Romans 10:17, 21 (ESV)
[17] So faith comes from
hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
[21] But of Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Faith comes from hearing the word of God. Yet not all who hear will believe.
Israel heard God’s word through Moses, but they failed to believe. It makes me
wonder how many in my day have heard the word and have not believed. There are
many who have heard the word of God. They have heard the gospel. They can
explain the gospel. They can even share the gospel with others who will
believe, yet they have not believed themselves.
In a famine, any bit of food is welcomed. In a time of an over abundant food
supply people get picky. They want only the best apples, only the finest
lettuce. Good food is rejected because it is not the best food, while elsewhere
in the world people are dying for want of a simple bowl of rice. Similarly
there are places in this world where the word of God is scarce. It is illegal
to own a Bible, read from the Bible, or quote the Bible. There the word of God
is cherished and valued. In the meantime, here, where I have more Bibles on my
shelf and computer than I can ever use, people throw them on the floor, leave
them lying unopened and unread, and fail to take the message of the Bible
seriously.
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of God,” but not all who have a Bible hear, and not all who hear believe. Like the Jews of Paul’s day, we love our religious experiences but we fail to take God’s word seriously. May we receive the word with humility and accept it in faith. May we never settle for a few choice verses while ignoring the foundational truths of the word of God. May we have ears and hearts ready to hear and believe.
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