Call Upon the Name of the Lord.

 Whosoever Shall Call.

The Gospel to All. 

The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth verses show the steps necessary for salvation. 

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Rom 10:14  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? 

Rom 10:15  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! 

First,  men must call upon the Lord. But in order to call upon him, they must believe in him. But they can not hear without someone being sent. But preachers have been sent, yet all have not believed and obeyed, although they have all heard.

What have they all heard? They have all heard the word of God. In proof of this, the apostle says that faith comes by hearing the word of God, and adds: "Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." All in the world have heard, and there is no excuse for unbelief on the part of any. Read again Romans 1:16-20.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse

Glorious Preachers. 

The gospel of Christ is "the glorious gospel." It shines its way into the heart. See 2 Corinthians 4:4.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

 So it is fitting that those who preach it should be arrayed in glory. The sun, moon, and stars are the beautiful "preachers" whose words have gone to the ends of the world. They preach the glorious gospel of Christ. They are a continual example of the right way to preach the gospel they shine forth the glory of God.

So the apostle says to us who have heard and believed the word, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Pet. 2:9. 

The gospel is the revelation of God to men. "God is light," therefore the proclaiming of the gospel consists in showing forth his light. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matt. 5:16.

We Choose.

Belief.

We choose what we believe. When something becomes a fact we call those who deny the fact crazy. If I believe the sky is entirely emerald green I would be called crazy because it's been deemed factual that the sky has never been entirely emerald green. However, if my eyes have altered things so that all my color perceptions are off, I'm no longer considered crazy, just impaired by something that alters my ability to perceive the facts of colors. If I see all other colors normally but still insist the sky is entirely emerald green, then I will be deem crazy, hallucinatory, something wrong inside my brain. If I insist on believing in my green sky to the exclusion of all others saying otherwise, it's my choice, isn't it? Crazy or not, I'm choosing what I believe. I could stipulate to the facts that no one else see the green sky so I must have a problem, but I could also pretend not to see the green sky and tell people I see the sky the same as they do. I could choose to say something other than what I believe to be truth for me.

We choose what we believe. 

I know I've personally come face to face with people who refuse to comprehend truth because they want to hold fast to their own perception of truth, and it's very frustrating to have two people believing the truth to be different things. Logic dictates that often in situations there is only a truth and an untruth. And when we choose to believe our own truth, we may have to accept the fact the other chooses to believe what to us is not truth, but to them it is truth.  

Truths and untruths and we choose our own beliefs based on what we believe to be truth. 

If my truth is belief in my Savior, I will build upon the foundation of that truth. Others may not have the Savior as their truth and they will build upon the foundation of another truth.  My Savior, my Foundation tells me to love all without exception. My truth does not believe in any forcing of those truths upon another. My truth tells me to love those who believe differently from me, because I have no way of knowing if others are still on their journey to the truth, and their path different from mine. Love the basic humanity we all share, love the knowledge that all are free to choose, but that all do not choose together. Love that as long as life exists the choice may be possible, and God alone knows the truth of all people, more than we will ever know.

We choose our truths, our beliefs, our foundations, our principles, our standards, our morals, our way of living. We choose, no other chooses for us. 

I choose Love, I choose God. I pray for forgiveness for every single moment of my life I've not chosen love, that I've not chosen God. I make supplication to my God to do for me ALL I cannot do, to be for me all things, for I am nothing without Him. I choose to believe my God will hear my supplication, my prayer and I thank Him! All glory to Him, all through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, now and forever! Amen.

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Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Rom 10:12  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. 

Not Ashamed. 

The root of the word "believe" indicates a foundation, something upon which one can build. To believe on Jesus is to build upon him. He is the tried Stone, the sure Foundation, the Rock. Isa. 28:16.  

Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. 

Whosoever builds upon him will not be obliged to flee in confusion when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon his house; for he is the Rock of Ages.

No Difference. 

The keynote of the gospel call is "whosoever." "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.  "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Rev. 22:17. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." No distinction is made; "for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek."

Read again the second and third chapters of Romans, and the fourth also. Indeed, the whole book of Romans gives a death-blow to that wicked idea that God is partial, and that he favors some people more than others. The idea that God has special blessings for one nation of earth that he has not for others, no matter whether that one nation be called Jews, Israelites, Anglo-Saxons, Englishmen, or anything else, is a direct denial of the gospel of the grace of God.

Believing That For Which He Was Raised.

 

The Commandments - Christ.

 

Living Christ's Love

 

Righteousness.

 

Zeal Without Knowledge

 Zeal without knowledge. 

Ro. 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 

How senseless is it truly to have a great zeal for something that is a lie? When you're passionate about a lie, your deception is truly all but complete. Sometimes when a person gets caught up in a great lie, something with their whole heart they believe is truth, they refuse to listen to the truth when it is presented. When the truth is given to them they cry out that it is the lie, simply because they can't imagine the lie they thought truth could ever have been wrong. 

I think about the Apostle Paul. He was so incredibly zealous in his faith as a Pharisee. Yet he came face to face with the truth of Christ and he had to make a decision in that moment. He could have denied it. He could have denied Christ even after coming face to face with Him. He could have chalked it all up to the devil trying to deceive him with an evil spirit attacking him. A person does not have to believe the truth when it is given to them, they choose.

Paul's zeal was magnificent in his deception and all who knew him in that zeal found it very hard to believe that he'd changed.  He denounced all that he'd been fighting for when faced with the truth and then began fighting just as hard, even harder for the NEW truth he believed.

What passion there is when you can admit you once believed a lie, but now have found the truth!  God help us all to find and live in His truth, even if it means we must give up lies we've been zealous for. 

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Excerpt-

Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 10

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 Let it be remembered that the ninth chapter of Romans sets forth the condition of Israel according to the flesh they who are called Israel. They are "accursed from Christ." They "followed after the law of righteousness," but did not attain to righteousness, because they sought it not by faith, but by works." The Gentiles, therefore,  gained the precedence over them, because they sought righteousness in the right way, namely, by faith.

 

Thus were fulfilled the words of Christ to the self-righteous Jews: "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you;" and again, "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt. 21:31, 43.

But the Lord did not cast off his people because they stumbled at the Stone which he had placed for a foundation. He endured with much long-suffering even the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. So the apostle continues:

The Glorious Gospel Romans 10:1-21

1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness,  have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above): 7 or, Who shall descend into the deep (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 that if thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 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. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 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? 15 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! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth,  and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. 20 But Esaias is very bold,  and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. 21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Zeal without Knowledge. "It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing." Zeal is very necessary to the accomplishment of anything; but zeal without knowledge is like a wild horse without bit or bridle. There is plenty of activity, but it is of no use. Or it is like the man who displays great zeal and earnestness in reaching a certain place, but who is traveling in the wrong direction. No matter how zealous a man may be, he will never reach a place that is north of him by traveling southward. Ignorance nullifies zeal. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6.

Israel's Ignorance. They were "ignorant of God's righteousness." It is a kind of ignorance that did not cease with the generation then living, and which is not confined to any certain people. But that which made it so much worse in this instance was that this ignorance of God's righteousness was coupled with the highest profession of serving him.

God's Righteousness. The righteousness of God is something besides a name. It is something far different from a form of words, or even the mere statement of a law. It is nothing less than the life and character of God. As there can not be sweetness apart from something that is sweet, so there is no such thing as abstract righteousness.  Righteousness must necessarily be connected with some living being. But God alone is righteous. See Mark 10:18. Therefore wherever righteousness is, there God must be active. Righteousness is the essential characteristic of God.