Do people need to hear the gospel to be saved? (Rom. 10:14-17)
George Whitefield preaching. Painting by Thomas Walley Image from WikiMedia Commons When we come to this passage, there are two things about it that expositors and commentators are in ready agreement about. The first is that the structure and meaning of this text is fairly obvious. You will remember that in verse 13 the apostle had said that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Now in verses 14-17, he tells us how it is that one comes to call on the name of the Lord for salvation. Notice the repetition of the word “how” in verses 14-15 especially. How does one call on the name of the Lord if they don’t believe on him? The answer is that they won’t. You must believe that Christ is able to save if you are going to ask him to save you. And then, how does one believe on a Christ they have never heard of? The answer is again that you can’t. You have to know that Christ is able to save, and you won’t kn...
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