#DailyDevotion Seen Any Beautiful Feet Lately?
Romans 1012There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, Who gives His riches to all who call on Him. 13“Everyone who calls on the Lord’s name will be saved.” 14But how can they call on Him if they haven’t believed in Him? How can they believe in Him if they haven’t heard of Him? How can they hear if no one preaches? 15How can men preach if they’re not sent? Just as the Bible says: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16But not all have obeyed the good news. Isaiah asks: “Lord, who has believed what we told them?” 17So then faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the Word of Christ.
We learned in chapter nine, not all of Abraham’s descendents are truly Israel for it is not his natural children who are his but only those who believe in the promise as Abraham believed are counted as God’s children. So Paul picks up on that theme a little bit here. There is no difference between Jews and Greek because they all have the same LORD. Now he had talked a fair amount about this in the first four chapters as well. All humanity is judged by the same law and all humanity is justified by the same promise.
Everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD Jesus Christ will be saved. Yes, we have been given this promise what God has become our friend through the shedding of Jesus’ blood. He has turned aside his wrath at us on account of Jesus dying on the cross, becoming a curse for us and rising to everlasting life. Everyone who believes Jesus has done this for them has passed from death to life. Everyone who has this as their faith is free from the bondage of sin and lives freely in and by the Spirit of God now.
But Paul now argues, how can we call on him if we have not believed in him? How can we believe in him if we have not heard of him? How can we do this if no one has preached? And how can one preach if he hasn’t been sent? In these questions Paul removes from anything thought that we can be saved through any preparation or work of our own. Salvation does not come from within ourselves either. No, salvation comes as a free gift of grace through the preaching of Jesus Christ alone. Jesus sends those who belong to him with his good news. This good news is Jesus has won salvation for us and made peace with the Father for us through his body and offers it to us without cost to us.
It is only through this message that the Holy Spirit creates faith in us so we may believe, call upon his name and be saved. Faith, that God counts as righteousness, comes through the Word of Christ. Yet not everyone believes or obeys this good news. They do not think the preacher’s feet are beautiful. But not you. You have received good news of Jesus Christ with joy. For you the preacher’s feet are beautiful because they brought with him this gracious message and gift, your sins though they are great and many have been atoned for by Jesus Christ. He now accepts you as his own and gives you all his possessions by being baptized into him. It is the free gift of God in Christ Jesus.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have sent your servants out with the good news of Jesus Christ that we may hear and believe it. Continually gives us messengers of this Gospel so our faith may continually be strengthened and renewed so we may enter your kingdom on the Last Day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.