Romans 10:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

NIV: But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

NASB: But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? On the contrary: 'THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.'

CSB: But I ask, "Did they not hear?" Yes, they did: Their voice has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world.

NLT: But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: 'The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.'

KJV: But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

NKJV: But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”

Paul wrote in verse 16 that "they" have not obeyed the gospel. He is likely referring to the Jewish people. Since the gospel calls us to believe in Jesus, a refusal to believe amounts to disobedience (John 5:39–40). In the following verse, Paul asserted that faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.

Now Paul asks if the reason they did not believe is because they did not hear about Jesus. Did they not hear the gospel? Paul says no, that's not it. The Jewish people, people in general, have indeed heard the good news about Jesus. Paul borrows language of Psalm 19:4 to assert that the voice, the words, of the teachers of the gospel has gone out to all the earth, to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19 is describing not the revelation of the gospel of Christ, but the revelation of God's glory and creative power in nature. Paul began this letter by echoing Psalm 19 in declaring that God has made Himself knowable to humanity by what He has made (Romans 1:19–20). Here, though, Paul insists that God is making Christ Himself known to the world through the preaching of the gospel.

Does Paul mean that, by this point in history, literally every person on earth has heard the good news of Jesus? That's clearly not his intent. He seems to mean, more generally, that the gospel is in the act of being communicated to the known world. This is not an obscure message, so there is no reason Israel can claim to be ignorant of it. Paul likely also means that the people of Israel, specifically, have heard the gospel of Jesus from Christ Himself. Also, His followers had been preaching the message in Jerusalem and around Israel for more than 20 years by time this letter was written.

Romans 10:14–21 explains that, despite hearing the gospel and understanding it, Israel continues to disobey. Paul works through a series of questions, showing where and how Israel has failed to accept the truth given them by God. His point is clear: the people of Israel have been given more than enough knowledge, and so they ought to recognize their Messiah. Despite that stubbornness and failure, God waits, still holding out His hands to His people.

Paul's heart is broken for his people, Israel. He prays they will be saved through faith in Christ. Their enthusiasm for God is made useless by their attempt to be made righteous by their own law-keeping instead of by faith in Christ. What, then, is required to be saved? One must confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. The same is true for both Jews and Gentiles. God waits patiently for Israel to turn and believe.

Romans 9 concluded with Paul's declaration that Israel has stumbled over the stumbling stone of Christ. Romans 10 describes Paul's heartfelt prayer that Israel would be saved, despite her commitment to saving herself through works. Why have the Israelites not confessed the Lordship of Jesus and believed in the resurrection? It's not for lack of hearing and understanding; they are disobeying the gospel. Paul will insist, though, in the following chapter, that God has not rejected Israel. He still holds out His hands to her, offering salvation through faith in Christ.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.