Romans 10
QUESTION: Saved without any idea who jesus is?
I'm with you in that God gives spiritual life, which then enables someone to believe the truth. But I'm interested in your take on Romans 10:14-17, because it sounds like you're saying that people are saved without having any idea who Jesus is. Which...is kind of ridiculous. Why would Jesus tell His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations, if the speaking of the Word wasn't a vital part in this awakening?
"...the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." (Romans 10:9-17, NIV, included in question)
Not trying to stir things up, I'm really interested in what you think.
- Anonymous
ANSWER
There’s a lot to address in this so let me break it down…
I'm with you in that God gives spiritual life, which then enables someone to believe the truth.
Yes. That is correct (John 5:25, 8:47).
But I'm interested in your take on Romans 10:14-17, because it sounds like you're saying that people are saved without having any idea who Jesus is.
Not exactly. I would say that some people are saved without knowing New Testament, gospel particulars regarding who Jesus is. The Old Testament memorializes this often-overlooked biblical fact. First off, none of the Old Testament saints knew the name of Jesus Christ – nor did they possess the explicit NT gospel of I Corinthians 15:3-4 or II Corinthians 5:21. That alone is a devastating blow against the false idea that the explicit NT gospel reaches ALL of God’s elect family during their natural lives. It most certainly does not. Moreover, there are even more explicit examples where God’s elect had no intellectual knowledge of Jesus whatsoever, not even veiled types and shadows. Those include David’s son (II Samuel 12:23), Abijah (I Kings 14:12-13), and Rachael’s children (Matthew 2:16-18, Jeremiah 31:15-17).
As for coming to conclusions regarding Romans 10:14-17, my suggestion is to “keep reading.” Paul raises several rhetorical questions in that passage. Most insist that the answer to them is an implied, “Well of course they cannot hear without a preacher and thus they can’t be saved without a preacher.” However, Paul goes on to answer those questions explicitly in the following verses and his argument does not conclude until Chapter 11, wherein he states that God is saving and preserving men in a way that is completely independent of the work that preachers are doing.
”But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.” (Romans 11:4)
What’s more, God’s work is utterly effectual in achieving its end in a way that the preacher’s work evidently was not (Romans 10:18-21).
Which...is kind of ridiculous. Why would Jesus tell His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations, if the speaking of the Word wasn't a vital part in this awakening?
It is not ridiculous to command men to go and preach the gospel, provided the gospel has some useful purposes other than the impartation of eternal life to men. The gospel has MANY useful purposes for God’s people but imparting eternal life via regeneration is not one of them. Indeed, the gospel presumes a living subject as its beneficiary, given that only those who are born again have the ears to hear gospel truth (I Corinthians 2:14). The objection you raise is very common, but also insubstantial. It proceeds on the false assumption that if the gospel does not serve the purpose of imparting eternal life, then it serves no purpose at all. That is demonstrably false. For more on the biblical purposes of gospel ministry you might find this short video helpful: The Gospel and the New Birth.
You went on to quote Romans 10:9-13, which I have restated below from the KJV for reference.
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13, KJV)
Consider the following clarifying questions:
Did the OT saints ever declare that “Jesus is Lord!”?
No. The Old Testament saints never made this explicit declaration.Were they eternally saved?
Yes, undeniably so (Hebrews 11).What manner of man can sincerely profess faith in Christ – regenerate or unregenerate?
Regenerate (I Corinthians 2:14). The unregenerate have no faith and are enmity against God (Psalm 10:4, Romans 3:10-18, II Thessalonians 3:2).Are the men of Romans 10 calling on Jesus in order to OBTAIN eternal life or because they already HAVE eternal life?
They are calling because they already have eternal life else they could not believe or proclaim such things in sincerity.
Those answers prove beyond any dispute that declaring and professing “Jesus is Lord” and calling on the Lord are the effects that attend a proper understanding of the gospel for those who have ears to hear, the regenerate. Declaring, professing, and calling upon the Lord are NOT prerequisites to obtaining eternal life. To make that point more explicitly, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34). It follows that if declaration, profession, or calling upon the Lord is done in sincerity, it is therefore not the produce of the deceitful and wicked heart of unregenerate man (Jeremiah 17:9). Rather it arises from the new heart given in regeneration (Ezekiel 36:26). It follows that men declare such thing as an evidence of their existing state of eternal salvation, rather than as a prerequisite to obtaining eternal salvation.
"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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:14-17)
“Faith cometh by hearing” means that “the presence of faith is made manifest by the reception of gospel truth.” It is not saying, “The gospel imparts faith to men.” We know this because the gospel reveals the righteousness of God “from faith TO FAITH.” (Romans 1:17). A man MUST possess faith already in order to have any reception of the gospel. Faith is a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22). It follows that the gospel instructs those who are ALREADY in possession of eternal life – it tells them about their Savior and what he has accomplished for them.
Not trying to stir things up, I'm really interested in what you think.
I understand. Your questions are pretty common. Most people use Romans 10 to insist that the gospel is an instrument of regeneration, a means of imparting eternal life to men. The only way to possibly sustain that position is to turn a blind eye to the NUMEROUS people in the bible who were born again, had faith, and were eternally saved who NEVER even encountered the explicit NT gospel. When we ignore that biblical observation, we are bound to arrive at some false conclusions regarding the proper utility of the gospel.
Consider this statement made at the house of Cornelius:
“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” (Acts 10:34-35).
Now answer the following questions:
Who had Peter heard speak when he made this declaration?
Cornelius (Acts 10:24-25).Was that person regenerate or unregenerate?
Regenerate (Acts 10:2, Romans 3:18).When Peter said that, had he spoken a word of gospel truth to them?
No. His gospel sermon comes after this declaration (Acts 10:36-43).Is Peter speaking of something that is a present tense truth or some future state of men who might fear God and work righteousness AFTER they hear the gospel?
He is speaking of a present tense state of reality, BEFORE he’s ever preached the gospel to the gentiles, even as it is true of Cornelius BEFORE he’s preached a gospel sermon to him.
In my experience, those observations are frequently overlooked. I think it likely that this is because many have been marinated in the false notion that “without gospel preaching no one can go to heaven” to such an extent that they never give the alternative proper consideration. This common error is overturned by three observations:
A close examination of the context of those statements (Romans 10).
The salvation of the OT saints who never knew the name of Jesus (Hebrews 10).
Peter’s declaration at the house of Cornelius (Acts 10).
The ramifications of those observations are relentless, and they must be considered in formulating a biblical view of how God regenerates men. To make that point more explicitly, I’d ask everyone to consider: Who preached a gospel sermon to Abraham when he was in Ur?
- Elder Daniel Samons