Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
- Brothers, the delight of my heart and earnest prayer to God on their behalf is indeed for their salvation.
- For I testify about them (that they have zeal for God) but it’s not according to accurate knowledge.
- For not knowing God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own [righteousness], they weren’t submitted to the righteousness of God.
- For the end of the law is the Anointed, for righteousness to every man believing.
- For Moses writes of the righteousness from the law: “The man who does them, he will live by them.”
- But the righteousness from faith speaks this way: “You shouldn’t say in your heart “who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring the Anointed down.)
- or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (That is, to bring the Anointed up from the dead)
- But what does it say? “The spoken word is near you; in your mouth and in your heart.” That’s the spoken word of faith which we proclaim.
- That if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
- For someone believes with the heart resulting in righteousness, and someone confesses with the mouth resulting in salvation.
- For the scripture says: “Every man believing on Him won’t be put to shame.”
- For there’s no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all the men calling on Him.
- For “Every man who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
- Therefore, how could they call on Him whom they didn’t believe? And how could they believe on Him whom they didn’t hear? And how could they hear without someone proclaiming?
- And how could they proclaim if they weren’t sent? Just as it is *written: “How beautiful are the feet [of the men proclaiming the good news of peace;] of the men proclaiming the good news of good things.”
Not all Listened
- But not all listened to the good news. For Isaiah says: “Lord, who believed our report?”
- So faith is from hearing, and hearing through a spoken word about the Anointed.
- But I say: “Didn’t they definitely hear?” Indeed; “Their voice went out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the world.”
- But I say: “Didn’t Israel definitely know?” First, Moses says: “I will make you jealous by those who aren’t a nation; I will anger you by a nation without understanding.”
- Then Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by the men not seeking Me; I became manifest to the men not inquiring after Me.”
- But to Israel he says: “I extended My hands the whole day to a people disobeying and contradicting Me.”