Romans 10:5-15

Romans 10:5-15 (WEB) For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.” But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down); or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart”; that is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if you will 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 with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him. For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

🔑 Key Points

1. A Manifest Impossibility

Paul sets two impossibilities side by side. No one can be justified by the law — and no human being could ascend into heaven to drag Christ down, or descend into the abyss to raise Him from the dead. Salvation by works is exactly as impossible as that. Only God could send the Son, and only God could raise Him.

2. Simple Truth

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.” The gospel is within your grasp — not distant, not elite, not requiring a Ph.D. A child can understand justification by faith alone. But Sproul adds the warning: understanding it is simple; getting it into your bloodstream takes a lifetime of the Word.

3. Confess and Believe

Paul joins two things that must never be separated. A profession of faith alone has never justified anyone. It is the possession of faith, not the profession of it, that saves. Sproul presses the modern point: we are so eager for results that we prime the pump — raising hands, signing cards, praying after me. Nothing wrong with the practice, unless we think the practice itself gets us into the kingdom.

4. The Necessary Ingredients of Faith

The Reformers named three: notitia (the data — there must be content), assensus (intellectual assent — I believe it happened), and fiducia (personal trust and affection). Sproul’s sting: data plus assent alone merely qualifies you to be a demon — every demon knows the facts are true. Only the heart-trust no demon will ever give saves.

5. Believe in Your Heart

Why does Paul say heart, not mind? Because you can agree with something intellectually and never let it reach the core of your being. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Sproul turns the mirror on himself: every week he must ask, ‘R.C., do you believe what you proclaimed? Do you believe it with your life — or is it just an exercise in theology?’

6. Call Upon the Lord

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Guarded by its context — not a crisis-cry too late, but a genuine reaching of the heart for the Savior. This is where Sproul cuts the Gordian knot of the doctrine of election: instead of being paralyzed over whether you are elect, ask the simple question — do you believe in your heart? If so, you have full assurance; you will not be put to shame.

7. Our Sacred Vocation

Then the chain of ‘how’ questions: how shall they call on Him they have not believed? How shall they believe without hearing? How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach unless they are sent? Chapter 10 follows hard on chapter 9’s doctrine of election — and that is no accident. Election does not cancel evangelism; the sovereign God ordains the preaching of the Word as the means by which His elect are brought in.

💬 Discussion Questions

Sproul says the facts plus your agreement with them qualify you to be a demon. Where is the line between agreeing with the gospel and trusting Christ in your heart — and how do you know which side of it you are actually on?
Chapter 10 follows chapter 9’s hard sayings about election. How does Paul’s chain of ‘how’ questions answer the objection that if everything is settled, evangelism is pointless — and where do you see that playing out in your own life?
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” How does the surrounding context guard that promise from becoming false comfort for someone whose only ‘call’ is a last-minute crisis cry?

What grace this is — that the God who needed nothing from us did everything we could never do. No ladder to climb, no abyss to plumb, no resume of works to assemble. The word is near you: in your mouth and in your heart. Rest today in that. If you have trusted Christ in your heart, you will not be put to shame — not now, not ever. Sunday blessing.

📖 The Passage