Year 2, Day 33: Romans 10

Why Do Some Reject Christ?

In Romans 10, Paul moves from talking about the fact that some people (in his case, the traditional Jews) reject Christ and now he talks about why they reject Christ.  There is a lot of meat that we can learn in this passage about why people reject Christ.  Specifically, there is a lot of meat we can learn about why some people who even call themselves Christians have really rejected Christ.  This is a great chapter to study and apply to the world around us.

One of the first reasons that Paul gives to us is in the opening verses of this chapter.  The Jews who rejected Christ didn’t even realize that they had a need to be saved!  The Jews who rejected Jesus thought they were covered by the Law and that their own righteous following of the Law had saved them.  Therefore they weren’t looking for a spiritual savior but rather a political Messiah!  They didn’t see the need for Jesus Christ as a savior from sin; they saw the need for someone to overthrow the Roman government.

Oh boy does this speak to the church and the world today.  How many people – even those who claim to be in a relationship with Christ! – live their lives as though they are perfectly fine?  How many Christians confess Christ but haven’t changed a thing about their life?  In doing so, is not the message that is being sent a message of self-righteousness?  If a person comes to Christ and doesn’t feel the need to change who they are to their very core, are they not saying to God that they think their core is just fine the way it is?  Essentially, what they are saying is that “I’m okay the way I am, what I need is someone to whom I can pray when I need something to happen that is bigger than myself.”

No, this is not what Christianity is about!  I’m not okay at my core.  You’re not okay in your core, either.  God has called us to change.  God has called us to crucify ourselves with Christ so that it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us.  (See Galatians 2:19-20)  If Paul genuinely thought we were okay in our core beings, I don’t think he would have used the imagery of crucifixion when it comes to how we are to think of ourselves!

The second reason that Paul gives for the Jews rejecting Jesus is because they misunderstood (or misused) the Law, and it is almost inherently tied to the first thought above.  The Law was supposed to illustrate for them their need for a spiritual savior.  Instead they thought that the Law was their savior.  They thought by doing the Law they would be saved.

This reason is also big among Christianity.  We make mistakes all the time we about what the Bible is telling us about our relationship with God.  I’ll give you an example.  Ever hear about this thing called cheap grace?  Cheap grace is grace that costs us nothing.  Cheap grace is grace that is given to somebody simply because “God loves them” {which He does} but it asks nothing in return.  Cheap grace is grace that is offered without asking for repentance or confession.  Cheap grace is that which is offered while not asking for a person to change their life and hand control of their life over to God.  Christians are just as guilty of misunderstanding (or misusing) God’s Word and creating false pretenses for salvation as those Jews who reject Jesus.

The Need For Quality Preaching

So where does Paul end this chapter?  When faced with a people who are either blind to their need for Christ or misusing their understanding for Christ there is only one solution: preach truth.  We cannot become frustrated – although it is easy to do.  We cannot become distracted – and certainly that is easy to do.  When faced with a world that denies the need of Christ or misunderstands Christ in their life the only solution is to talk about it and hope that God’s Word takes root.

This is perhaps the most frustrating dynamic for a person who genuinely is in Christ and who genuinely has the Holy Spirit within them.  The frustration comes because as much as we love God, we want others to love God with us.  As much as God is changing our life, we want others to experience that change.  As much as we have given up control and watched as God has taken over control, we want others to know that feeling. 

But we know reality: Not all will listen. 

Not all will accept. 

Not all will submit.

People will turn their back on God because they feel that what God demands is too much.  Paul’s use of Isaiah 65:2 at the end of this chapter is quite appropriate.  All day long God holds out his hands to a rebellious people who walk in ways that are not good and who follow their own devices.  But as frustrated as we may become, we must remember that God has been dealing with this dynamic of humanity since the fall of mankind.  God continues to persist – thanks be to God!  So we also should not allow the frustration to overcome us but continue to preach for the sake of those who actually do desire to listen.

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