The preacher

Romans 10:13-14 (NASB)

for “ Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”  How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?  And how will they hear without a preacher?

How will they hear without a preacher?  A rhetorical question, perhaps, but how did you first learn of the gospel?  Did you read and understand yourself or did someone explain it to you?  Likely you heard it.  And from whom did you hear it?  Was it a true preacher, i.e., a pastor, someone at the pulpit, an evangelist on TV or at some youth camp, revival, etc?  Or could it have been your father, mother, another family member, a friend or even a stranger?  Preacher means to be a herald, to proclaim like a herald, to publish and proclaim openly.  The Greek word for preacher, kēryssō, also suggests formality, gravity, and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed.  How will people hear (the gospel) without someone speaking with a formality, gravity, and authority that deserves people’s attention and response? 

The apostle Paul quotes Joel 2:32 in Romans 10:13.  What is the meaning of “call upon”?  The Hebrew word used here is “qara” meaning “to proclaim”, “cry out”, “summon” or “invite”.  It is a very commonly used word in the Old Testament, used 736 times in 688 verses.  It’s the verb God used in Gen 1:5,8,10, e.g. called (“qara”) the light day and the darkness night in Gen 1:5.  This is the word God used in calling for Adam in Gen 3:9 and calling for Moses in Exo 19:20.  This is the word used throughout Genesis when a person was named, e.g. Gen 21:3 when Abraham named (qara) his son, Isaac.  This word is used many times in Psalms and Proverbs when someone is crying out for the Lord, e.g. Psalm 34:6, Proverbs 2:3.  Therefore, “qara” is a very personal verb involving some sort of action, some sort of involvement, some sort of a much deeper connection. 

You cannot simply and casually say, “OK, Lord, here I am, save me”.   Jesus Himself said in Matt 7:21 that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven.   A mere calling out the name of the Lord will not save a person.  Salvation is more than words.   You can claim Romans 10:13 alone without having this verse in context.  Go back a few verses to  Romans 10:9-10 where it is written that it is not only what you say, but also what you believe in your heart.  The first part of Romans 10:14, Paul asks the question about calling on the Lord when you haven’t yet believed.   Salvation comes after inner conviction.  When a salesperson “calls upon” a customer or a doctor “calling upon” a patient in a hospital it is more (or should be more) than merely saying hello.  There is a much deeper meaning to the words “call upon”.

To be saved is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, His claims, His death on the cross to pay the penalty for sin, and His resurrection (Eph 2:8-9, Titus 3:5).  However, as Paul writes, how can anyone believe in who the Lord is and what He did if you have not heard the gospel?  And how do you hear the gospel?  From a preacher.  From someone who preaches from what is written in the Bible about belief and salvation.   It’s a preacher who tells you that you are lost, separated from God, and there’s nothing you can do or say on your own efforts to be connected to God.   It’s a preacher who tells you that you are a sinner according to the Word of God and the penalty of sin is death, eternal separation from God.  It’s a preacher who then tells you that Jesus Christ is the answer, that belief in Him and the cross will save you from the penalty of sin and connect you with God.  And it’s the preacher who helps you understand what you need to say and do to be saved in Christ forever. 

Who was the preacher in your life?  Or, might there have been several preachers, e.g. several who witnessed to you over the years (planted seeds, I Cor 3:6)?  And to whom have you been the preacher?  To whom do you need to be a preacher now?