Faith Cometh By Hearing

Q: What does the Bible say about faith cometh by hearing?

The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17 states, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' This means that faith is generated through the proclamation of God's Word, emphasizing the importance of preaching the Gospel. The Apostle Paul highlights how believers come to faith through the message of Christ as it is revealed in Scripture, reinforcing the critical role of hearing the Word in one's spiritual journey and the necessity of true preaching in a believer's life.

Q: How do we know Christ is the source of all blessings?

All spiritual blessings are found in Christ, as affirmed in Ephesians 1. Ephesians 1:3 states that 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.' This passage underscores that every blessing God has for sinners is rooted in a relationship with Jesus. Paul further explicates this by stating in 1 Corinthians 1 that believers are in Christ, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Thus, Christ as the source of all blessings is a core tenet of sovereign grace theology.

Q: Why is faith important for salvation?

Faith is essential for salvation as it unites us with Christ. According to Romans 10:9-10, faith is the means by which we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, leading to salvation. This union with Christ is essential; without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is vital because it is through this trust in Christ that believers are justified and receive eternal life. It is not merely an intellectual agreement but a heartfelt reliance on Christ's completed work.

Q: How does the Holy Spirit make the Word of God effectual?

The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of listeners to make the Gospel effective for salvation. The efficacy of the Word is contingent upon the work of the Holy Spirit, who regenerates hearts and applies the truth of the Gospel. Paul reminds us that without the Holy Spirit's enlightening and empowering influence, no one can comprehend or respond to the message of Christ (John 6:44). As expressed in Romans 10:14-15, preaching must be accompanied by the Spirit's work to bear fruit in the hearts of listeners, making the preached Word effectual for salvation.

Q: What does 'whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord' mean?

It means that anyone who calls upon the Lord for salvation will certainly be saved. 'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Romans 10:13) reveals the inclusive and gracious nature of God's offer of salvation. This principle underscores the belief that redemption is available to all people, regardless of their background or sins. It emphasizes faith's expression through calling upon the Lord, demonstrating that salvation is a free gift to all who recognize their need and turn to Christ for mercy and grace.

If you'd like to follow as I
bring my message today in the Bible, turn with me to Romans
chapter 10. I'm going to be speaking from
Romans 10, verses 12 through 17. Romans 10, 12 through 17. And the subject, my subject today
is faith cometh by hearing. Faith cometh by hearing. Now, one of the great preachers
of the past, John Flavel, said he could sum up his message,
the gospel he preached, in this way. He said, there are five
things of which I'm absolutely sure. There are five things of
which I'm absolutely sure. The first of which is this, that
all spiritual blessings which the living God has purposed and
provided for the sons of men is in Jesus Christ our Lord."
Every blessing, every spiritual blessing that God has purposed
and provided for sinners is in Christ. That's what Paul said
in Ephesians 1, that God has blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. That's where the blessings
are. He wrote again in I Corinthians
1, of God are you in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It's all in Him. Mr. Flavel said, this is the
first point, all blessings and mercies which God has for sinners
is in Jesus Christ. Nothing outside of Christ, all
in Him. These spiritual blessings are
ours by a union with Christ. In other words, the Father loveth
the Son and hath given all things to Him. Christ is the vine. We're the branches. And the branches
draw all their nourishment and life and strength from the vine.
Without the vine, we're nothing. Cut the branch off from the vine,
the branch is dead. The life is in the vine. He is
the head. we're the body. He is the heir,
we're joint heirs with Him. You see, it's Christ in you that's
the hope of glory. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him. So all spiritual
blessings, everything God has for a sinner is in Jesus Christ. And it becomes ours, it's It
becomes ours by a union with Him. He's the heir. We're joint
heirs. He's the vine. We're the branches.
Now watch the third thing. Mr. Flavel continued. He said,
This union with Jesus Christ is ours by faith. He that believeth
on the Son hath life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life. Paul said to the Philippian jailer,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Our
Lord said to the centurion, All things are possible to them that
believe. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. He
that cometh to God, he that cometh to Christ, must believe, he must
believe that God is and that God is the rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. So this union All the blessings
that God has for a sinner, all spiritual blessings, are in Christ.
And they're mine by union with Christ. And that union with Christ
is perfected and accomplished by faith. I must receive Him. To as many as received Him, to
them gave He the right, the privilege, to become the sons of God. To
as many as believe on His name. Now fourthly, This saving faith,
which unites us to Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures
of God, this saving faith, which unites us to Christ, comes by
hearing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of Truth. Paul wrote in Ephesians, in whom
you believed after you heard the Word of Truth, the gospel
of your salvation. And in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul
wrote, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save
them that believe. So this union with Christ is
perfected and accomplished by faith, but faith comes only by
hearing. And that's what we're going to
talk about in a few moments. But the fifth thing, and this is
equally important. Are you with me? Mr. Flavel preached
many years ago, God used mightily in England 200 years ago, wrote
many outstanding books. He said, I could sum up my message,
my gospel, with these five things. All spiritual blessings are in
Christ. That's where they are. And those
blessings become ours by a union with Christ. It's in Him. And that union with Christ is
accomplished, perfected by faith. We must receive Him. We must
believe Him. We must Trust Him. We must come
to Christ. Come to me and I'll give you
life. Come to me and I'll give you rest. And that coming to
Christ, that faith is accomplished by hearing the Word of God. Faith
comes by hearing the Word of God, the preaching of the gospel. But all the preaching in the
world and all the reading and all the witnessing and all the
efforts to know the living God are to no avail unless five,
number five. Unless Almighty God by the Holy
Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the
Holy Spirit, the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, except God
by the Holy Spirit make the Word effectual. Now, I preach, but
in order for you to be profited, I must preach in the strength
and wisdom and power of the Holy Ghost. You sit out there and
listen and you hear this word. And you've heard, some of you
have heard it many times. But that hearing has got to be
anointed by the Spirit of God. You see, Christ said this. They
murmured against Him. They said, Well, this is the
carpenter. This is Mary's son. We know his
mother and his sisters and brothers. How does this man know these
things? How does he say he came from
heaven? And our Lord looked at him and
said this, No man can come to me, except my Father which sent
me draw him. And they shall all be taught
of God. He that hath learned of the Father
and heard of the Father cometh unto me." And that's what I'm
saying. The preacher and the hearer are shut up to the mercy
of God for salvation is of the Lord. God's got to make it effectual. So as I preach to you from this
text, look now at my text, Romans 10, verse 12 through 17. Let's
remember these five things, that all spiritual blessings are in
Christ. They're ours by union with Christ, and that union is
by faith. And that faith comes by listening
and hearing what I'm preaching and what the Word of God says.
But we're shut up, you, I am, you are. We're shut up to the
power of the Spirit of God to make it effectual. He's got to
reveal the truth to our hearts. Now look at Romans 10 verse 12. And let's ask the Spirit of God
to take the message today and make it effectual to your heart
and to mine. Romans 10 verse 12 begins this
way. It says, there is no difference. There is no difference. There's
no difference between the Jew and the Greek. Now, we labor
to make a difference. We try to make a difference between
people. But the Scripture says here there's
no difference between you, me, the listeners out there, people.
We try to make a difference based on nationality, but actually
the Scripture says God has made all nations of one blood. I know
people of different nationalities, different colors, different traditions
and customs and backgrounds, but actually every one of us
can trace our beginning back to Adam. That's where we came
from. We're all of one blood. That's what the scripture says.
There is no difference as far as nationality is concerned.
And then we try to make a difference based on morality. Some folks
seem to think that they're better than other people, you know.
They're more pious than other people. They're holier than other
people. I remember a newspaper article that that was in our
paper not too many months ago. You remember when the famous
baseball player Pete Rose was before the judge and the judge
sentenced him to five, six, seven months in some kind of halfway
house or something like that? Well, it so happened that he
was going to send him to Ashland, Kentucky. And they interviewed
one of the guards out at the Ashland prison. the institution
there. I don't think they called it
prison, but the institution. They interviewed one of the guards,
and they said to the guard, are you going to ask Mr. Rose for
his autograph? And the guard indignantly looked
at the interviewer, and he said, why, no, no. He's not one of
us anymore. He's one of them. Now, we try
to make a difference based on morality, but let me tell you
something, friend. There is no difference, nationality, morality,
education. I know a lot of people are lifted
up with pride over their education, over their degrees. I went to
college, you didn't. Somebody else went to furthering
college, got a master's or a Ph.D. in doctors and lawyers and professional
men. They try to kind of look down
on us country hicks, you know, and they feel a little superior.
and maybe think we're inferior, but let me tell you something
now. Will you listen to me? There is no difference. All have seen and come short
of the glory of God. And then we try to make a difference
based on riches. Some people have more than others,
live in a finer home, drive a finer car. What do you have you didn't
receive? If you received it, why do you
brag and boast as if you didn't receive it? Some people make
a difference because of strength or beauty or something of that
nature. It's all pride. That's all in
the world it is, pride. And you know what pride is? It's
one worm bragging on another worm. And that's all we are,
wiggling magnets. That's what the Scripture says,
worms in the sight of God. There is no difference. Did you hear that? Now that's
the start. And like I said a while ago,
everything God has is in Christ. And we're in Christ by faith.
It's ours by union with Christ. We're in Christ by faith. And
faith comes by what? Hearing. And the Holy Ghost has
got to make this effectual. And everybody to whom the Holy
Spirit doesn't make it effectual is going to be mad at me right
now. But now, if the Holy Spirit is taking this message and applying
it to your heart, you're not mad. You're saying, He's right.
He's right. And it's not I'm not right. The
Word of God's right. I'm not trying to be consistent
with myself." Somebody said one time, he, the man that tries
to be consistent with himself will find himself in the end
consistent with a fool. Well, I'm just trying to be consistent
with the Word of God. There is no difference. Whomever you are, wherever you
are, whatever you are, whatever you know, in the sight of God,
there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, between
the male and the female, between the rich and the poor, The more
moral or less moral, the superior, the inferior, there is no difference.
Now watch the next line. For the same Lord, over all,
over all, and over all in power and might and sovereignty, over
all, He made all for His own purposes, is rich unto all that
call upon Him. Now that's good news. You see,
there's no difference in two main areas. There's no difference
in us, And there's no difference in the mercy of God. There's
no difference in us. We're all sinners. You're a sinner,
and I'm a sinner. I remember preaching several
years ago, and I made this statement, you're a sinner, and I'm a sinner.
And a man listening to me got angry and turned the television
off. He said, I'm not a sinner. And he went over and sat down
in the chair in the living room. In a few minutes, he got up and
turned me back on. He said, maybe I am a sinner. Maybe you are.
There is no difference. All have sinned. But now here's
the other area in which there's no difference. There's no difference.
Thank God. Thank God. There is no difference
in the mercy of God. He is rich in mercy to all who
will admit their sins and call on Him for redemption in Christ. He's able to save an old religious
Pharisee or Mary Magdalene. He's able to save a solid Tarsus
or a harlot. He's able to save a drunk or
a drug addict. He's able to save all who call
upon Him. You see what I'm saying? There
is no difference. There is no difference. Do you
hear that? There is no difference in you and anyone else. We're
all sinners. We've come short of the glory
of God. All have sinned. All have sinned. All we like
sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his
own way. If any man say he hath no sin, he's a liar, and the
truth's not in him. If any man or woman says they
do not sin, they make God a liar, because he says that we all do
fade as the leaf. Even our righteousness is a filthy
rag, but he is able. He is able. He's rich in mercy
to all who call on him. The hymn writer put it this way, poor and needy, weak and wounded,
sick and sore. Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love and power. Come ye weary, heavy laden, bruised
and mangled by the fall. If you wait till you're better,
you'll never come at all. Let not conscience make you linger,
nor fitness fondly dream. All the fitness he requires is
to feel your need of him. There's no difference. There's
no difference. All is sin. But thank God there's
no difference. The Lord, the same Lord over
all is rich unto all that'll call upon Him. Call upon Him. Now verse 13, listen to this.
For whosoever, now that's a wide word. Whosoever, Jew or Gentile,
male or female, old or young, rich or poor, boy or girl, that's
me, that's you, whosoever, can you believe? Can you see your
need of mercy? Can you call on Christ? Whosoever? I'm glad God didn't put a nationality
there or a name there or some special group there. He just
says, whosoever. Now, look at this word. Here's
an easy word, whosoever. shall call." There's nothing
here, nothing said of working, laboring, nothing said here of
payment. What was it somebody told me
just a short time ago about someone who was very, very sick, about
to die, and they said, well, I'm prayed up and I'm paid up.
Nothing said here about praying up or paying up. It says, whosoever
shall call, just call. Anybody can call. You can call
without even uttering a word. Hannah prayed to God without
saying a word. You can call. Isaiah said, just
look. Just look. And the New Testament
is full of examples of people who felt their need and felt
their inability and felt their unworthiness. And yet they turned
to Christ Jesus and they called. Blind Bartimaeus, Jesus, our
son of David, have mercy on me. And he did. The publican in the
temple, Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner. And he was. The thief on the cross turned
and said, Lord Jesus, you're not going to stay dead. You're
coming into a kingdom. Remember me when you come into
your kingdom. And he did. How about you? There's
no difference. The same Lord over all is rich
unto all who call on him for whosoever, whosoever. That's a wide word. That reaches
down to Pikeville, up to Parkersburg, and over yonder to Moorhead,
and out yonder to Beckley and Raynell, doesn't it? Whosoever
shall call, shall what? Join the church? No. Be baptized?
No. Walking out? No. Call? Watch it now. Here's an important
word. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord. Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord. Now, what's in a name? the name
of the Lord. Well, a person's name identifies
him. You notice while I'm preaching, every once in a while they'll
put a little caption down underneath the picture. Have you seen it?
Henry Mahan. Well, when you see that name
down on the bottom of that screen, Henry Mahan, well, you know who
that is. This is my 807th telecast, over
800. Some of you have heard a lot of And so I mentioned Henry May,
and you know who that is. Name identifies me, you see.
When you use the name, you know who's spoken of, of whom we speak. Well, the name of the Lord, whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord identifies who He is. See, there's none other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. This
name identifies who He is, the name of the Lord. He's the Lord,
the sovereign Lord. Under us a child is born, under
us a son is given. The government shall be on his
shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. That's his name. That's who he
is, the Sovereign Lord. He said, I am. Moses said, Whom
shall I say has sent me? He said, You tell him I am. The
Lord Jesus said, If you don't believe that I am, he, you'll
die in your sins. He's a sovereign Lord. He's Jesus,
Son of Man, the God-Man, Jesus. Call His name Jesus. Under Mary
shall be born a son. Call His name Jesus, which is
interpreted, God with us, Emmanuel. And He's the Christ. See, the
name tells me the Lord Jesus Christ, Lord, sovereign, King
of kings, Lord of lords, Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God, Christ,
prophet, priest, and king, every Old Testament type, pattern,
prophecy, promise, picture fulfilled in him. Moses wrote about him. Abraham saw his day and rejoiced. And the scripture said, when
Isaiah saw his glory, he spake of him. That's who I'm talking
about. There's no difference. There's no difference. Well,
I'm a Catholic. Well, there's no difference.
Well, I'm a Jew. Well, I'm a Protestant. Well, I'm a Baptist. Well, I'm
something else. We're nothing. That's what we are. In the sight
of God, there is no difference. All have sinned. None worthy,
all unworthy. No merit. Almighty God shows
mercy to whom He will, and He's rich in mercy to all who call
on Him. There's no difference. Nobody
merits it or earns it, for whosoever shall call the name of the Lord."
Now, here's a sure word, shall be saved. Oh, I tell you, I love
the shalls and the wills of God's Word, don't you? All that my
Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me
I will not cast out. Other sheep I have which are
not of this foal, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice, and they shall be one fold, shall be saved. Coming
to me, all you that labor and heavy laden, I will give you
rest. My sheep hear my voice, they
follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved." Isn't that wonderful? His honor is
engaged to keep the weakest of his sheep, whosoever shall call
on the name which is above every name. The name of the Lord Jesus
Christ shall, shall be saved. Now look at verse 14. Now here's
what, here's what I was talking about a while ago. Here's the
great importance of preaching. Preaching, and there's so little
real preaching today. There's a lot of singing, a lot
of entertainment, a lot of healing, and a lot of whoop-de-doo going
on, but not much preaching. And here's the importance of
preaching and hearing and believing. Now watch this next verse, verse
14. But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? A man can't trust an unrevealed
Christ. A man cannot call upon one whom
he does not know. So I ask, who is he? I tried
to tell you, the sovereign Lord, Son of God, Son of man. What
did he do? He wrought out a perfect righteousness
and died on a cross as our substitute. Why did He do that? In order
that God may be just and justify. Where is He now? At the right
hand of God. And Paul said, I know whom I
have believed, and I'm persuaded He's able to keep that which
I've committed to Him against that day. So how are they going
to call on Him in whom they've not believed? Now, what's the
next question? And how are they going to believe on Him and trust
Him and look to Him? and call on him and rest in him
if they've never heard of him, if they've never heard of him,
in whom you trusted after you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation. You're hearing it now. You're
hearing it. I know a lot of people say, well,
I just love that good singing. Well, let me tell you something.
I like good singing, too. But it takes the priest's word to
save a sinner. We've got to hear the Word, who
God is and what we are and who Christ is and what He did and
why He did it. You see, how shall they believe
on Him of whom they've not heard? And listen, the next question,
and how are they going to hear without a preacher? Now, the
Lord God has always had His true preachers. Paul said, we preach
Christ and Him crucified. He said, I'm determined to know
nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Necessities
laid upon me, I must preach the gospel. Woe is unto me if I don't
preach the gospel. Oh, for more gospel preachers,
men who will stand and preach, preach, preach Christ. How are
they going to hear without a preacher? And then how are they going to
preach except they be sent? God sent Peter to Cornelius,
He sent Paul to Lydia, He sent Philip to the eunuch, and He
sent me to you. with this good news, these glad
tidings of Jesus Christ. Somebody came to John the Baptist
and said, Who are you? He said, That doesn't matter.
I'm just a voice. A voice is not important. What
the voice says is important. The messenger is not important.
The message is important. The one about whom we preach,
how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace and bring glad tidings of good things. And what a blessing
is ours here on this program, here in this day, to hear the
good news of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Can you hear? Whosoever shall call on the name
of the Lord, the salvation in that name, shall be saved. But how are they going to call
on Him in whom they've not believed? And how are they going to believe
in Him with whom they've not heard? And how are they going to hear
without a preacher? And how are we going to preach except the Spirit of
God sends us? Now here's a sad note. Verse
16, But they haven't all obeyed the gospel. All men will not
hear, all men will not believe, but some will. So then, verse
17, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. May God give you faith to believe. You want this message on tape?
I'll send it to you. Send two dollars. You have this
message and another message on the other side. Until next week,
may God bless you, everyone.

Faith Cometh By Hearing

What does the Bible say about faith cometh by hearing?

How do we know Christ is the source of all blessings?

Why is faith important for salvation?

How does the Holy Spirit make the Word of God effectual?

What does 'whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord' mean?

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Faith Cometh By Hearing

What does the Bible say about faith cometh by hearing?

How do we know Christ is the source of all blessings?

Why is faith important for salvation?

How does the Holy Spirit make the Word of God effectual?

What does 'whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord' mean?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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