-21
4

5. Romans 9= God Is Sovereign
• NAU Romans 9:15…”I WILL HAVE MERCY ON
WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE
COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION."
• If God is as sovereign as described in chapter 9,
how can we be accountable, and why does He not
save everyone?
• Chapter 10 answers;
• He’s available to all who call on Him (vs. 8, 12, 18)
• Whosoever calls will be saved (vs. 11, 13)
• Men won't listen (heed, obey, harken) (vs. 16, 21)
5

7. Romans 10:1, Prayer For Unbelievers
• Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and
my prayer to God for them is for their
salvation.
• Paul prayed to God for their salvation.
• John Calvin wrote, “There is no place for faith
if we expect God to fulfill immediately what he
promises.”

8. Romans 10:1, Evangelistic Praying
• There are some well-known teachers saying
that praying for the lost is just relieving our
consciences, or that, somehow that fulfills our
obligation of evangelism, when in fact we
should be “telling” people the good news
because we have been commanded to speak
words.
• Evangelism is always presented as by “words”
and “hearing”, a message, good news. Not by
just our lifestyle, or being liked, or friends.

9. Romans 10:1, Evangelistic Praying
• NAU 2 Timothy 4:1 I solemnly charge you in the
presence of God… 2 preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season…
• NAU 1 Timothy 6:2 …Teach and preach these
principles.
• We are to pray;
• NAU 1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing;
• NAU Philippians 4:6 …in everything by prayer…let
your requests be made known to God.
• Yet, don't think that God "has" to save them just
because you are praying for someone's salvation.

10. Romans 10:2, Religious Zeal
• NAU Romans 10:2
For I testify about
them that they
have a zeal for God,
but not in
accordance with
knowledge.
10

11. Romans 10:2
Zeal For God But Veiled
• The Jews thought that knowing the law and a zeal for it would
save them, and anyone without head knowledge and zeal was
accursed;
• The Pharisees said in, NAU John 7:49 "But this crowd which does
not know the Law is accursed.”
• Many people today think religious zeal is a path to heaven;
• Yet Jesus said in; NAU John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures
because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these
that testify about Me;
• We must trust in Jesus as the Messiah, which the Jewish leaders
were unwilling to do.
• NAU 2 Corinthians 3:15 But to this day whenever Moses is read,
a veil lies over their heart; 11

12. Romans 10:2
Lost Israel Has Zeal
• NAU Romans 9:3 …for the sake of my brethren…
• Paul must have also known that Israel was lost, and their
religious law keeping would not save them.
• They worshipped the one true living God, were zealous for
Judaism (Romans 10:2), and keeping the law that God gave
through Moses, they were looking for the Messiah, and yet
we're not born again (John 3:1-15, Acts 10, Matthew 7: 21–
22). Why?
• NAU Romans 9:31 but Israel, pursuing a law of
righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because
they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by
works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
12

13. Romans 10:3, Chapter 10 Theme
• NAU Romans 10:3 For not knowing about God's
righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they
did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
• This verse is the summary, theme, of chapter 10 and
the answer to the critics of chapter 9.
• Rejected Christ
• Self-righteous
• Stiff necked rebellious religion

14. Romans 10:3
Self Righteous Religious Sinners
• "There are only two kinds of men: the righteous, who
believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners who
believe themselves righteous" --Blaise Pascal (1623-
1662)
• There are only two kinds of people, the saints and the
aint’s.
• NAU 2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you
are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not
recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in
you-- unless indeed you fail the test?

15. Romans 10:4, The Law Of Christ
• NAU Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes.
• NAU Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and
of death.
• Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:21 said he was “… under the
law of Christ, so that I might win those who are
without law.”
• NAU Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and
thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
• NAU Galatians 5:4 You have been severed from
Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace. (Romans 6:14, John 1:17)

16. 16

17. Romans 10:9
Confess And Believe
• NAU Romans 10:9 that if you confess with
your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved;
• In Romans 10:9 Paul reverses the order of
salvation, in 10:10 he shows the order.
• Please open your Bibles to Luke 23:40-43;
1
7

18. Romans 10:9
Believe And Confess
• Luke 23:40-43
• 40 fear God (beginning of wisdom),
condemnation= “change of heart and mind”
(repentance, confessing)
• 41 justly, receiving = convicted, nothing wrong
(believing in a sinless Jesus)
• 42 …when You come in Your kingdom!” (believing
He is King)
• 43…you shall be with Me in Paradise.” (saved)
1
8

19. Luke 23:42, Jesus Lord
• NAU Luke 23:42 “…Jesus, [Lord] remember me when
You come in Your kingdom!”
• NJB NAS NIV NIVO NET ESV CSB NAU …Jesus…
• KJG GNV NKJ KJV …Jesus, Lord…
• YLT …Jesus… lord…
• BYZ …Ἰησοῦ… κύριε…
• BGT Ἰησοῦ, …εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν σου.
• Luke 23:42…when You come in Your kingdom!”
• Only kings (lords) have a kingdom
1
9

20. Romans 10:9, Confess
• NAU Romans 10:9 …confess [ὁμολογήσῃς verb subjunctive aorist
active] with your mouth Jesus as Lord…
• NAS Matthew 7:22 "Many will say [verb indicative future active] to
Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord…
• Jesus is the Savior of sinners, when we confess Him we
confess our need of salvation, and that we are sinners.
• Mary said in Luke 1:47 “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my
Savior.”
• “Some people confess a sin a thousand times, I tell them to
confess it once, then thank God a thousand times for
forgiving them.” Maurice Horn

21. Romans 10:9, “Jesus as Lord"
• Romans 10:9 …confess…Jesus as Lord…
• Lordship salvationists use this verse to prove that
Jesus must be our Lord.
• Yet the Bible indicates more than 150 times that
salvation is a gift, not a wage or reward.
• Ron Merryman says,
• “Lordship sanctification: Yes
• Lordship salvation; No”
• Justification By Faith Alone & Its Historical Challenges, by Ron Merryman, http://merrymanministries.com/

22. Romans 10:9, Believe
• Romans 10:9 … believe in your heart…
• What must we believe to be saved?
• Paul summarizes the necessary belief with the climax, the
resurrection.
• NAU John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in
your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in
your sins.”
• NAU John 3:18…he who does not believe has been judged
already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.
• NAU John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life;
but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the
wrath of God abides on him."
2
2

23. Romans 10:9, What must we
believe to be saved?
• NAU 1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God…
• NAU 1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has the
life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have the life.
• NAU Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so I
say again now, if any man is preaching to you a
gospel contrary to what you received, he is to
be accursed!
2
3

24. Romans 10:9
Denying Versus Confessing
• NAU 1 John 2:23 Whoever denies the Son does
not have the Father; the one who confesses the
Son has the Father also.
• NAU 2 Corinthians 11:4 For if one comes and
preaches another Jesus whom we have not
preached, or you receive a different spirit which
you have not received, or a different gospel
which you have not accepted…
• Jesus didn’t die so that bad people could become
good. He died so that dead people could live.
(Prodigal son, Luke 15:32)
2
4

25. Confess After Salvation
• Lisa Harper said, “Our gracious heavenly Father entrusts
us to confess our mess. And to show us that it’s okay to
let down our pretenses, His Word is full of stories about
unlikely people becoming heroes- a stuttering ex-con
who leads God’s people out of slavery; an unethical
little “IRS agent” who becomes a friend of Jesus; a
sleazy woman whose testimony triggers a revival in her
hometown. If you’re embarrassed by your past, you’re
in good company!”
• NAU 2 Corinthians 10:17 But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO
BOAST IN THE LORD.

26. Romans 10:9
Stubborn Unrepentant Hearts
• NAU Romans 10:9 …believe in your heart…
• Why won’t they “believe in your heart”
• Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and
unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in
the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God,
• Ephesians 4:18 …because of the hardness of their heart;
• NAU Genesis 8:21 The LORD…the intent of man's heart is
evil from his youth…
• NAU Jeremiah 16:12 … the stubbornness of his own evil
heart…

27. Romans 10:9
Stubborn Unrepentant Hearts
• Dr. Henry Morris wrote, “No matter what evidence is presented
for the existence of God, it is always possible for the unbeliever
to counter with some objection or with another question. No
argument or combination of arguments can ever convince
someone who does not want to submit to God. Even if he is
completely overpowered and silenced by the arguments, he will
still be of an unbelieving heart, and this is what really counts. "A
man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
• Nevertheless, the evidence is there! For a person who sincerely
desires the truth and is willing to believe, there is an abundance
of proof concerning the fact of God and the character of God.
The evidence is such as either to completely satisfy an open
mind and heart or else to irrevocably condemn an unbelieving
heart. For the latter, the only acceptable evidence may prove to
be the heavy hand of God's chastening judgments, and even this
may only harden it yet more.”

28. 28

29. 29

30. Rom 10:16
Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone
• NAU Romans 10:16 However, they did not all
heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD,
WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
• Whosoever calls will be saved
• John 3:18, Matt 23:37, Rom 10:16-21, 2 Pet
3:9
30

31. Why Doesn't God Save Everyone?
• NAU Romans 10:16 However, they did not all heed the
good news…
• NAU Romans 10:21 But as for Israel He says, "ALL THE DAY
LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A
DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
• NAU Matthew 23:37 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I
wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
• NIVO John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children
of God--
3
1

32. Why Doesn’t God Save Everyone
• NAU Romans 10:16 …they did not all heed the
good news…
• 5219 ὑπήκουσαν hupakouo {hoop-ak-oo'-o}
• Meaning: 1) to listen, to harken 1a) of one
who on the knock at the door comes to listen
who it is… 2) to harken to a command 2a) to
obey, be obedient to, submit to…
32

33. Chapter 10:12, 16, 18, 21
All Who Call On Him
• He’s available to all who call on Him;
• NAU Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew
and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in
riches for all who call on Him;
• NAU Romans 10:16 However, they did not all heed the
good news…
• NAU Romans 10:18 But I say, surely they have never heard,
have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT
INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF
THE WORLD.”
• NAU Romans 10:21 But as for Israel He says, "ALL THE DAY
LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A
DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE."
33

34. 34

35. Romans 10:17, Faith Comes By Hearing
• NAU Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ.
• Billy Graham said, “Wherever the Gospel is
preached, no matter how crudely, there are bound
to be results.”
• Frederick Faber said, “Kindness has converted more
sinners than zeal, eloquence or learning.”
• Kindness is important, but the commands to us are
to speak “words”

36. Rom 10:17, They Spoke Words
• KJV Acts 14:1…There they spoke so
effectively that a great number of Jews and
Gentiles believed.
• God is sovereign! He does it, and He
involves us.
• How can they believe if they don’t hear the
good news?

37. Rom 10:17, They Spoke Effectively
• Acts 14:1… they spoke so effectively …
• 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as
though God were making his appeal through us. We
implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God. 6 As
God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's
grace in vain.
• KJV 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.

38. Romans 10:20, Seeks After God?
• NAU Romans 10:20 And Isaiah is very bold and says, "I WAS
FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME, I BECAME
MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME."
• Matthew 6:33 "But seek [verb imperative present active] first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added to you.
• Acts 15:17…MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE
GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,‘
• Acts 17:27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might
grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each
one of us;
• Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and
that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

39. Romans 10:20, Seeks After God?
• Matthew 7:8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
• Psalm 53:2 God has looked down from heaven upon the
sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who
seeks after God… 3 Every one of them has turned aside;
together they have become corrupt; There is no one who
does good, not even one.
• Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to…. the person who
seeks Him.
• 1 Chronicles 28:9…the LORD searches all hearts, and
understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him,
He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject
you forever.
• Psalm 40:16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You…

40. Romans 10:21
A Rebellious People
• NAU Romans 10:21 But as for Israel He says, "ALL
THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS
TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”
• NAU Isaiah 65:2 "I have spread out My hands all
day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the
way which is not good, following their own
thoughts,
• NAU Matthew 23:37 …I wanted to gather your
children together… and you were unwilling.
40

41. Sin Nature=
“disobedient and obstinate people”
• Charles Spurgeon said, “As the salt flavors
every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect
every atom of our nature.”
• “Be yourself is about the worst advice you
could give some people.” Author Unknown

42. Romans 9= God Is Sovereign
Yet Men Reject The Gift
• Romans 9; God Is Sovereign
• Chapter 10;
• The Word (gospel) is near to all.
• The Word (gospel) is offered to all.
• Whosoever calls will be saved.
• Most won't listen (heed, obey, harken).
42

43. Next Time Romans 11,
Israel's Promises, Position, And Future
• 1) Romans 10:1 - Brothers and sisters, my heart's
desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they
may be saved."
2) Romans 11:1 - I say then, God has not rejected His
people, has He? May it never be!
3) Romans 11:26 - All Israel shall be saved!
• NAU Zechariah 12:10 "I will pour out on the house of
David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit
of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on
Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for
Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will
weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a
firstborn.

44. So, in closing,
BEAM ME UP
SCOTTY.
THERE'S NO
INTELLIGENT
LIFE DOWN
HERE.
44

45. THE END

46. 46

47. 47

48. Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38,
Galatians 3:11, , The just, the righteous
• Just, righteousness, to justify, righteousness,
page 65
• Justification By Faith Alone & Its Historical
Challenges, by Ron Merryman, Justification,
False Brethren
48

49. Romans 10:8, Was The Gospel Lost
Until The Reformation? By John H. Niemela
49

50. Romans 8:30, Justified
by Ron Merryman
50
Ron's books are excellent, and
available for a donation on his
website;
http://merrymanministries.com/Ord
erForm.aspx

51. Romans 10:9
51

52. Believe In Your Heart
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• Believe In Your Heart
• Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014Past Featured
• Resurrection
• Salvation
• A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
• If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.(Romans 10:9-10)
• This verse is the bottom line where salvation is concerned. In case you’ve never noticed, it’s always a matter of the heart with the Lord, and in this passage it’s clear that the central issue of
salvation is a heart-felt belief in the Resurrection. Why is that? Because believing in the resurrection is how we’re justified. The Greek word for justified comes from a root meaning “to
regard as innocent, faultless, guiltless.” So, if we confess (agree) that Jesus is our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead He’ll regard us as innocent of all charges
and qualify us for eternal life.
• How Can This Be?
• First, it helps to remember that Jesus didn’t die so that bad people could become good. He died so that dead people could live. When the Prodigal Son returned home, his joyful father
didn’t exclaim, “My son was bad and is good again” but, “My son was dead and is alive again!” (Luke 15:32).
• When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,
which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
• The wages of sin is death, so prior to becoming believers we were all dead in our sins. But when Jesus went to the cross He forgave all our sins, “nailing them to the cross” to signify that’s
what He was dying for. The Greek word translated “all” in inCol. 2:13 literally means “each, every, any and all”. That means He agreed to accept the full punishment that was due us so that
all the charges against us could be dropped and we could escape the death sentence. Simply put, He made it possible for our Father in Heaven to exclaim, “My children were dead and are
alive again!”
• And His act of sacrifice wasn’t only retro-active, paying back for all the sins of our pre-Christian lives, it was also pro-active, paying forward for all the sins we’ll commit during the rest of our
lives too, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebr. 10:14) Put another way, He clothed Himself in our sin once so we could be clothed in
His righteousness forever. (2 Cor. 5:21)
• Prove it!
• God’s eyes are too pure to look upon sin. (Haba 1:13) He literally can’t stand the sight of it. Discovering this fact about Him helps us understand the importance He places on believing in the
resurrection. On the cross, Jesus became the physical embodiment of our sin. For the first time ever the Father had to turn away from His Son leaving Him alone and in anguish to cry, “My
God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
• Insulted, spat upon, beaten, whipped to within an inch of His life, and finally nailed to a cross, this was the only part of His entire ordeal that caused Him to cry out. The Earth shook and the
sun went dark as the Light of the World was extinguished (Matt 27:45-51).
• Three days later Jesus rose from the dead to sit at the right hand of Majesty, and He’s sitting there today. That wouldn’t be possible if even one of our sins remained on Him. God’s eyes are
too pure to look upon sin, remember? He’d have to turn away again and banish His Own Son from His Presence forever.
• Since Jesus took all of our sins upon Himself, it follows that His death had to absolutely and forever pay the complete penalty for every one of them, or else He’d still be in the grave. So His
resurrection is proof of ours. By believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you’re really telling God that you believe all the sins of your life were forgiven at the cross. With
that alone you’ve inherited eternal life. Selah 03-27-05
• http://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/holidays-and-holy-days/believe-in-your-heart-
2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

53. Romans 10:9, salvation prayers, Question:
"What is the prayer of salvation?"
• Question: "What is the prayer of salvation?"
• Answer: Many people ask, “Is there a prayer I can pray that will guarantee my salvation?” It is important to remember
that salvation is not received by reciting a prayer or uttering certain words. The Bible nowhere records a person’s
receiving salvation by a prayer. Saying a prayer is not the biblical way of salvation.
• The biblical method of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Salvation is gained by faith
(Ephesians 2:8), by receiving Jesus as Savior (John 1:12), and by fully trusting Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), not by
reciting a prayer.
• The biblical message of salvation is simple and clear and amazing at the same time. We have all committed sin against
God (Romans 3:23). Other than Jesus Christ, there is no one who has lived an entire life without sinning (Ecclesiastes
7:20). Because of our sin, we have earned judgment from God (Romans 6:23), and that judgment is physical death
followed by spiritual death. Because of our sin and its deserved punishment, there is nothing we can do on our own to
make ourselves right with God. As a result of His love for us, God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus lived a perfect life and always taught the truth. However, humanity rejected Jesus and put Him to death by
crucifying Him. Through that horrible act, though, Jesus died in our place. Jesus took the burden and judgment of sin on
Himself, and He died in our place (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was then resurrected (1 Corinthians 15), proving that His
payment for sin was sufficient and that He had overcome sin and death. As a result of Jesus’ sacrifice, God offers us
salvation as a gift. God calls us all to change our minds about Jesus (Acts 17:30) and to receive Him as the full payment of
our sins (1 John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us, not by praying a prayer.
• Now, that does not mean prayer cannot be involved in receiving salvation. If you understand the gospel, believe it to be
true, and have accepted Jesus as your salvation, it is good and appropriate to express that faith to God in prayer.
Communicating with God through prayer can be a way to progress from accepting facts about Jesus to fully trusting in
Him as Savior. Prayer can be connected to the act of placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation.
• Again, though, it is crucially important that you do not base your salvation on having said a prayer. Reciting a prayer
53

55. Further Thoughts on The Call to the Ministry
by Paul HeneburyThe Call to the Ministry: A Crucial Subject
• New post on DR. RELUCTANT
• Further Thoughts on The Call to the Ministry
• by Paul HeneburyThe Call to the Ministry: A Crucial Subject
• Again, what is the "Desire"?
• We are looking into the subject of the Call to the Ministry. Last time we considered the “desire” of 1 Timothy 3:1, and we saw that whichever way you cut it, this desire must be qualified in
order to exclude carnal and fleshly impulses, overly romanticized fleeting impressions, the cocksure preenings of proud self-assuredness, or the recognition of persons in breach of biblical
morality. Thus, a true “desire” to preach and pastor boils down to something that is produced in a man by the influence of God Himself.
• We are saying that the desire to be an overseer/elder/pastor (it’s the same office. Cf. 1 Pet. 5:1-3), must be placed there by the One who calls and sends. If that assertion is right, then this
kind of call to the ministry must be subject to testing over a sustained period of time to see if it is the right thing or not, and to mature the one involved. That is what John Newton and C. H.
Spurgeon and many others held to be almost axiomatic in order for the wheat, as it were, to be separated from the chaff. And that is why Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote that whenever anyone
told him he thought he was called to preach, he (MLJ) would see it as his duty to try to talk him out of it!
• This understanding of the ministerial call was very decided in Lloyd-Jones. In his lectures at Westminster Seminary in the late 1960’s he spoke thus:
• “A preacher is not a Christian who decides to preach …he does not even decide to take up preaching as a calling… preaching is never something one decides to do. What happens rather is
that he becomes conscious of a ‘call.’ There must …be a sense of constraint. This is surely the most crucial test….I would say that the only man who is called to preach is the man who
cannot do anything else, in the sense that he is not satisfied with anything else.” – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers, 103-105.
• C. H. Spurgeon, of course, said something very similar.
• Romans 10:14-15: Preachers Are Sent
• Another important text which must be studied in this connection is in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 10. In verse 14 and 15a of this chapter, the Apostle wrote:
• “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And
how shall they preach unless they be sent?”
• There are a number of matters to be settled in relation to this text. First, what does it mean to “be sent” and who does the sending? Second, what rubric, if any, is Paul drawing
on? Finally, what alternatives are there to the common interpretation?
• In answer to the first question, Douglas Moo observes,
• “By repeating the verb from the end of one question at the beginning of the next, Paul creates a connected chain of steps that must be followed if a person is to be saved.” – The Epistle to
the Romans, NICNT, 663.
• Further, the quotation of Isaiah 52:7 after the fourth and final question in v.15 fortifies the importance of God Himself sending out His heralds. There is then something of an official air to
this section. It is worth reproducing a longish passage from F.F. Bruce in support of this:
• “Men and women are urged to call on the name of the Lord and be saved; but they will not call on his name unless they have been moved to believe in him, they cannot believe in him
unless they hear about him, they cannot hear about him unless someone brings them the news, and no-one can bring them the news unless he is commissioned to do so. The preacher is
an ‘apostle’ in the primary sense of the word: he is a herald or ambassador conveying from someone who has commissioned him to deliver it.”– Romans, TNTC, 193-194.
• The second question is also answered by the Apostle’s inclusion of the Isaiah passage. The original context is clearly kingdom-oriented and eschatological. Paul takes advantage of this
context in his larger argument in chapters 9 through 11; which is that Israel still has a future in God’s plans. Thus, the heralds are appointed by God to proclaim the good news to Israel too,
in line with their future expectation. Read more of this post
• Paul Henebury | 3 November 2014 at 10:24 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/p8lMv-WT

56. Romans 10:18, God’s Universe
• 1 Samuel 2:8 "He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the
ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For
the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He set the world on them.
• 1 Chronicles 16:26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD
made the heavens.
• Nehemiah 9:6 "You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The
heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The
seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly
host bows down before You.
• Luke 4:5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world
[not kosmos, oikoumene, 1) the inhabited earth,… 2) the universe, the world…] in a
moment of time.
• Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and
showed Him all the kingdoms of the world [kosmos] and their glory;
• This is God's universe and he does things his way. Now, you may have a
better way of doing things, but you don't have a universe. -- J. Vernon
McGee

57. Romans 10:18, 2,000 Year-Old Ancient
Judean Seal Found, -www.haaretz.com, 29 October 2015
• A spectacular find was made near the Black Sea this summer: Excavating the 2,000-year-old grave of a
Sarmatian noblewoman, which miraculously hadn’t been looted, the archeologists found a wealth of
artifacts—including a carnelian seal with ancient Hebrew letters, centuries older than the tomb.
Unversed in ancient Levantine languages, the archeologists assumed the writing was Phoenician or early
Aramaic. But the letters are clearly ancient Hebrew. The discovery was made by a Russian Academy of
Sciences’ Institute of Archaeology team, led by Roman Mimokhod. Being small, pretty and usually
carved out of gems or semiprecious stones, seals were known to have been collected and traded in the
ancient world. Some were thought to contain magical amuletic powers. The remote Judean desert
fortresses were situated on trade routes. And that might be how one of the seals bearing Elyashib’s
name made its way out of Judah, eventually reaching the grave of a Sarmatian warrior woman far, far
away.
• -www.haaretz.com, 29 October 2015
• Midnight Call, Inc., Commentary: Contrary to any other people, the Jewish presence, thousands of years
old, is being revealed virtually all over the planet. Here we are reminded of the words of Moses, “And it
shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have
set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath
driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I
command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the
LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee
from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deuteronomy 30:1-3). Note the
repeated words “all the nations.” 57

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