The Word Is Near You

Sermon on Romans 10:8b-13

Text: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

As Lutheran, there are three touchstones that summarize what we believe. They were coined by Dr. Martin Luther. These three are: By Faith Alone, By Grace Alone, and By The Scriptures Alone. We believe that we are saved by faith alone. It is only because of the grace of God that we are saved and we add absolutely nothing to our salvation. In our sermon for this morning, we are going to, essentially, focus on the third of these touchstones and that is the Scriptures alone. Paul reminds us of this as he quotes from Deuteronomy 30 in the first verse of our text. We are reminded of the beautiful fact that THE WORD IS NEAR YOU. It is 1. A Word That Leads To Salvation. It is 2. A Word That Calls For A Response. It is 3. A Word That Is Intended For All.

What is it that makes the Word of God, the Bible, so different from all of the other writings of all of the different religions in the world? People will ask that question in one form or another. After all, they point out, that there are so many people following those various religions. Some of the other writings have also been around for a long time. ‘So,’ they say, ‘what makes your book any different or better than all of these others?’

There are two main differences. The first is the content. The other religious books will tell you what you must do to get right with their god. The Bible is completely different. It tells us that there is nothing we can do to get right with God. God is very clear in his Word what he demands of us. His will is summarized in the Ten Commandments. For example, he tells us that he is to have the number one position in our lives. Nothing else at any time is to be more important to us than he is. We are to trust nothing more than we trust in him. Yet, how many times don’t we find ourselves trusting in other things more than God? We trust our finances. We trust our abilities, and the list goes on and on. He tells us that we are not to steal. We console ourselves by thinking that we haven’t really stolen anything of great value. They were just little things. We steal from our employers by not giving it our best effort. These are just a few examples of ways that we have gone against what God demands of us. The punishment for these infractions is also clear in the Bible. It says that, if we only sin once, we deserve to be eternally separated from God’s love.

The Bible also points us to Jesus Christ and what he did for our salvation. The Bible shows us how Jesus came to the earth and perfectly lived his life. He always put his Father first. He trusted in him, even when there was the temptation to trust things or even himself more. The Bible also tells us what Jesus did for us by going to the cross to suffer and die. This wasn’t some sort of martyr’s death. He died for a cause. Rather, his suffering and death on the cross were necessary to pay for our sins. Because our God is a just God, sin had to be punished. Because of the grace of God, he punished Jesus in our place. No other character in any of those other religious writings was punished by God for the sins of the world. The Bible tells us that Jesus was. We are reminded of another great difference as our text tells us, “God raised him from the dead.” All of the other religious leaders have died and they are still in their graves to this day. Jesus rose from the dead. We celebrate that fact because it assures us that Jesus completed his work. If there was one sin that was not paid for, Jesus would still be in the grave. Jesus rose from the dead and, because of this we know that we will be in heaven.

That is the second main difference between the Bible and all of the other religious writings. The eventual outcome of those who believe what the Bible says and those who do not is completely different. It says in verse 9, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Did you catch the outcome of this faith in Jesus? “You will be saved.” It is only by believing in Jesus Christ as your Savior that you will be saved. So many people will tell you that it really doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere about it. What you believe is fine for you and what I believe is also as valid. Nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus made this abundantly clear when he said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is only by believing in Jesus and his work of salvation that we will enter into heaven. There are no other ways. This is what is the difference between the Word of God and all of the other religious writings. This writing, this word, leads to salvation. Through the Word of God, we are brought to believe that he is our Savior, that he is our Lord.

We also note the response that occurs from these books is different. Some of the religious writings are responsible for the fanatical things that we hear about all too often on the news. The response to what the Bible teaches is quite different. We read in verse 10, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” First of all, in this verse, Paul again highlights the fact that those who believe in Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation are justified, that is to say, that they have been declared “Not Guilty!” because of the work of Jesus Christ. However, that faith then moves us into action. “It is with your mouth that you profess your faith.” We do not keep our faith a secret.

Paul mentions our mouths as professing our faith, but we really can extend that to our entire lives. It is not only through our mouths that we profess our faith in Jesus. Rather, out of thanksgiving for all that he has done for us, we want everything about us to profess to the world that we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. If it is in our hearts, it will direct our thoughts and actions. It gives us a sense of values that separates us from the rest of the world. When people see us or hear us, we want them to see what Jesus Christ means to us. We do not do this for show, so that people will look at us and say what great people we are. We do this to thank him for all that he has done for us.

This is a good reminder for us. Someone once noted that the only Bible some unbelievers ever read is the lives of Christians they come into contact with. Have you ever heard or said something like this: “Do as I say, not as I do?” What is your response to that? You would think that if truly was something that was important, actions would be in line with words. Otherwise, it must not be. Of this you can be sure, people are watching. Your spouse is watching. Your children are watching. Your friends are watching. Your coworkers are watching. We want to be sure that our lives are in line with what we believe. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” We pray that God would help us to always give a clear witness to the truth that he has shown us. In doing so, we glorify him. In doing so, we testify to others what Jesus has done for us and for them.

This brings us to the point of Paul’s final words in verses 11-13, “As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” In this portion of the book of Romans, Paul is addressing the Jewish element and the Gentile element of the congregation. It had widely been held that there was a distinction when it came to salvation, and it was in the Jews’ favor. After all, God had chosen their nation as his own. He had dealt with them as he had no other nation in the world’s history. He gave them the law. He dwelt among them in their temple. As a result, some of them looked down on the Gentiles as being inferior. Paul reminds them that this distinction really did not matter. He says, “The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” It didn’t matter what their nationality was or what their social standing was. All believers are equal before God. Jesus came to save them, too.

May God keep this mind set in front of us, as well. It is so easy for us to look at other people and think to ourselves that they are not church people. They look different from us. They don’t dress the same as we do. They talk differently. They have different customs. As a result, we find that we shy away from them. May God help us to see them as he sees them. They are all ones for whom Jesus came to save. Jesus paid for their sins, as well. He wants us to share what he has done for them. The Word of salvation is for all people. There isn’t one way for the Christian to be saved, another for the Muslim, and yet another way for the Buddhist. One way that we show our love for God is to tell others what he has done for them. God’s Word is intended for all.

So, is there really a difference between the Bible and all of the other “holy” books? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” It is only through the words of the Bible that we can learn what God has done for us. It is only through the gospel message that we are brought to faith in Jesus Christ as our only hope for salvation. Through the Word, we learn what we can do to thank God for all that he has done for us. This Word reaches out to all people with the same saving message. We, also, have this assurance, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Believers will not be embarrassed and ashamed because they foolishly believed in someone who was totally unreliable. They will never be put to shame for trusting in the Lord’s promises. When the final reckoning takes place at the end of time, the verdict will always be favorable to those who have trusted in God’s mercy as shown in Christ. How thankful we are that God has shown us his love and his mercy in his Word. We are truly blessed that he has given us his Word. It is, by the grace of God, that “The word is near you.” It is our prayer that we hold this precious blessing as dear to our hearts. It is, also, our prayer that more and more would hear this Word of truth. We pray that God would use us to share that Word with others. Amen.