So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
What does Romans 10:17 mean?
There is not one God to the Jews, more kind, and another to the Gentiles, who is less kind; the Lord is a Father to all men.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Romans 10:14-18 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh ... - This I take to be clearly the language of the objector. As if he had said, by the very quotation which you have made from Isaiah, it appears that a report was necessary. He did not condemn people for not believing what they had not heard; but he complains of those who did not believe a message actually delivered to them. Even by this passage, therefore, it seems that a message was necessary, that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the divine message.
Key words
- of Christ
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of Christ. (e) Zohar in Deut. fol. 110. 3. So then faith cometh ...
- faith
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So then faith comes by hearing,.
- cometh
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So then faith cometh .
Context in Romans 10
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Romans 10 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as union with Christ and life in the Spirit. Romans is Paul’s fullest sustained exposition of sin, grace, righteousness, faith, Israel, the Spirit, and transformed life in Christ. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justification, grace, and faith in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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