Here’s some great news: If you believe in Jesus, God will be faithful to His promises. We may stumble, but God’s gift of justification is sufficient, and His commitment to us is certain.
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.”
Romans 10:11-13 NIV
And, to add to this good news, the world is no longer split into those who have been given extra details about the truth, versus those who have not. The gospel is available to all who hear it, regardless of their backgrounds, and no one is excluded because they don’t have the law.
In fact, in light of some of the comments on the previous chapter, I think that the quote from the book of Joel (in verse 13) summarizes salvation at its highest level: Calling on the name of Jesus to be saved.
Now, as discussed in the previous article, belief is just a part of the life of a healthy follower of Jesus, which we learn more about as we get to know Jesus better. But sometimes, a lost and suffering person will call out to Jesus in the darkness, and that call is all that is needed to start the process, like grabbing onto a rope (or a ladder) to be pulled out of danger. There are things that build upon belief and result from that belief (just like a person being saved from a disaster would need to continue to hold onto a rope, or to climb up the ladder), but I see all of this as being related to calling on Jesus’ name and living that out as we remain strong in our confidence that God is faithful to save us through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Of course, learning more about how Jesus calls us to live and how God has instructed us to receive justification should cause us to take action as we grow and mature, becoming more and more obedient like Jesus was. In the end, though, isn’t Christian maturity (or sanctification) really just continuing to call on the name of the Lord and living that out?
For those who don’t follow the knowledge of truth, though, this gap can come from two possible avenues: not accepting the truth when it is presented, or not knowing the truth in the first place. There may not be much that we can do about the former, since individuals choose whether or not to accept the truth. However, there is plenty that we can do about the latter, by spreading the good news about Jesus Christ far and wide.
More on that in the next article…
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 27, 2022
References:
- The Lookout, February 27, 2022, © 2022 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press Commentary, Romans, Volume 2, by Jack Cottrell. College Press Publishing Company, © 1998.
Those Who Sin Differently 