Romans 10:14, 15 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?… When the great heart of the Apostle Paul burned within him as he wrote his Epistles to the Churches, he threw aside, as it were, the calm and stately prose of the quiet thinker and careful writer. He became an orator. He saw before him - even in his prison cell - immortal souls, whom he wanted to awaken and arouse. He asked questions, as if he expected an answer to them all. Such questions are frequent in this Epistle to the Romans, and on looking carefully over them we see that they are not only full of eager earnestness, but also of profitable instruction. In the four questions before us the apostle seeks to press home upon Christians the absolute necessity of mission work. In the previous chapter he is sorrowing for the unbelief of the Jews, and he begins this chapter by saying that his heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Then, as he goes on, he is led to think of the salvation, not only of the Jews, but also of the whole world. He says, "There is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." And then, as he thinks of the heathen world lying in darkness, he asks these four questions. I. "HOW SHALL THEY CALL ON HIM IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED?" In the ordinary dealings of daily life a certain amount of faith in another person is necessary before we can make any request of him. Unless we believe that he hears us, unless we believe that he is both able and willing to give us what we want, we are not likely to ask anything of him. So in spiritual matters, faith in God - the belief that he is, that he hears us, and that he is able and willing to help us - is necessary to successful prayer. It is necessary to salvation. But the heathen cannot call upon this gracious God of ours. As a matter of fact, they do not. No doubt, even amid heathen darkness, there are some earnest seekers after God. Certainly, if they call upon him, they shall be saved. But the vast majority of the heathen are without the knowledge of the true God. They are bowing down to pieces of silver and gold, of wood and stone, which cannot hear, or help, or save. Their very worship is a degradation in itself. Their religious rites are for the most part horrid cruelties, or foul and unspeakable lusts. And as for Buddhism, to quote only one authority, Sir Richard Temple, lately Governor of Bombay, tells us that however excellent and attractive the poetic accounts of it may be, as in the well-known poem, 'The Light of Asia,' the actual Buddhism of India is as degrading as can well be imagined. What they need to know is that there is a God who will hear them when they call upon him. They need to know that God is of purer eyes than to behold evil, that the abominations of their land may be put away. They need to know of the Lamb of God who beareth away the sin of the world, that they may turn from their useless ceremonies and cruel penances. They need to know of a Saviour who gives to all who call on him salvation, holiness, everlasting life. But "how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? II. HOW SHALL THEY BELIEVE IN HIM OF WHOM THEY HAVE NOT HEARD?" Even Christians need to have the importance of hearing about God more impressed upon them. Some professing Christians seem to imagine that the heart instinctively turns to God, and that in some mysterious way the heathen who have never heard of God will come to him. This mistake is fallen into because in Christian lands we have been so accustomed to hear about God from our childhood that we can hardly imagine it possible not to know about him. But the simple refutation of this idea is the actual state of heathen nations. St. Paul, in this very Epistle (Romans 1:21, 25, 28), assures us that though the heathen had at one time a knowledge of God from his works of nature, yet they glorified him not as God, but changed the truth of God into a lie, and therefore lost the knowledge of God. This is confirmed by the testimony of travellers in heathen lands. Missionaries often find it very difficult to convey to heathen minds an idea of what God is, so degraded have been their notions. It is a long time before a heathen can grasp the ideas of God's holiness and truth and purity, so accustomed is he to think of gods whose qualities are the very opposite of these. Even in our Christian land, unhappily, there are places in our large cities so neglected and degraded that children have grown up without hearing about God. And in such cases it has been found very difficult to convey at first an idea of God's being - his greatness, his holiness, his mercy, and his love. "How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? Hence, when the heathen learn of the love of God and the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, they often ask the question, Why did you not send and tell us sooner?" No wonder that with sorrowful hearts they ask the question, as they think of loved ones who have passed away without hearing the glad tidings. How sad is the condition of millions of the heathen without the knowledge of the crucified Saviour! III. HOW SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?" Yes, the preaching of the gospel is still the agency that is to regenerate the world. It was the preaching of the gospel that was the means of converting thousands upon the Day of Pentecost. It was the preaching of the gospel which overthrew the idols of ancient Rome. It was the preaching of the gospel which brought about the Protestant Reformation. "The Word," said Martin Luther over and over again, "it was the Word that did it all." It was the preaching of the gospel that overthrew the idols of Madagascar, and that has already brought civilization and peace and contentment into many of the islands of the sea. It is good to circulate the Word of God in every language. But it is necessary also to have the living preachers. "Go ye therefore into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." It needs the living preacher to be a living witness to the truth and power of the gospel - the full heart overflowing with love to Christ and love to souls; the ripe experience; the fulness of the Spirit. The Ethiopian treasurer had the Word of God in his hand as he returned in his chariot from Jerusalem. But he was not savingly converted until Philip began at the Scriptures which he was reading, and "preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:36). But the number of missionaries is still very small in comparison with the millions of heathen who have not yet heard the gospel message. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" IV. "HOW SHALL THEY PREACH, EXCEPT THEY BE SENT?" This is the intensely practical question. If we realize the darkness and misery of heathen lands, if we are really thankful for the unspeakable blessings which the gospel has brought to us, what are we doing to send the message of salvation to those who sit in darkness? 1. We can help to send out missionaries by our prayers. "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." 2. We can help to send out missionaries by our gifts. We need to understand, not merely the duty of giving, but the privilege of giving. Surely it is a glorious privilege to be a labourer together with God. Upon the Christian Church is laid the responsibility of preaching the gospel to all nations. And there is this blessed encouragement: 3. If the last of these parts of mission work, of which the apostle speaks, is fulfilled, the rest are all sure to follow. If missionaries are sent, then there will be the preaching, the hearing, and, in God's own good time, the believing and the salvation of souls. His Word shall not return unto him void. Thus by our sending we may be the means of saving. - C.H.I. Parallel Verses KJV: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? |
    |