Romans 10:10-13

Passage

For by the heart it is being faithful into righteousness.  And by the mouth it is being confessed into salvation.  For the scriptures say, “All who believe upon Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no marked distinction of Jew or even Greek, for He is the same Lord of all while giving generously to all the ones who call upon Him.  For all the ones who should call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul tells us quite plainly where the seat of righteousness is: the heart.  Righteousness is not shown in what we do.  Righteousness is shown by who we are.  A seemingly good deed can have a righteous motivation or a selfish motivation.  But a righteous heart is only from God’s righteousness coming and dwelling within us.  It is our heart that is God’s primary concern.

What is the state of your heart?  Are you submitting to God’s righteousness or pursuing your own selfish desires?

Second Thought:

In fact, when it comes to salvation Paul doesn’t even mention our deeds.  Where salvation is concerned, our heart and our lips are of primary importance.  Righteousness is seated in the heart.  What is in our heart will come back out of our mouth.  For more information, see Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 15:10-20.  If our heart is in the right place, then what comes out of our mouth will be evidence of our righteousness and God’s free gift of salvation.  All who truly call upon His name will know this salvation.

What comes out of your mouth?  Is it evidence of your salvation?

Third Thought:

Paul then reiterates that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile.  Truthfully, there are only followers of God and non-followers of God.  There is only obedience to God or obedience to something other than God.  In fact, In Galatians 3:28 Paul takes this idea even further.  Not only is there no longer Jew or Gentile, but there is neither man nor woman, slave nor free.  The only distinction that matters is follower of God or not.

Why do we draw distinctions among people?  Why do we separate people into hierarchies?  Can you be content simply seeing people as followers of God and not followers of God?  Why is this important when it comes to having an eternal perspective?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 10:14-15