BOOK OF ROMANS CHAPTER 10
Lesson No. 28 HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY AND THE BELIEVERS’ ACCOUNTABILITY

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.– Rom. 10:9-10

We can be so fatalistic with our doctrine on sovereignty that we tend to totally dismiss the reality of human responsibility. While we believe wholeheartedly on the doctrine of the sovereign grace, we also believe that man is thoroughly responsible for his own life and actions. He will answer to God, his Creator and Judge. The same is true with us, as believers of the Lord we are all accountable before God and men (Rom. 1:14-16). And so, in this chapter we find Paul declaring his desires for Israel to come to the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the devout accountability of every believer of the Lord toward His Gospel.

MESSAGE

A. The desire of Paul for his countrymen (vv.1 -8).

1. Brought about by his love for Israel (v.1).
2. Brought about by Israel’s ignorance of the Gospel (vv. 2-3).
3. Brought about by his desire to lead them to Christ Who is our Righteousness and only accepted by faith (vv.4-8). Believing in Christ is not thinking of the impossibility but believing alone in His Word and accepting it as divine truth (vv.6-8).

B. The divine truth to be accepted by faith alone (vv. 9-13):

1. The simple plan of salvation: BELIEVING (v.9); CONFESSING (v.10); and CALLING (v.13).
2. The assurance that the Lord hears when we call and that we will not be ashamed (vv.11- 12).

C. The devout accountability of the believers (vv.14-17). It means that we are serious and earnest of our accountability before God and men.

1. The need for surrendered preachers to be sent (vv. 14-15). The ekklesia is a sending institution.
2. The need for each faithful member to preach (v.15).
3. The need to believe in the authority of the Word of God (vv.16-17) even if people will not believe (Isa. 55:11).

CONCLUSION

The example of the Prophet Isaiah should challenge us to be faithful to our accountability. Isaiah never stopped preaching for 60 years. Did he complain before God? Yes he did! Has he grown tired physically? Of course he did. God even made him an object lesson for Israel to his own shame to know their standing before God, that he remained steadfast—motivated by his holy boldness (Isa. 20:2-4; 47:3; Rom. 10:20). The name Isaiah means “the salvation of Jehovah” yet in 60 years of his ministry, none was converted (Rom. 10:21). But that never made him quit because he believed in God’s sovereignty (Isa. 55:11). How about us today when the Lord even promised that we will do greater works than what He did (John 14:12)? Be dedicated and give your life to the Lord. Be ever bold in serving Him and preaching His Word (Isa. 20:2-4; 2 Tim.4:2).

—BMA’s Messages, 07.24.16