NKJ Romans 10:14-11:1 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
- Preach/Proclaim Him > Hear about Him > Believe in Him > Call on Him
- Scripture is either deficient or leaving things out that we glean elsewhere to properly - according to Scripture - insert into this string for a properly harmonized Biblical Theology
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
- [God] sends the Preacher/Proclaimer > Preach/Proclaim Him/The Good News of Peace > Hear about Him/The Good News of Peace > Believe in Him/The Good News of Peace > Call on Him
16 But they have not all
obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has
believed our report?"
- "report" here is literally "that which is heard"
- "believed our report" can also legitimately be translated as "had faith in that which is heard"
- Please note the parallelisms here between;
- obedience and belief/having faith
- the gospel and that which is heard
- Men believe/have faith in / Obey the Gospel
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
- "So then " = Paul summarizes what he just said - I'm going to translate more literally:
- The Faith from that which is heard (the Gospel) and that which is heard from a spoken word of/from/about Christ.
- "The Faith" is pointing back specifically to what Paul has been talking about - belief/faith in / obedience to the Gospel/the thing heard
- God spoke > From what God spoke [came] the Gospel/the message heard > from the message hard from what God spoke > Faith/Belief
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world."
- They all heard
- The Proclaimer's voice/sound went out into all the land - their spoken words into the boundaries of the inhabited world.
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by
a foolish nation."
- Moses had informed Israel what would ultimately happen.
- God held Israel responsible for knowing their Scriptures
- "a foolish nation" is a nation void of understanding/stupid
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me."
- That nation without understanding had not sought God but found Him
- God became visible to that nation that had not asked for Him
21 But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people."
- Israel's problem:
- Disobeying God who stretched out His hands to them all day
- According to the parallelism above - their disobedience is also no faith
- Contradicting/Opposing/Refusing God who stretched out His hands to them all day
There are plenty of things here to discuss no matter what theological positions are held.