"Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ."
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
Oh friend, it is so simple. A person hear the Word and then believes. You can't believe unless you hear the Word. Paul believed this; it formed his philosophy of ministry. You can see it demonstrated in the records of his ministry contained in Acts. When he entered a city, he didn't try to make friends, or impress anyone with his good deeds. Paul went straight to the synagogue and preached the Word. He then would go to a gathering of seekers and preach the Word.
Paul knew that the only way anyone will ever be saved, is if they actually HEAR the Word of Christ. Paul didn't get bent out of shape with God when people didn't believe. Romans 10 and 11 are all about God's sovereignty in determining who believes when they hear. Paul was content to allow God to determine who would enter His Kingdom, but Paul knew that His part was to speak the Word of truth.
Now, we are not Paul; we are not an apostle and we don't travel the world. We live in a community and we belong to a church. The Lord calls us to live our lives as salt and light among these who KNOW us. We are told to be ready to give the reason for the hope we have (1 Pe. 3:15. Which is a response to people questioning us about our lives). Yet we would do well to think on the truth of this verse in Romans. How then can our loved ones believe unless they hear?
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