How can they believe?
| 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? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans10:14-15) |
These verses form part of a complex chapter where Paul laments the hard-heartedness of the Jews who had not believed the message of the gospel. In the chapter he also describes the communication process and the content of the message.
Let's summarise the content of the message as Paul has it in this chapter:
- You can try to establish your own righteousness through the law(v.3) but then it all depends on a perfect track record (v.5)
- But Christ is the end of the law "so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (v.4)
- Believing is to "confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord" and to "believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead" (v.10)
- Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (v.13)
So that's the message. And it's goooooood news!
But, for a message to be passed along, there has to be a sender, a messenger, a message and a receiver who then understands/believes. Did you notice that Paul describes the same process as I did, but in reverse?
He starts with the receiver, then the message ("the one"), then the preacher/messenger who is sent.
For Paul the one who is sent is important.
He describes them as those with the "beautiful feet" because they bring good news!
People can't hear unless someone is sent.
But how awful it is if the Sender (God) sends, but the messenger never goes.
Let's have beautiful feet!!
