Romans 10:16: But They Have Not All Obeyed The Gospel. For Isaiah Says, "Lord, Who Has Believed What He Has Heard From Us?"

Romans 10:16
[16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” (ESV)

Sometimes I listen to modern day preachers and wonder if they have any idea what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ. The sermon I hear talks of how we are so wonderful and God loves us so much. It is almost as if we were doing God a favor by saying that we believe in him. And when we hear any sort of need to believe it is often a simple belief in God, without defining who he is.

The Gospel is certainly a gracious gift on the part of God. He gives to mankind forgiveness of sin which he has purchased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. This gift of the Gospel is something that can never earn. We also need to come to terms with the fact that without the Gospel we remain wretched, rebellious, wicked sinners.

The Gospel is also more than a gracious gift. It is an invitation to repent of sin and believe specifically what the Scriptures say about who Jesus is. If we have not repented of our sin we can be sure that we have not fully understood what the Gospel is all about. We have been forgiven so that we can now walk in purity. Repentance acknowledges our natural impurity and asks forgiveness.

Part of obedience to the Gospel is believing the message. Interestingly, Paul references Isaiah in this verse. The verse he is referencing is from Isaiah 53. This chapter of Isaiah speaks of Jesus being a suffering servant who gave his life for us. Some people do not want a Jesus who does the work of salvation for us. They want a Christ-less salvation. That does not exist. We must believe God's Word.

Have you obeyed the Gospel? Have you repented of your sin? Have you believed what the Bible says about who Jesus is and what his sacrifice means for you? Make sure that your belief is based on the rock solid Word of God and not some other message.