Picking up with Romans 10:14
Romans 10:14
"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?"
So it takes the whole complex human being to bring all this into experience. We have to have heard it, we have to thought about it, we have to comprehended (receive) it, and then we have to use the mouth and verbalize it. All right, now when it says, "And how shall they hear without a preacher?" We looked that up in the Greek and preacher is a proclaimer. It's really a better word than preacher. "How shall they hear without a proclaimer." Now that's what we have to do, we have to proclaim this Gospel. We don't necessarily have to preach it. We become victims of tradition lots of time, and get the idea that preaching is stomping and yelling, and getting a lot of exercise. No that's not necessarily the case. We proclaim the Word of God! By the simple way in which we live and by the words of our mouth when they're directed by the Holy Spirit they minister Life. Even to the dead who don't know they're dead or separated from the Living God. Now verse 15.
Romans 10:15
"And how shall they preach, (to proclaim) except they be sent (denotes completion, or reversal from the norm, one living under God listening)? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach (proclaim) the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
And without failure most of our preachers do just that in their own strength of Self-sufficiency because they're guilty as hell of NOT sitting under God to listen. So they're NOT even a proclaimer of this Gospel but are of another gospel which Paul reveals is a false gospel because it scratches mans ears and fills their belles with the sweet food of deception with the watered down wine of err.
Now do we have the process? God had to reveal this Gospel didn't He? And we know that He did through the Apostle Paul. And the Apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to put it down in print so that we can have it right in front of us, but by and large most people have to have someone to explain the Scriptures to them. Or so they've been led to believe. Now we don't say that it's mandatory, but usually someone has to explain the Scripture to an unbeliever to bring him to the place where he can believe, receive and understand it. And that's what Paul is talking about here in verse 15. How can they hear unless God providentially sends someone to proclaim it. Does it take the providence of God? Yes, absolutely it does. In fact let's just look at Acts chapter 16 to prove our point. This is one of our favorite verses when it comes to this whole idea of bringing lost people and professing "Christians" to a knowledge of salvation. This is not something that we take glibly, but rather this is something that we think takes the power of God, it takes the working of the Holy Spirit, without Whom none of us can amount to anything. Our teaching amounts to nothing if the Holy Spirit isn't in it. Because when we do something like preach this message without Him all that we're doing is uttering words of Law and they kill as there is NO Life reproductive in them whatsoever. So here's the whole idea here in this chapter, it's the perfect example of what has to happen whenever a person is saved or made righteous. We receive the down payment as it were of the Holy Spirit, as our first blessing, for our training and teaching in righteousness, this we've called our first estate and likened it to a fetus growing within the womb, it could just as easily have been as a youth growing up. We're given the Holy Spirit as our first gift and blessing as not only our comforter but also our teacher, trainer and guide who reveals the hidden things that are there for our benefit.
Acts 16:14
"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, (notice she was religious, but wasn't a true believer. So she) heard us: (Luke of course was writing) whose heart the Lord opened, (who opened her heart? The Lord did. Paul didn't, and Luke didn't so what happened?) that she attended (or listened and comprehended or received the Word because her heart was given His Life) unto the things (this Gospel of your salvation as we have in I Corinthians 15:1-4 and Romans 8) which were spoken of Paul."
Lydia was a devote Jew so we know that what the state her heart was in. It was cold as stone and twice dead because of unbelief and in hindrance, resistance of God because of religion. But when God's proclaimer brought His message to her God opened her heart by way of circumcision and Newness of His Life for her to receive this Gospel of His.
In this particular verse who is the proclaimer? Well Paul is, and he is simply speaking forth this Gospel. But before this Jewish lady in Philippi could comprehend it, Who had to open her heart? The Lord does in the Person of the Holy Spirit, and that has never changed. Every person that comes to a saving knowledge of Paul's Gospel has to have their understanding opened by the work of the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit is there for everyone. No one can ever say, "Well the Holy Spirit of God never approached me." Oh yes He does, the Holy Spirit is present, He's everywhere, and He doesn't miss a soul. Another verse comes to mind in the Gospel of John chapter 1. We think this again is just because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, otherwise this verse would be total Greek to us. John writes under the strong influence of the Holy Spirit. This is speaking of Christ in His earthly ministry. So John writes -
John 1:9
"That was the true Light, (speaking of Christ) which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."
Now that's what it says. The Light is Christ who lightens every man that comes into the world. Well how is this done? Through the presence of the Holy Spirit and His working as the Spirit. Remember only lost and unbelieving (this sadly is allot of so called Christians) people will appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, but not one of them will come up before Christ, and say, "I never had a chance." Because the Bible in Romans says they won't.
Romans 1:19-20
"Because that which may be know of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (past tense, it's already done. That's just like the previous Scripture we looked at in John 1:9. It's done. But we have to receive the finished works as our own for it to take effect in us for our benefit) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power (all of creation or nature speaks of God's endless life in power) and Godhead; so that they (the whole lost and unbelieving human race) are without excuse:"
No one will ever be able to say to God, "Well I never had a chance." There is another verse that confirms this in Titus. Now verses like these are just mind boggling, we know that they are, but the Scripture does not lie, and so we have to believe it. Remember we're tying all these together. John says that Jesus Christ came into the world and has enlightened every man. Paul says in Romans that the power of God is manifested in them so that they are without excuse. Now look what Paul says here in Titus.
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