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Timothy: Romans 10:14-21
The Gospel and the Rebellion of the Israelites

14 How then may they call on One into whom they have not believed? And how may they believe One of whom they have not heard? And how may they hear without preaching?

15 And how may they preach if they are not sent? Even as it has been written, “How beautiful” “the feet of those preaching the gospel of peace, of those preaching the gospel of good things.” Isa. 52:7

16 But not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” Isa. 53:1

17 Then faith is of hearing, and hearing through the Word of God.

18 But I say, Did they not hear? Yes, rather, “into all the earth their voice went out, and to the ends of the world their words.” LXX-Psa. 18:5; MT-Psa. 19:4

19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First, Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy by a non-nation, by an unwise nation I will anger you.” Deut. 32:21

20 But Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those not seeking Me; I became known to those not inquiring after Me.” Isa. 65:1

21 But to Israel He says, “All the day I stretched out My hands to a disobeying and contradicting people.” Isa. 65:2

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I thank You for another day and for allowing me to live and serve You in this earthly body. I also thank You for the Eternal Living Word of God, which always has enough for those who belong to You and sustains our spiritual lives. I pray that Christ will give new strength to my physical body and that the Holy Spirit will give me understanding in my spirit. I thank Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, I want to present my understanding as I contemplate the meaning of Romans 10:14-21.

Dear Father, regarding verses 14 and 15, I understand that the Gospel is the salvation of God given to humankind, and it must be preached to all nations. If the Gospel is not preached, many people will not know the Gospel. To have someone preach the Gospel, there must be someone sent. I understand that almost 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to go into all the world, preach the Gospel, and make disciples of Christ. Therefore, in addition to some being called by Christ to the position of apostle, the position of preaching the Gospel, anyone who receives the Gospel becomes a disciple of Christ and has a duty to preach the Gospel. People have a duty to preach the Gospel in their own community.

Dear Father, I understand verse 16 to mean that even though the Gospel has been preached to all nations, many people still do not believe it. This has been the case for almost two thousand years since the Gospel was first preached by the Lord Jesus Christ. Even the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, mostly do not believe the Gospel.

Dear Father, I understand verses 17 and 18 to mean that a person needs to hear the preaching of the Gospel to understand and believe it. The Gospel is the Word of God about salvation, which was proclaimed by Jesus Christ and His apostles and is recorded in the Bible. Nowadays, the Word of God about the Gospel of Salvation is still being spread everywhere. Even if someone opens the Bible to read it, they will hear the Word of God about the Gospel of Salvation in their spirit. The only thing left is for that person to choose to believe or not. The Apostle Paul borrowed the idea of Psalm 19 to speak of the preaching of the Gospel in his time, which was spread throughout the world. This preaching was carried out through the missionary journeys of Paul and by the Israelites everywhere who went to Jerusalem for the festivals and heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and witnessed the miracles He performed. After that, the preaching of the Gospel was also carried out by the Israelites who went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost when the Church was established. They witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit, heard the preaching of the Apostle Peter, and believed.

Dear Father, I understand verses 19 and 20 to mean that You used the faith of non-Israelites in the Gospel to urge the Israelites to repent and return to You, to believe in Your salvation. At that time, many nations had lost their sovereignty to the Romans, and the Greeks were a typical example. These nations were no longer considered nations. The Romans were powerful at that time, conquering the Greek empire and many other nations, but they worshipped false gods and were considered a foolish nation. However, both the Greeks and the Romans, as well as other nations, had many people who believed in the Gospel. In fact, even in the capital of the Roman Empire, the city of Rome, there was a Church of You. It can be said that these nations knew nothing about You, did not seek and pray to You as the Israelites did. But when they heard about the Gospel, they believed.

Dear Father, I understand that verse 21 means that when the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles, who had never known You, they believed immediately. However, the people of Israel, who were a nation that knew You, Your Word, and the prophecies about Christ, still did not accept Christ and the Gospel that He preached. This was because they were too proud to seek righteousness by obeying Your law, and they were willing to contradict anything that was not in line with their tradition. They were happy to follow the commandments of men but neglected the commandments of God. Their disobedience and rebellion against God’s truth continue to this day.

Dear Father, I am grateful to You for the Gospel that You have given to the Vietnamese people, and for the many Vietnamese who have believed in it. I thank You for calling and choosing me among the Vietnamese people who have believed in the Gospel. I am grateful to You for using me to build Your Church among the Vietnamese people. Please bless us with more Vietnamese people who will believe in Your Gospel. Thank You for everything, Father.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
04/01/2023