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NASB | Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ. |
Subject: Is hearing necessary for salvation? |
Bible Note: continued... I choose to believe that our nature is such, that with sufficient evidence, man can be held accountable for making his choices. It is overwhelming evidence that God exists. Therefore, those who go the godless, atheistic path deserve no pity. They, in essence, have looked God in the face and turned away. Every sinner stands before the two paths. The one is fun and easy for a while with the promise of punishment at the end. The other is straight, narrow, and difficult with the promise of eternal blessings at the end. Men know the choice: some say I'll take the easy path now and later switch to the straight and narrow when I won't have to walk it so long. Men know the punishment and rewards. Too bad that they choose the immediate over the long-term. The good news is that we all can watch the fleeting, passing pleasures of this life and come to our senses. We can note our mortality and act upon our longing to live forever. Making the choice to turn from the world and to God is sort of like a young man who looks at the girl of his dreams. Asking her to marry will mean responsibility, committment, sacrifice and rewards of love and children and friendship that a single man can never know. If he chooses not to marry, he chooses the freedom, and materialism: the selfish, short-term, lonely path. The man makes a judgment about values, about what is worth more? You can't have the rewards without the sacrifice. This lesson Jesus taught us. Part of following the Savior is the requirement that we count the cost of being a disciple. The rich young ruler had the potential of being saved, but he made a value judgment--Jesus loved him, so it doesn't make sense that he turned away because God didn't give him that extra bit of desire. The young man made a choice on his own. Jesus stipulated that only those who deny themselves and carry the cross could follow Him. You must believe that the cross carrier is the one that God placed the desire in, and I believe that the cross carrier is the one who considered the merits of both paths, and chose to follow Christ. Just as a man can make a choice to invest in long-term versus short-term, any man can weigh the evidence [hear the purity and promises of the Gospel versus condemnation for sin] and make an intelligent, spiritual decision to become a Christian. Thanks for the thoughts you shared. Disciplerami |