Sermon by Dr. Roger Spradlin
Article by Kevin Pirnie
Dive deep into Romans 10 as we explore one of the most powerful chapters in Scripture about human responsibility in salvation. This comprehensive Bible study breaks down Paul’s message about faith, confession, and our role in responding to God’s grace.
🔑 What You’ll Learn:
• The relationship between faith and salvation in Romans 10
• Understanding “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
• The role of human response to the Gospel
• How faith comes by hearing the Word of God
• The beautiful imagery of “beautiful feet” that bring good news
• Balancing divine sovereignty with human responsibility
The Gospel for All: Understanding Romans 10
Introduction: The Heart of the Gospel
Well friends, we find ourselves at one of the most beautiful and compelling chapters in all of Scripture—Romans chapter 10. If you’ve been tracking with Paul through this magnificent letter, you know we’re right in the middle of a three-chapter section where Paul wrestles with God’s dealings with Israel. Chapter 9 emphasized God’s sovereign election, chapter 11 will reveal Israel’s future restoration, but chapter 10—ah, chapter 10—this is where Paul’s heart absolutely pours out over the present reality: salvation is freely offered to all who believe, both Jew and Gentile, through simple faith in Jesus Christ.
What makes this chapter so powerful is how Paul balances divine sovereignty with human responsibility. We’ve just learned that God’s electing purposes stand firm regardless of human merit. Now Paul shows us that this same God extends His arms of invitation to all people, holding humanity accountable for their response to the gospel. It’s a divine tension that has puzzled theologians for centuries, yet Paul holds both truths together without embarrassment or apology.
And here’s what I love about Romans 10—it isn’t just a theological treatise about ancient Israel’s failure. It’s a glorious proclamation of how beautifully simple and accessible God has made salvation for everyone. The same God who predestined and called has also made His saving righteousness available through faith—faith that confesses Jesus as Lord and believes God raised Him from the dead. This chapter demolishes every barrier we might imagine standing between us and God. Geography doesn’t matter. Education doesn’t matter. Ethnicity doesn’t matter. Religious pedigree doesn’t matter. What matters is faith in the risen Christ.
Paul’s Burden: A Heart That Won’t Stop Praying (Romans 10:1)
“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”
Paul begins by laying his heart bare once again. We’ve already seen his anguish in Romans 9:1-3, where he expressed willingness to be cursed and cut off from Christ if it would mean Israel’s salvation. Now he reveals that this isn’t merely an emotional reaction but an ongoing burden that drives him to constant prayer.
The Greek word for “desire” here is eudokia—it means good pleasure, delight, heartfelt wish. It’s not a passing fancy or casual interest; it’s the deepest longing of Paul’s soul. And notice that this desire translates immediately into prayer. Paul doesn’t merely feel bad about Israel’s condition—he takes it to God in persistent intercession. This is the pattern of genuine spiritual burden: it moves us from concern to prayer, from emotional response to fervent supplication before the throne of grace.
Think about what Paul is praying for: “that they may be saved.” He’s not praying for their temporal prosperity or political freedom. He’s praying for their eternal salvation through faith in their Messiah, Jesus Christ. This challenges us deeply, doesn’t it? Do we have this same burden for the lost? Does the spiritual condition of those around us move us to fervent, persistent prayer?
Here’s what’s remarkable: Paul knows about God’s sovereign election—he just spent an entire chapter explaining it. Yet he still prays urgently for people to be saved. He models something we desperately need to understand: God’s sovereignty doesn’t diminish the importance of prayer; it magnifies it. Even knowing that God’s sovereign purposes will stand, Paul prays with urgency and passion for people to be saved.
The Tragedy of Misguided Zeal (Romans 10:2-3)
“For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Now Paul diagnoses Israel’s spiritual problem with surgical precision. Notice he doesn’t accuse them of apathy or indifference. Quite the opposite—they have tremendous zeal for God. These were people who took their religion seriously. They fasted, they prayed, they studied Scripture, they observed countless ceremonial laws, they maintained their distinct identity as God’s people despite tremendous pressure to assimilate into Greco-Roman culture.
Paul himself was once the perfect example of this misguided zeal. Before his conversion, he describes himself as “a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless” (Philippians 3:5-6). His zeal was so intense that he sought to destroy the very church of Jesus Christ, believing he was serving God in doing so.
The problem? Their zeal was “not based on knowledge.” They lacked true understanding of God’s character, His purposes, and His way of salvation. They were deeply sincere but tragically wrong. And friends, let me tell you—this is perhaps the most dangerous spiritual condition possible: religious enthusiasm disconnected from divine truth.
Verse 3 explains their fundamental error: they didn’t understand God’s righteousness, so they tried to establish their own. Here’s the universal human tendency—the desire to earn favor with God through our own efforts. They were attempting to construct a righteousness of their own making, building a tower of good works and religious observance that they hoped would reach heaven and earn God’s approval.
But human righteousness, no matter how impressive, can never meet God’s perfect standard. As Isaiah declares, “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). The tragic result? They “did not submit to God’s righteousness.” They refused to abandon their own project of self-righteousness and receive God’s gift of righteousness through faith in Christ.
Let me share something I’ve seen countless times in ministry. People come to church for years, they know all the right answers, they’re involved in all the programs, but they’ve never experienced peace with God. Why? Because deep down, they’re still trying to earn God’s acceptance through their performance. They’re building their own righteousness instead of receiving God’s righteousness as a gift.
This remains one of the greatest barriers to the gospel in every generation. Human pride resists the humbling truth that we cannot save ourselves, that our best efforts fall infinitely short, that we must come to God empty-handed and receive His righteousness as a free gift.
Christ: The Goal and Conclusion of the Law (Romans 10:4)
“Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
This single verse contains one of the most important theological declarations in Romans. The Greek word translated “culmination” or “end” is telos, which carries a rich double meaning. Christ is both the termination of the law as a means of righteousness and the goal toward which the law was always pointing.
Think of it this way: The Law of Moses was never intended to be the final chapter in God’s redemptive story. Rather, it was a tutor designed to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). By setting an impossible standard of perfect obedience, the law exposed our sin and helplessness, creating a hunger for divine grace.
Every sacrifice foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Every ritual cleansing pointed to the true cleansing from sin He would accomplish. Every priestly ministry anticipated His eternal priesthood. The law was given not to save us but to show us our need of salvation.
Christ is the goal and purpose of the law. The entire Mosaic system pointed forward to Jesus. But Christ is also the termination of the law as a means of attaining righteousness before God. Believers are no longer under the law’s authority as a covenant of works. We are not required to observe its ceremonial regulations or depend on its sacrificial system. Christ has fulfilled all the law’s demands on our behalf.
This doesn’t mean the moral law has been abolished or that believers have no ethical obligations. Rather, it means we are freed from trying to earn God’s acceptance through law-keeping. The law’s moral principles remain as God’s standard for holy living, but now we pursue obedience from gratitude rather than fear, empowered by the Holy Spirit rather than by our own efforts, knowing that our standing before God rests entirely on Christ’s righteousness credited to us.
The beautiful result: “so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.” This righteousness is available universally—to Jew and Gentile alike, to the religious and the irreligious, to those with spiritual advantages and those without. The only requirement is faith.
This truth liberates us from the exhausting treadmill of religious performance. We no longer have to wonder if we’ve done enough, tried hard enough, been good enough. Our righteousness is not our achievement but God’s gift. It’s not our work but Christ’s work. It’s not earned but received.
Two Paths, Two Outcomes (Romans 10:5-8)
“Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The person who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”‘ (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the deep?”‘ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim.”
Paul now contrasts two fundamentally different approaches to righteousness. First, he quotes Leviticus 18:5 to describe the principle of law-righteousness: “The person who does these things will live by them.” This describes a covenant of works where blessing depends entirely on perfect, continuous obedience.
The problem with this approach is obvious: none of us keeps God’s law perfectly. James reminds us that “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). The law demands complete obedience but provides no remedy for failure.
In contrast, Paul describes the righteousness that comes by faith using Moses’ words from Deuteronomy 30. He personifies faith itself as speaking to us: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?'” The point is that we don’t need to accomplish impossible spiritual feats to obtain salvation. We don’t need to ascend to heaven to bring Christ down—He has already come in the incarnation. We don’t need to descend into the abyss to bring Christ up from the dead—He has already been raised.
This is profoundly comforting, friends. Salvation doesn’t depend on extraordinary spiritual heroics, mystical experiences, or superhuman efforts. God hasn’t placed salvation beyond our reach, requiring us to scale mountains or cross oceans or perform miracles. Instead, He has made it wonderfully accessible: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.”
The word of the gospel has come to us. We’ve heard it preached, read it in Scripture, encountered it in the testimony of believers. It’s not far away or hidden. It’s near, readily available, accessible to all. We don’t need advanced theological education to be saved. We don’t need to become spiritual giants or religious experts. We don’t need to clean up our lives first or prove ourselves worthy. The gospel message is accessible to children, to the intellectually disabled, to the uneducated, to everyone.
The Simple Path of Salvation (Romans 10:9-10)
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
These two verses contain perhaps the clearest, most concise explanation of how to be saved found anywhere in Scripture. Paul identifies two essential components of saving faith: confession with the mouth and belief in the heart. Notice the simplicity—and yet the profound depth—of what he says.
First, confession: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord.'” This isn’t just verbal recitation of a formula but authentic confession that aligns with genuine heart belief. To declare “Jesus is Lord” carried explosive implications in the first-century world.
In Roman culture, “Caesar is Lord” was the required pledge of allegiance to the empire. Christians who declared “Jesus is Lord” were making an exclusive claim that could cost them their lives. They were asserting that Jesus—not Caesar, not any earthly power—is the supreme authority, the divine ruler, the one deserving absolute allegiance and worship.
For Jewish believers, confessing Jesus as Lord meant acknowledging Him as the God of Israel, equal with the Father, worthy of worship. To call Jesus “Lord” was to ascribe to Him the very name and nature of God.
Second, belief: “and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.” The heart represents the center of our being—not just emotions but the deep core of will, mind, and affection. True belief engages our whole person. The content of this belief is specific: that God raised Jesus from the dead.
Why does Paul emphasize the resurrection here? Because if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile and we are still in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). The resurrection demonstrates that the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice, that sin’s penalty has been fully paid, that death has been conquered, that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
Verse 10 unpacks the relationship: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Heart belief and mouth confession are not separate steps but unified dimensions of genuine faith.
True heart belief naturally expresses itself in open confession. And genuine confession flows from authentic heart belief. You cannot truly believe in your heart without being willing to confess with your mouth. And you cannot genuinely confess with your mouth while rejecting Christ in your heart.
This is gloriously simple, yet we must guard against making it simplistic. Confessing Jesus as Lord isn’t a magic formula or empty ritual. It’s a life-transforming acknowledgment of His rightful authority over us. Believing He rose from the dead isn’t intellectual assent to a historical fact. It’s personal trust in the living Christ who died for our sins and rose for our justification.
No Distinction: The Universal Offer (Romans 10:11-13)
“As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”
Having explained the simple requirements of salvation, Paul now emphasizes its universal availability. He quotes Isaiah 28:16: “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Those who trust in Christ will never be ashamed of their trust or disappointed in their hope. He will never fail them, never abandon them, never prove insufficient.
Then Paul makes explicit what has been implicit: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.” Just as all people share the same problem (sin), all people have access to the same solution (faith in Christ). The gospel levels all human distinctions. It removes every barrier of ethnicity, social status, religious heritage, moral achievement, or intellectual capacity.
Why is there no difference? Because “the same Lord is Lord of all.” His lordship is universal. His authority extends to every human being. And His riches are available to all who call on Him. God doesn’t merely give salvation grudgingly or minimally. He lavishes His riches on all who come to Him—forgiveness, justification, adoption, the indwelling Spirit, eternal life, and countless spiritual blessings.
Paul clinches his argument by quoting Joel 2:32: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The word “everyone” is all-inclusive, leaving no room for exclusion based on human categories. The phrase “calls on the name of the Lord” means to invoke Him, to appeal to Him, to cry out to Him for salvation.
The universality of this offer is staggering. It doesn’t matter if you’re Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, educated or illiterate, morally upright or depraved, religious or pagan. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lived a decent life or a desperately sinful one. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, rich or poor, successful or failed. The gospel invitation extends to everyone without exception: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Think about the thief on the cross—he called out to Jesus in his final moments and received immediate assurance: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” The Philippian jailer, moments after planning suicide, cried out, “What must I do to be saved?” and heard the glorious answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31).
This universal offer should also fuel our evangelistic passion. If salvation is available to all who call on Christ, then we have a message for every person we meet. We don’t need to pre-qualify people, wondering if they might be among the elect. We proclaim the gospel to everyone, knowing that all who genuinely call on Christ will be saved.
The Chain of Salvation (Romans 10:14-15)
“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? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'”
Having established that everyone who calls on the Lord will be saved, Paul now addresses a crucial question: How will people come to call on Him? His answer unfolds in a famous series of rhetorical questions that trace the gospel’s movement from God’s commissioning to human response.
Paul works backwards from salvation to proclamation: To call on Christ, people must believe in Him. To believe in Him, they must hear about Him. To hear about Him, someone must preach to them. To preach, messengers must be sent. Each step is essential. Remove any link and the chain breaks.
“How can they call on the one they have not believed in?” Calling on Christ for salvation requires faith in Christ. People don’t cry out to someone they don’t trust.
“And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” Faith requires knowledge. People cannot believe in a Christ they know nothing about. They need to know the essential gospel message: who Jesus is, what He did, why He died, that He rose again, and what He offers to those who trust Him.
“And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” God’s ordinary means of bringing people to faith is through human proclamation of the gospel. He has chosen to work through human messengers, entrusting us with the ministry of reconciliation.
This underscores the vital importance of evangelism and missions. If people cannot hear without preachers, then the church’s responsibility to proclaim the gospel becomes absolutely critical. The eternal destiny of souls depends on whether or not they hear the message of Christ.
“And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” Gospel proclamation flows from divine initiative. God calls, equips, and sends messengers. This means evangelism isn’t optional for the church. It’s not a specialized activity for a few gifted individuals. The Great Commission applies to all believers.
Paul concludes by quoting Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” In ancient Israel, messengers traveled by foot to bring news of victory in battle. The sight of such a messenger, feet dusty from the journey, brought joy and relief. Paul applies this image to gospel preachers. Their feet are beautiful because of the message they carry.
From God’s perspective and from the perspective of those who receive the gospel, these messengers are beautiful. Their willingness to go, to sacrifice, to suffer, to persevere in proclaiming Christ makes them lovely in God’s sight and precious to those who hear and believe.
Israel’s Accountability (Romans 10:16-21)
“But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”
Paul now circles back to his original concern: Israel’s rejection of the gospel. Having established that salvation comes through faith in the proclaimed message, he addresses potential objections. Maybe Israel didn’t reject Christ deliberately. Maybe they never heard the gospel. Maybe they didn’t understand it.
Paul systematically eliminates these excuses. First, he acknowledges the tragic reality: “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.” The understatement is heartbreaking. The majority rejected their Messiah.
Verse 17 has become one of the most frequently quoted verses in evangelism: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Faith isn’t something we generate from within ourselves. It comes from outside us, from hearing the gospel message.
But Paul’s main point is to demonstrate Israel’s accountability. “But I ask: Did they not hear?” His answer is emphatic: “Of course they did.” The message had gone everywhere. Israel heard the gospel directly from Jesus during His three-year ministry. After Pentecost, the apostles preached powerfully throughout Jerusalem and Judea. Israel had abundant opportunity to hear and believe.
“Again I ask: Did Israel not understand?” Paul’s response uses Old Testament prophecies to show that Israel’s problem wasn’t intellectual confusion but spiritual hardness. Moses prophesied that God would make Israel envious through Gentile believers. Isaiah prophesied that Gentiles would find God while Israel rejected Him.
Paul concludes with a powerful image from Isaiah 65:2: “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” Picture a father with arms extended toward a rebellious child, pleading for reconciliation. This was God’s posture toward Israel—not hostile, not withdrawn, but actively inviting, graciously offering, patiently waiting.
Israel’s unbelief was willful rejection, not innocent ignorance. Religious privilege doesn’t guarantee salvation. Knowledge of Scripture doesn’t automatically produce faith. Even abundant opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel can be wasted through hard-hearted unbelief.
Yet this passage also reveals God’s incredible patience and persistent love. All day long He extended His hands toward rebellious Israel. He sent prophets, performed miracles, spoke through His Son, empowered apostles—all to win them back to Himself. This is the heart of God: not willing that any should perish, patient toward all, desiring all to come to repentance.
Conclusion: The Beauty and Urgency of the Gospel
As we conclude our journey through Romans 10, we’re struck by both the beauty and the urgency of the gospel message. This chapter has revealed truths that should transform how we understand salvation, how we view our responsibility to the lost, and how we live as ambassadors of Christ.
We’ve seen the tragedy of religious zeal without true knowledge—a sobering warning against all forms of self-righteousness. No amount of religious activity, moral effort, or spiritual enthusiasm can save us. Only faith in Jesus Christ brings righteousness before God.
We’ve discovered that Christ is the end and goal of the law—the one to whom all the Old Testament pointed, the one who fulfilled every requirement, the one who brings the law’s purpose to completion. In Him, we find what the law could never provide: perfect righteousness credited to our account.
We’ve marveled at how wonderfully simple and accessible God has made salvation. We don’t need extraordinary spiritual feats or superhuman efforts. The gospel is near, available, accessible to all. It requires only that we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord.
We’ve learned that God’s chosen method of bringing people to faith is through the proclamation of the gospel by human messengers. This creates both privilege and responsibility. We have the honor of being links in the chain of salvation—messengers carrying the good news that can save souls and transform lives.
Paul’s words “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” should resonate in our hearts. There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more valuable, nothing more urgent than proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
How should we respond to these glorious truths?
First, with humble gratitude. If you’re a believer in Christ, someone brought the gospel to you. Thank God for the messengers He sent into your life, and determine to be that messenger for others.
Second, with renewed commitment to gospel proclamation. Make evangelism a priority in your life. Look for opportunities to share Christ. Support missionaries and gospel ministries. Pray for the lost by name.
Third, with confidence in the power of the gospel. Trust that God’s Spirit works through faithful gospel proclamation to open hearts and create saving faith. Don’t be discouraged by rejection or slow results.
Fourth, with urgency about the lost. People around us are perishing without Christ. This should create holy urgency in our hearts. We don’t have unlimited time. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Finally, with joy in the beauty of God’s grace. The gospel is good news—the best news anyone could ever hear. It announces that God has made salvation accessible to all through simple faith in Christ. This is magnificent grace, overwhelming love, stunning mercy.
Romans 10 reminds us that we serve a God who desires all people to be saved. He has made salvation beautifully simple and universally available. He has commissioned us as His messengers, making our feet beautiful because of the news we carry. He promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
May these truths grip our hearts afresh. May they drive us to our knees in prayer for the lost. May they send us out with renewed passion to proclaim the gospel. May they fill us with confidence that God saves all who truly call on Christ. May they humble us as we realize we contribute nothing to our salvation except the sin that made it necessary. And may they cause us to worship the God who extends His hands all day long, patiently inviting people to come home.
This is the God we serve. This is the gospel we proclaim. This is the mission to which we’re called. And this is the amazing love and grace that has been shown to each of us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
