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From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans chapter 10 cuts through centuries of religious confusion and gets to the heart of one of the most important questions anyone can ask: how is a person actually saved? The answer is clearer than most people think, and it has never changed. What Is the Main Message of the Book of Romans? The entire book of Romans is built around one thesis statement found in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Every chapter circles back to this single idea. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Not by following the law. Not by doing enough good things. Salvation is received as a gift, based on Jesus' performance, not ours. Who Was Paul Writing To in Romans 10? Paul was writing primarily to Jewish Christians who were wrestling with deep questions about their identity and heritage. If salvation comes through faith in Jesus, what does that mean for the law of Moses? Do Gentiles have to become Jewish first? Do Jewish believers have to abandon their heritage? Paul's answer to both questions is no. You do not have to become Jewish to follow Jesus, and you do not have to stop being Jewish to follow Jesus. These were not small questions. They were grief-inducing struggles for real people trying to understand what God was doing. What Are the Only Two Ways to Be Saved According to Scripture? Paul lays out two and only two options in Romans 10.
Because Jesus fulfilled the law completely, His righteousness can be credited to those who place their faith in Him. That is the gospel. What Does "Confess with Your Mouth and Believe in Your Heart" Really Mean? "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9 This is not a two-step checklist. It is one thing happening. Jesus Himself made the connection clear: what comes out of our mouths flows from what is in our hearts. When someone genuinely confesses that Jesus is Lord, it is not a performance. It is the overflow of what is already happening inside them. Faith expressed outwardly through confession is faith made real. It is how an internal reality becomes visible. Where Does Faith Come From? "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." - Romans 10:17 Paul walks through a chain of logic using rhetorical questions. How can someone call on Jesus if they have not believed? How can they believe if they have never heard? How can they hear without someone preaching? How can someone preach unless they are sent? The answer to every question is: they cannot. Faith is not manufactured from within. It comes through hearing the word of Christ, which is why the gospel being proclaimed matters so much. The gospel itself is the power of God for salvation. Why Do Some People Hear the Gospel and Still Not Believe? This is one of the most honest and important questions in the passage. Paul does not soften the answer. He identifies four real barriers that keep people from responding to the gospel in faith.
It is not confusion. It is not a lack of information. People build high walls against the work of God, even in their own lives. Paul quotes Moses and Isaiah to show that this pattern is not new. God predicted it centuries before it happened. "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me." - Isaiah 65:1 (quoted in Romans 10:20) This should reshape how we pray for people in our lives who have not yet believed. The barrier is rarely intellectual. It is almost always something deeper. How Does God Respond to Disobedience and Opposition? This may be the most important question in the entire passage. When people reject Him, when they oppose Him, when they are disobedient, what does God do? "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people." - Romans 10:21 He holds out His hands. All day long. To everyone. To neighbors, family members, enemies, the frustrated and the frustrating. There is no category of person to whom God has stopped extending His grace. Scripture does warn us not to take that kindness for granted. Every day eventually ends. But the posture of God toward people who have not yet come to Him is not rejection. It is an open invitation, patient and persistent. What Does This Mean for Israel, Then and Now? Paul is clear that the Jewish people are not in a different category when it comes to salvation. "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." - Romans 10:12-13 The same Lord who is God over Israel is God over all people. There is one source of salvation, and it has always been the same. Even before Jesus came, faithful Jewish people were trusting in God's promise of a coming Messiah. That was saving faith, even without knowing His name. But when Jesus came and did not fit the expected model, many chose to oppose rather than trust. The lesson for all of us is the same: when we do not understand what God is doing, the wisest response is to trust His word rather than try to help Him fix what we perceive as a problem. God does not need our help keeping His promises. Life Application This week, identify one person in your life who has heard the gospel but has not responded in faith. Instead of assuming they simply need more information or a better argument, pray specifically against the real barriers Paul names: jealousy, anger, disobedience, and opposition. Ask God to soften what is hardened and to open what has been closed. Then look for one natural opportunity to share the gospel with them, not to win a debate, but to hold out the same open hands that God holds out all day long. Ask yourself these questions as you reflect this week:
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From a message by Jon Alsdorf
Romans 5 is one of the most dense and rewarding passages in all of Scripture. In just a few verses, Paul lays out everything a believer possesses because of justification through faith in Jesus Christ. These are not distant promises. They are present realities that belong to every follower of Christ right now. What Does "Justified by Faith" Actually Mean? Paul opens Romans 5 with the word "therefore," which ties everything back to what he has already established. Humanity is broken, fallen, and sinful by nature. But through Jesus Christ, God provided a permanent solution to that problem. Justification is the judicial declaration that because of Jesus, you are "not guilty." It is not a transformation of your character in that moment. It is God, like a judge with a gavel, declaring you righteous because Jesus took your sin. Salvation itself carries three tenses:
With that foundation in place, Paul begins stacking truth upon truth about what believers now possess. 1. You Have Peace With God "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:1 This is not the peace of God, which is a separate concept Paul addresses in Philippians. This is peace with God. Before Christ, every human being is in conflict with God, whether they realize it or not. A common but serious error in our culture is the idea that everyone is already a child of God. Scripture is clear that we are all creatures of God, but being a child of God is a specific reality reserved for those who are in Christ. We are born as children of Adam, inheriting his sin nature and the separation that came with it. When you are justified in Christ, the war is over. The wrath of God that Scripture says is being stored up is no longer directed at you. That is not a small thing. That is everything. 2. You Have Permanent Access to Grace "Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand." - Romans 5:2 The original Greek here uses a "perfect tense," which describes something that is always present and always moving forward. This is a standing grace. It does not expire. It does not run out when you fail. Many believers struggle with the feeling that ongoing sin disqualifies them. But Jesus knew you would still struggle after coming to faith. He died for that struggle too. His grace is not a one-time gift. It is a permanent, ever-present reality in your life. 3. You Have Hope in God's Glory, Not Your Own "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." - Romans 5:2 The word translated "rejoice" here can also mean "boast," carrying the idea of triumphant confidence. Every other religion in the world leaves its followers asking, "Have I done enough?" There is no real basis for confidence there. But because we are justified by faith and not by works, we have a reason for genuine, grace-filled confidence. We are not boasting before the game. Jesus already won. We celebrate a completed victory every time we gather to worship. 4. You Have Hope in Your Eternal Salvation, Even Through Suffering "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame." - Romans 5:3-5 Suffering is not a sign that God is angry with you. It is part of what it means to live in a broken world. But for the believer, suffering has a purpose. It is a snapshot of the sanctification process, the Holy Spirit working to shape your character into the likeness of Jesus. There are two unhealthy extremes when it comes to suffering. The first is total avoidance. The second is unnecessary indulgence. The wiser path is to pursue wisdom to avoid needless suffering, while trusting Jesus through the suffering that cannot be escaped. That endurance builds character, and that character produces hope, both in you and in the people watching your life. 5. You Have God's Love Poured Into Your Heart "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 God has not dripped His love into your heart with an eyedropper. He has poured it in without measure. This love was given while you were still His enemy. That is how lavish it is. And here is the reason He gives so generously: there are people around you who do not yet have this love. God fills your cup to overflowing so that you can pour into others. You will never run dry. Your only job is to empty your cup, trusting that He will always refill it. 6. You Have the Holy Spirit Everything described above is made possible through the Holy Spirit who has been given to every believer. This is not a small addition to the list. It is the power behind all of it. In the Old Testament, God's people had the revelation of His righteousness but no internal means to live it out. On the day of Pentecost, everything changed. The disciples who had been confused and stumbling were transformed because the Holy Spirit now lived inside them. The same is true for you. The Holy Spirit is recreating you from the inside out. He is the reason sin no longer feels comfortable the way it once did. He is the reason you can love, endure, worship, and grow. You are not the same person you were before Christ. You have been changed because you possess the Holy Spirit. 7. You Have Received Reconciliation "We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - Romans 5:11 Reconciliation means two things being made one. Through justification and sanctification, God is bringing you into unity with Himself. He looks at you and sees Jesus. That is not something you earned or helped accomplish. That is the power of the atonement. Paul closes this section of Romans 5 by making the point unmistakably clear: "As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men." - Romans 5:18 One man, Adam, brought sin and death. One man, Jesus Christ, brought righteousness and life. You did not help. He did not ask for your help. He accomplished it all so that the glory belongs entirely to Him. Life Application This week, when doubt, guilt, or confusion creeps in about your standing before God, open your Bible to Romans 5 and read the first eleven verses. Let the truth of what you possess in Christ anchor you before you spiral into shame or despair. Ask yourself these questions:
You are not saved by your effort. You are not sustained by your performance. Everything you need has already been given to you in Christ. Walk in it. |
Apply it!Next Steps is a collection of articles drawn from the sermons of Pastor Jon Alsdorf, and guest speakers, written to help you connect God's Word to real life. Each post is designed to inspire, challenge, and encourage you to live out your faith in practical, everyday ways -- because following Jesus is more than words, it's actions. Archives
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