Saved By The Word
Faith Development
Saving Grace
Another Look At The Word And The Sacraments
In this Bible passage we meet Saint Paul's clear vision of salvation through the word of God. The confession "Jesus is Lord" (Romans 10:9) is the first Christian creed. When a person makes that sincere confession in his or her heart, that person has begun the journey of faith. This faith is primarily trust in and dependence on God rather than self. To depend on God for salvation is the one thing needful and the hardest thing of all.
Saint Paul then goes on to explain how people receive this word of God. He asks four questions:
1.
How can people call on the name of Christ if they have never known him?
2.
How can they believe in Christ if they have never heard about him?
3.
How can they hear without someone preaching to them?
4.
How can people preach if they are not sent?
First, people must hear about Jesus Christ. We are called to be witnesses for him in our everyday lives. To the apostles, the risen and ascending Christ said, "... You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Think of four concentric circles. Start where you are. Then go out further and further.
All the ends of the earth
Samaria
Judea
Jerusalem
Start in your Jerusalem. The apostles were in Jerusalem when they heard this message about witnessing. For us, Jerusalem means our families and close friends. To witness means to share what you know. Can't we share the gospel of Christ with people with whom we are close?
Next go to Judea. Judea was the surrounding countryside around Jerusalem. For us Judea means people in the neighborhood and at work. Watch for openings, times of need. Be ready to share faith when people need it. A woman down the block is going through a divorce. Invite her to talk about how she feels. Be a good listener. Ask her if she has a church or if she has faith to strengthen her in this hour of need. A man gets a promotion at work. Praise him and ask him to tell you about his new position. God may provide you with just the right opening. Points of change -- good or bad -- can be openings to share faith.
After Judea, Samaria is mentioned. Samaria was the territory of the people who were different. When the Babylonians conquered Judea in 586 B.C., they deported the strong Jews to Babylon. Those Jews who were left settled in an area called Samaria, inter-married with the Gentiles, lost their focus on monotheism, and compromised their morality. When the Jews returned to Judea, they avoided the territory of the Samaritans like the plague. In contrast, Jesus told a parable called The Good Samaritan. He also converted a Samaritan woman and then the people in her town (John 4:1-42). The way to witness in Samaria is to speak to people who are unlike us in color, economic status, religious background, and other ways.
Jesus told his followers to witness for him to the ends of the earth. He assured them, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). What does this mean for us? It means he will be with us as we witness for Christ without geographic limits. Where we can't personally go, we need to be sure that missionaries go to introduce people to Jesus Christ.
The first task is to introduce people to Jesus. The second is to invite them to believe in him as Lord. People everywhere need to hear about the possibility of belief and what it means. As in the case of introducing people to Jesus, helping them to come to faith starts where we are, moves out to the people nearby, then out to people unlike us and finally to the ends of the earth.
Third, the word of God must be preached. All Christians are called to share the gospel of Christ as witnesses. Some are called to declare, to preach the gospel. Saint Paul puts it this way: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying (foretelling or forth-telling, usually called preaching), let him use it in proportion to his faith" (Romans 12:6).
In other words, not everyone is called to be a pastor, an evangelist, a missionary or a prophet, but those who are so called are invited to set forth the gospel with the power of the faith God has provided.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4, Saint Paul says the same thing in different words. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."
Again he lists prophesy as one of the gifts of the Spirit. Some have one gift; some another. Some Christians, not all, are called to be preachers and evangelists, but all are called to be witnesses.
Fourth, if a Christian is a preacher or evangelist, Saint Paul says it must be because of the call. The preacher must be sent. That call comes to people in a wide variety of ways, but one thing is certain: without a call, no one should be a preacher of the word. Pastors who are not in the ministry because of being sent by God are false prophets.
Even when churches have called and sent pastors preaching the word of God with passion and sincerity, not everyone comes to faith. As Saint Paul said, "Not all the Israelites accepted the good news" (Romans 10:16). Some don't understand it. Some refuse to believe it because of their hardness of heart. Some say they believe it, but refuse to change their lives and thus lose whatever small gains they have made in faith. That's the bad news.
On the other hand, the good news is some believe and are saved. We are saved by God's grace, through faith. This is not of ourselves. It is a gift of God -- not of works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).
Grace Livingstone listened intently as the seminary professor finished his Bible lecture by asking, "Are there any questions?" Mary Anderson, Grace's new friend from the women's Bible study group, had persuaded Grace to come to this lecture at her church. Grace was reluctant, but Mary was persistent. Mary leaned over close to Grace and asked in a whisper, "Grace, do you have any questions?"
"Dozens, but I could never ask them here."
"Why not?"
"I'd just make a fool of myself," Grace replied.
"Let's go for coffee after the questions," Mary said. "We can talk privately there."
"Okay."
A man in the front row asked the lecturer the first question: "What do you believe about conversion? Does it have to take place when you are an adult and can make a decision for Christ, or does it begin in infant Baptism?"
The professor cleared his throat and answered the question in theological terms that were way over Grace's head. He said something about infant Baptism being the born again experience the Bible talks about, but added, "For some people, this doesn't happen until they are adults."
Grace closed her eyes and tried to think, but she just didn't get it. Conversion? Born again? Baptism? I've got to get out of here. I'm really in way over my head, she thought.
Several other questions were asked and answered. There was a round of polite applause as the lecturer finished up and the hostess for the event, Grace's new friend Sarah Williams, announced that coffee and home-made cookies were available in the back of Fellowship Hall.
Grace made for the door. Mary was close behind her. When they got outside, Grace took a deep breath of the night air to try to clear her head. "The coffee shop is only a block away," Mary said, hopefully.
"I've only got 45 minutes, but I guess we can go," Grace replied. They walked quickly and without a word to the coffee shop.
"Grace," Mary said when they sat down, "do you feel you can share any of your questions with me? I'd be glad to help in any way I can." Before Grace could answer, the waiter came and asked for their order. They both ordered coffee, black.
"I don't even know enough about the Bible and religion to ask intelligent questions," Grace blurted out. "I appreciate your inviting me to this lecture, but the professor and his theology were Greek to me. I attended a church a few times as a child, but I haven't had any schooling in Christianity."
"Yet you have come to the women's Bible study and to worship once, and you came tonight. That's a good start. You must be looking for something."
"I guess I know something's missing in my life, but I don't know what it is. My father is sick. The doctor says that he may not make it. Lately I've been thinking I should really get some information about God. I feel so ignorant."
"Can you tell me what you didn't understand tonight? Maybe I can clarify it a little."
"Who is this Saint Paul the professor talked so much about?"
Mary explained the story of Saul, the persecutor of Christians, who became Paul, the apostle. "He was converted on the road to Damascus," she said.
"What does 'converted' mean?"
"It means changing directions. Saul was doing what he thought was right by arresting and killing Christians, but the Lord stopped him when he was going to a city called Damascus and turned him around. He was going the wrong way. God stopped him and sent him on the right way, God's way. Paul became the leader of Christianity in the first century. He wrote many letters to churches he started. Many of them are in the Bible."
"Letters?"
"Romans, Ephesians, and the Corinthian letters are examples."
"So that's what the professor was quoting when he used these terms?"
"Right."
"Are people still converted today?"
"Yes, Grace. People who are going the wrong direction away from God can be turned around and head back to God."
"That's hard to believe."
"A lot of people find it hard to believe, but it's true. I know. It happened to me. I know you have to run, but when you have time, I'd like to tell you how God has changed my life."
You're nice, Mary, but I don't want to hear how your life has been changed by God. Good for you, but don't try to change me. I can't change. I'm afraid to change.
Questions For Personal Consideration
And/Or Group Discussion
1.
Why would someone like Grace come to a Bible lecture in a church?
2.
What does "the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart" (Romans 10:8b) mean?
3.
Can you identify the various places for witnessing in your life based on Acts 1:8?
a.
Jerusalem
b.
Judea
c.
Samaria
d.
The ends of the earth
4.
What do you think Mary Anderson did right in witnessing to Grace Livingstone?
5.
Do you think Mary did anything wrong in her attempt to witness to Grace?
Digging Deeper
1.
This chapter is about salvation. The Bible uses this term not only to mean what happens to believers after they die, but what happens in this life as well. Salvation from our enemies, from sickness, from evil spirits, and from sins are just a few of the ways the Bible speaks of salvation.
2.
In the Old Testament, salvation means "to be wide, spacious, or without hindrance and thus to ultimately have victory."9 Over the years, the word came to mean deliverance from danger and tyranny or rescue from peril.
3.
In the New Testament, about one-fifth of the 150 instances where the words "save" or "salvation" are used refer to a salvation to be consummated at the last day (e.g. Romans 13:11; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).10
4.
Matthew 1:21 states that the purpose of Jesus' ministry is to save people from their sins.
5.
Nearly a third of the New Testament references to salvation denote deliverance from specific ills such as captivity, disease, and devil possession (e. g. Matthew 9:21 and Luke 8:36).11
Saint Paul then goes on to explain how people receive this word of God. He asks four questions:
1.
How can people call on the name of Christ if they have never known him?
2.
How can they believe in Christ if they have never heard about him?
3.
How can they hear without someone preaching to them?
4.
How can people preach if they are not sent?
First, people must hear about Jesus Christ. We are called to be witnesses for him in our everyday lives. To the apostles, the risen and ascending Christ said, "... You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Think of four concentric circles. Start where you are. Then go out further and further.
All the ends of the earth
Samaria
Judea
Jerusalem
Start in your Jerusalem. The apostles were in Jerusalem when they heard this message about witnessing. For us, Jerusalem means our families and close friends. To witness means to share what you know. Can't we share the gospel of Christ with people with whom we are close?
Next go to Judea. Judea was the surrounding countryside around Jerusalem. For us Judea means people in the neighborhood and at work. Watch for openings, times of need. Be ready to share faith when people need it. A woman down the block is going through a divorce. Invite her to talk about how she feels. Be a good listener. Ask her if she has a church or if she has faith to strengthen her in this hour of need. A man gets a promotion at work. Praise him and ask him to tell you about his new position. God may provide you with just the right opening. Points of change -- good or bad -- can be openings to share faith.
After Judea, Samaria is mentioned. Samaria was the territory of the people who were different. When the Babylonians conquered Judea in 586 B.C., they deported the strong Jews to Babylon. Those Jews who were left settled in an area called Samaria, inter-married with the Gentiles, lost their focus on monotheism, and compromised their morality. When the Jews returned to Judea, they avoided the territory of the Samaritans like the plague. In contrast, Jesus told a parable called The Good Samaritan. He also converted a Samaritan woman and then the people in her town (John 4:1-42). The way to witness in Samaria is to speak to people who are unlike us in color, economic status, religious background, and other ways.
Jesus told his followers to witness for him to the ends of the earth. He assured them, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). What does this mean for us? It means he will be with us as we witness for Christ without geographic limits. Where we can't personally go, we need to be sure that missionaries go to introduce people to Jesus Christ.
The first task is to introduce people to Jesus. The second is to invite them to believe in him as Lord. People everywhere need to hear about the possibility of belief and what it means. As in the case of introducing people to Jesus, helping them to come to faith starts where we are, moves out to the people nearby, then out to people unlike us and finally to the ends of the earth.
Third, the word of God must be preached. All Christians are called to share the gospel of Christ as witnesses. Some are called to declare, to preach the gospel. Saint Paul puts it this way: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying (foretelling or forth-telling, usually called preaching), let him use it in proportion to his faith" (Romans 12:6).
In other words, not everyone is called to be a pastor, an evangelist, a missionary or a prophet, but those who are so called are invited to set forth the gospel with the power of the faith God has provided.
In 1 Corinthians 12:4, Saint Paul says the same thing in different words. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."
Again he lists prophesy as one of the gifts of the Spirit. Some have one gift; some another. Some Christians, not all, are called to be preachers and evangelists, but all are called to be witnesses.
Fourth, if a Christian is a preacher or evangelist, Saint Paul says it must be because of the call. The preacher must be sent. That call comes to people in a wide variety of ways, but one thing is certain: without a call, no one should be a preacher of the word. Pastors who are not in the ministry because of being sent by God are false prophets.
Even when churches have called and sent pastors preaching the word of God with passion and sincerity, not everyone comes to faith. As Saint Paul said, "Not all the Israelites accepted the good news" (Romans 10:16). Some don't understand it. Some refuse to believe it because of their hardness of heart. Some say they believe it, but refuse to change their lives and thus lose whatever small gains they have made in faith. That's the bad news.
On the other hand, the good news is some believe and are saved. We are saved by God's grace, through faith. This is not of ourselves. It is a gift of God -- not of works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).
Grace Livingstone listened intently as the seminary professor finished his Bible lecture by asking, "Are there any questions?" Mary Anderson, Grace's new friend from the women's Bible study group, had persuaded Grace to come to this lecture at her church. Grace was reluctant, but Mary was persistent. Mary leaned over close to Grace and asked in a whisper, "Grace, do you have any questions?"
"Dozens, but I could never ask them here."
"Why not?"
"I'd just make a fool of myself," Grace replied.
"Let's go for coffee after the questions," Mary said. "We can talk privately there."
"Okay."
A man in the front row asked the lecturer the first question: "What do you believe about conversion? Does it have to take place when you are an adult and can make a decision for Christ, or does it begin in infant Baptism?"
The professor cleared his throat and answered the question in theological terms that were way over Grace's head. He said something about infant Baptism being the born again experience the Bible talks about, but added, "For some people, this doesn't happen until they are adults."
Grace closed her eyes and tried to think, but she just didn't get it. Conversion? Born again? Baptism? I've got to get out of here. I'm really in way over my head, she thought.
Several other questions were asked and answered. There was a round of polite applause as the lecturer finished up and the hostess for the event, Grace's new friend Sarah Williams, announced that coffee and home-made cookies were available in the back of Fellowship Hall.
Grace made for the door. Mary was close behind her. When they got outside, Grace took a deep breath of the night air to try to clear her head. "The coffee shop is only a block away," Mary said, hopefully.
"I've only got 45 minutes, but I guess we can go," Grace replied. They walked quickly and without a word to the coffee shop.
"Grace," Mary said when they sat down, "do you feel you can share any of your questions with me? I'd be glad to help in any way I can." Before Grace could answer, the waiter came and asked for their order. They both ordered coffee, black.
"I don't even know enough about the Bible and religion to ask intelligent questions," Grace blurted out. "I appreciate your inviting me to this lecture, but the professor and his theology were Greek to me. I attended a church a few times as a child, but I haven't had any schooling in Christianity."
"Yet you have come to the women's Bible study and to worship once, and you came tonight. That's a good start. You must be looking for something."
"I guess I know something's missing in my life, but I don't know what it is. My father is sick. The doctor says that he may not make it. Lately I've been thinking I should really get some information about God. I feel so ignorant."
"Can you tell me what you didn't understand tonight? Maybe I can clarify it a little."
"Who is this Saint Paul the professor talked so much about?"
Mary explained the story of Saul, the persecutor of Christians, who became Paul, the apostle. "He was converted on the road to Damascus," she said.
"What does 'converted' mean?"
"It means changing directions. Saul was doing what he thought was right by arresting and killing Christians, but the Lord stopped him when he was going to a city called Damascus and turned him around. He was going the wrong way. God stopped him and sent him on the right way, God's way. Paul became the leader of Christianity in the first century. He wrote many letters to churches he started. Many of them are in the Bible."
"Letters?"
"Romans, Ephesians, and the Corinthian letters are examples."
"So that's what the professor was quoting when he used these terms?"
"Right."
"Are people still converted today?"
"Yes, Grace. People who are going the wrong direction away from God can be turned around and head back to God."
"That's hard to believe."
"A lot of people find it hard to believe, but it's true. I know. It happened to me. I know you have to run, but when you have time, I'd like to tell you how God has changed my life."
You're nice, Mary, but I don't want to hear how your life has been changed by God. Good for you, but don't try to change me. I can't change. I'm afraid to change.
Questions For Personal Consideration
And/Or Group Discussion
1.
Why would someone like Grace come to a Bible lecture in a church?
2.
What does "the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart" (Romans 10:8b) mean?
3.
Can you identify the various places for witnessing in your life based on Acts 1:8?
a.
Jerusalem
b.
Judea
c.
Samaria
d.
The ends of the earth
4.
What do you think Mary Anderson did right in witnessing to Grace Livingstone?
5.
Do you think Mary did anything wrong in her attempt to witness to Grace?
Digging Deeper
1.
This chapter is about salvation. The Bible uses this term not only to mean what happens to believers after they die, but what happens in this life as well. Salvation from our enemies, from sickness, from evil spirits, and from sins are just a few of the ways the Bible speaks of salvation.
2.
In the Old Testament, salvation means "to be wide, spacious, or without hindrance and thus to ultimately have victory."9 Over the years, the word came to mean deliverance from danger and tyranny or rescue from peril.
3.
In the New Testament, about one-fifth of the 150 instances where the words "save" or "salvation" are used refer to a salvation to be consummated at the last day (e.g. Romans 13:11; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).10
4.
Matthew 1:21 states that the purpose of Jesus' ministry is to save people from their sins.
5.
Nearly a third of the New Testament references to salvation denote deliverance from specific ills such as captivity, disease, and devil possession (e. g. Matthew 9:21 and Luke 8:36).11
