SESSION 5 ONE GREAT COMMITMENT The Point To be saved, I must trust in Christ. The Passage Romans 10:1-3,8b-13 The Bible Meets Life What must I do to be saved? We make decisions constantly. Many decisions require little thought, and most decisions require little long-term commitment. But the greatest decision centers on what we will do with Jesus Christ. Knowledge about Jesus is not enough. Our need for salvation is answered in Jesus, but we must each decide whether we will commit to that truth and trust Jesus. The Setting Paul had already discussed the universality of human sin and the possibility of salvation, provided through Jesus death on the cross for our sins. Our last two sessions focused on key texts related to these truths. In Romans 9 11 Paul expressed his concern about the situation of unbelieving Jews. Although most readers today are not Jews, Paul s emphasis on the need to make a decision about Jesus as personal Lord and Savior is relevant to us. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 59
What does the Bible say? Romans 10:1-3,8b-13 (HCSB) 1 Brothers, my heart s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation! 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 Because they disregarded the righteousness from God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God s righteousness. 8b The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 60 SeSSion 5
THE POINT To be saved, I must trust in Christ. GET INTO THE STUDY DISCUSS: Invite your group members to discuss Question #1 on page 45 of the PSG (Personal Study Guide): What are some decisions you have enjoyed making? Allow time for each person to respond. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 46): Life is full of decisions lots of them. Columbia researcher Sheena Iyengar estimates that we make about 70 decisions every day. Do the math and that s around 25,500 decisions a year or about 1,788,500 decisions if you live 70 years. 3 10 minutes TIP: Make a point to meet any guests and learn their names. Follow up during the week with a text, call, or message to let them know you re glad they came. Notes Some decisions come easy. Do I want to get tickets to the big concert later this year?»» Some decisions carry some consequence. Do I order the bacon cheeseburger or something healthier? Some decisions may come packaged with stress. Should I take the better job even though it means moving to a new city? Some of our decisions are life changing even eternal. The greatest decision we will ever make centers on what we will do with Jesus Christ. Our need for salvation is answered in Jesus, but we each must decide whether we will commit to that truth and trust Him. GUIDE: Call attention to The Point on page 46 of the PSG: To be saved, I must trust in Christ. PRAY: Transition into the discussion with prayer. Pray for your group members to have a clear understanding of what God offers to us in salvation. Ask God to show them the opportunities they have to confess their faith in Him. PLAYLIST PICK: Simple Gospel by United Pursuit BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 61
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 10:1-3 (HCSB) 1 Brothers, my heart s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation! 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 Because they disregarded the righteousness from God and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God s righteousness. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 10:1-3. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 47): In Romans 9, Paul addressed the Jews, the apostle s own people, so we shouldn t be surprised that he continued to speak in chapter 10 of his love for them. Paul s love was expressed in his great desire for their salvation. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What problems arise when we try to earn our salvation? The Jewish people had a great zeal for God (v. 2), so why then didn t they already have salvation? Their zeal was not according to knowledge (v. 2).»» The Jews believed they had good standing with God because of the law, their religious traditions, and their religious activity. They had a false understanding of righteousness; they thought they could earn it with good works. DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 47 of the PSG: How do people today try to establish their own righteousness? SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGES 47-48): Christianity focuses on what Jesus did; other religions focus on what they say we should do. God came down to earth in the Person of Jesus and lived a sinless life. In His perfect righteousness He took our sin on Himself, willingly went to the cross, and died in our place. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, having defeated sin and death. For this reason, there is no other way of salvation; Christ alone saves. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). 62 SeSSion 5 TRANSITION: Christ is the only way to salvation. The next verses reveal how we obtain that salvation.
THE POINT To be saved, I must trust in Christ. Romans 10:1-3 Commentary Christ is the only way to salvation. We cannot earn our salvation. Verse 1: Paul knew his readers typically were believers. He addressed them as Brothers. As Christians they could understand his personal anxiety about the failure of many Jews to receive the gospel message. We can feel Paul s anguish. His heart s desire and prayer to God was that fellow Jews would receive the gospel. If they continued to reject Jesus, they would miss out on salvation. Verse 2: Paul made two brief comments to evaluate the spiritual condition of the Jews. First, they have zeal for God. Second, Paul noted the Jews zeal or enthusiasm for their faith was not according to knowledge. When they rejected the message about Jesus they were misguided or misinformed. Paul might have been reflecting his own experience. Before he met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was a zealous persecutor of Christians. As a Christian missionary, preacher, and church planter, he understood Jesus truly is the Son of God and the Messiah. Today some people reject the Christian message out of ignorance. Becoming a Christian certainly involves more than gathering information and believing mere facts about Jesus, but misinformation and misunderstandings need to be dealt with by those who witness for Christ today. Verse 3: At the heart of the Jews rejection of Jesus was their misunderstanding of righteousness. Paul distinguished two understandings of righteousness in this part of his letter. The correct understanding is the righteousness from God. This phrase could point to righteousness as a characteristic of God, but here Paul probably intended God as the source of righteousness. We can experience the righteousness God offers us through faith. Paul had mentioned that the Gentiles who trusted Jesus had obtained righteousness namely the righteousness that comes from faith (Romans 9:30). Unfortunately, the Jews focused on a second view of righteousness. They tried to establish their own righteousness rather than submitting themselves to God s righteousness. The Jews mistakenly thought they could be rightly related to God through their works (vv. 31-32). However, God s righteousness involves a faith relation to Him (Romans 1:16-17). Jews and Gentiles would be saved the same way. God had not invented two different plans of salvation. The only way to be saved was through a faith response to God s offer of salvation through the crucified and resurrected Jesus. Although Paul was primarily an apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13), his concern for his fellow Jews prompted his clarification of what the Jews misunderstood about God s plan of salvation. Today people who are not Jews still think they can somehow earn their way into God s good favor. They do not grasp that salvation is based on Jesus death for our sins. As Paul wrote, we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God s gift (Ephesians 2:8). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 63
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 10:8b-10 (HCSB) 8b The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 10:8b-10. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGES 48-49): Since knowing the truth about Jesus is not enough, what do we need to do? Paul used two verbs to give us the answer. Confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. To confess is to affirm or declare something. When I confess, I am agreeing with God that Jesus is the sovereign Lord with authority over all including my own life. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. The fact that separates Jesus from all other religious leaders is that Jesus died, yet He rose from the dead and is alive today. God approved of Jesus sacrifice by raising Him from the dead, and He is the One and only Lord. DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 48 of the PSG: Why is salvation both easy and difficult? (Note: While initially placing our trust in Christ for salvation seems simple, believing Him involves following Him in our daily lives, which isn t always easy.) ALTERNATE QUESTION: What does the dual response of believe and confess indicate about salvation? SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 49): Confess and believe. We shouldn t view these as two separate actions. When you fully believe in your heart, you can t help but confess and live out that belief. DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 49 of the PSG: What are the implications of confessing Jesus as Lord? (Note: In your discussion, help your group explore what it means to follow Jesus as our Lord. We do this when we follow His instructions given to us in Scripture, recognize His authority, fully engage in the church, and so on.) TRANSITION: In this passage, Paul also clarified who salvation is available to. 64 SeSSion 5
THE POINT To be saved, I must trust in Christ. Romans 10:8b-10 Commentary We are saved when we confess and believe Jesus is Lord. Verse 8b: Paul was preaching to Jews and Gentiles the good news about salvation in Jesus. In his message, Paul quoted the Old Testament several times in verses 4-8a to reinforce the distinction between relating to God through Jewish law and having faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Any non-believers who read this letter or heard Paul s preaching about Jesus knew they had to make a choice. For the Jews especially in this context, the choice was between doing works of the law (Romans 9:32) or receiving Jesus by faith. Gentile non-believers in the first century would have had many more religious options, including polytheism, emperor worship, or the mystery religions. No matter their background, Paul presented Christ to them. Verse 9: Paul gave his readers a concise overview of the proper response to the gospel message. Paul mentioned two interrelated aspects to one unified response. First, you should confess that Jesus is Lord. We often use the word confess today to mean our confession and repentance for our sins. Another meaning of confession, however, is a confession or profession of faith. Becoming a Christian is not primarily an act of our minds, but we need to affirm the theological truth that Jesus is Lord. In the context of the first century, especially with Jews in the audience, to call Jesus Lord was to call Him God. Second, Paul said becoming a Christian means to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. The combination of believing and the heart might surprise some readers today. The Greek verb rendered believe includes an intellectual component, but Paul knew it included the aspects of trust and commitment as well. To Jews especially the heart was not merely a muscle that pumps blood. The heart was the center of a person s identity and decision-making. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was central to early Christian preaching. Many Jews believed in the doctrine of a general resurrection of the dead at the end of time. The Pharisees accepted this teaching, but the Sadducees rejected bodily resurrection (Acts 23:8). Many Jews and Gentiles, however, rejected Christian preaching about the resurrection of Jesus. Paul focused on the crucial nature of belief in Jesus resurrection in 1 Corinthians. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). Verse 10: In this verse Paul repeated the two aspects of becoming a Christian, but he reversed the sequence. Here he mentioned believes first, followed by confesses. This pattern partly reinforces the mutual relation of the inward conviction, believing with the heart, and the outward expression, confessing with the mouth. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 65
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 10:11-13 (HCSB) 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 10:11-13. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 51): Who is able to confess and believe in Jesus? Anyone and everyone. The word everyone demonstrates the openness of God s call to salvation. God makes no distinction between people; He desires for each person to be saved. ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Invite a growing Christian from your group to briefly share their testimony aloud. Ask them in advance, and then meet with them before this session to let them practice sharing their story. DO: Divide group members into subgroups of three or four people. Instruct subgroups to complete the activity on page 50 of the PSG together. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What does it mean that God is rich toward those who call on Him? THE GOSPEL MESSAGE: How would you summarize the gospel for someone who has never heard it? WriteRecord your response in the space below in your notes. DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 50 of the PSG: How has the gospel transformed your life? (Note: If you have more than eight people in your group, consider dividing your members into small groups of three or four people for this question to allow more transparency and deeper conversation.) TRANSITION: God is rich to all! He extends His riches all the blessings of living in His presence to everyone who calls on His name. 66 SeSSion 5
THE POINT To be saved, I must trust in Christ. Romans 10:11-13 Commentary Salvation is available to all who call on Jesus. Verse 11: Paul here quoted Isaiah 28:16, which he had already quoted more fully in Romans 9:33. Isaiah had said the one who believes will be unshakable, but Paul, perhaps using the Greek translation of Isaiah, said the believer will not be put to shame. Paul likely meant a believer totally dedicated to following Christ will not face condemnation at a time of judgment. Verse 12: Paul returned to his emphasis that God had only one plan of salvation for all people, not one plan for Jews and another for Greeks (Gentiles). Racial bias was prominent in biblical times, just as it surfaces regularly today. Paul often noted that followers of Christ shared a unity that transcended traditional ethnic distinctions: There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28; see also Colossians 3:11). God is rich to all who call on Him. God s richness is directed to all kinds of people. Paul s emphasis on God s graciousness or generosity in His dealings with sinful humanity might startle some people today. Unfortunately some people seem to think God is stingy or tight-fisted with people. They have a legalistic understanding of God, thinking God only rewards those who obey Him. While it is true God blesses believers in many ways, God is a God of grace who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Verse 13: Paul then quoted Joel 2:32. Peter had quoted the same verse on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21). In the context of Joel s prophecy the Lord would have referred to God the Father. Paul, however, meant a sinner should call on the name of Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9). Paul clearly was thinking of Jesus as divine here. To call on the name of Jesus means to make a total commitment to Him as Lord and Savior. Accepting Jesus is not, to use an old phrase, fire insurance. Jesus wants committed disciples, not mere admirers or fans in the popular sense. The biblical concept of faith involves the total person. Faith in Jesus is certainly more than mere intellectual assent to some facts about Jesus, though we need to acknowledge key theological truths. Paul regularly highlighted the resurrection of Jesus as crucial to Christian faith. Faith also includes our emotions and will. To believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior means to trust Jesus. Any deep, long-term commitment includes an element of trust. Ideally we will grow and mature as Christians over a lifetime as we trust Jesus to guide us in making other key decisions. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 67
5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes SAY: How will you live out the truth of this passage this week? GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 52 of the PSG. Start with Jesus. If you have not yet believed in Jesus and confessed Christ as Lord, consider it and do so. Trust Him for forgiveness of your sin and turn to Him for a new life. Talk with your group leader or refer to the article One Great Hope on the inside front cover of this book for help. Take inventory. If you re a Christ-follower, spend time this week reflecting on whether or not you re living as if Jesus is your Savior and Lord. Does your life reflect your relationship with Him? Learn more. Have coffee with someone who loves and follows Jesus wholeheartedly. Ask her how she keeps God a priority as both Savior and Lord in her life. Wrap It Up SAY: You re going to make around 70 decisions today. Be sure to make the one that can change your heart and your life. Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog. LifeWay.com/GroupMinistry 68 SeSSion 5