Romans 10:17 - part 3

Bottom line up front (BLUF):

The gospel message (Paul’s short version here - Jesus is LORD and God raised Him from the dead) creates our faith.

The opening word of this verse demands that we go back to find its context.  ’So’, the opening to a summary, like ‘therefore’ indicates that the fuller explanation has already occurred.

So, going back to the beginning of this topic, takes us to the beginning of chapter 10.  It opens with Paul expressing his love and desire for his people to come to salvation.  But, not unlike many we may encounter, they are ignorant of God’s righteousness and intensely energetic in making up their own rules to cover for their ignorance.  Not only do they not submit to God’s righteousness, I too often find myself in the same struggle.  There are times when my rules are more comfortable than God’s truth.  When I define what righteousness is, and don’t pay too close attention to not even following the rules I’ve created, I find myself right there with them.  Possibly even holding at a distance those who don’t conform to my understanding.

This very verse is an object lesson in how my perspective can be off - and I can’t blame the ambiguities of the English language for all of it.  But I’ll get to that later.

In verse 4, Paul says “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”.  Amplify that a bit with his words in Ephesians 2:15 -16“In His flesh, he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might create in himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace.  He did this  so that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.”

While this deals immediately with Greeks and Jews in Christ, it also seems to strongly infer the fusing (completing to use another scripture reference) of the law of God and His righteousness in this one man/God body as an offering on behalf of men to reconcile them to God.

As Paul continues to extoll the blessing of Christ - stating that all who call on His name will be saved, he asks four questions:

1 - How, then can the call on him they have not believed in?

2 - And how can they believe without hearing about him?

3 - And how can they hear without a preacher?

4 - And how can they preach unless they are sent?

And then, he approaches the ‘Hearing’ memory verse from the ‘Word Hand’ illustration.

I started out with my prefered transalation (NASB) which renders Romans 10:17 as:

So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

But, after reading some explanation of the Greek words by Wuest (I’d recommend picking up his New Testament word studies - usually sold in four volumes) and his references to other scholars’ work in this passage, I switched to the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) version which reads:

So, faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the message about Christ.

NASB is not, in my opinion, wrong.  Many reputable translations use that or very similar wording.  But, after reading the context and linguistic scholars’ work, it seems that the HCSB rendition makes it easier to see the focus of the verse.  The Gospel - not my hearing.

And, if it is the message, then it is Jesus that is the focus, and God Who raised Him from the dead.  It is His story that creates faith.  I don’t want to conflate this with mystic and pagan thoughts on the creative power of words but, in context, it does appear that the message about Christ does create the faith that saves us.  And that appears to be the point of this verse - instead of a learning taxonomy based on my efforts.  While all do not accept and submit to this message - another long topic for another day - it is the entry point to understanding God’s word at least in that it creates the entry through which we become part of His family.

If this understanding is correct, it also would lend - instead of me ensuring that I hear more often so as to understand better - to efforts to ensure that the gospel, the message about Christ is proclaimed because this message is what regenerates man.  

Some have said that I am a Christian because that is (or was) the predominant message being proclaimed im my setting.  Therefore, their reasoning goes, that those in other countries will respond and, mostly, believe the predominant message in their context.  So, from an obtuse angle, their argument confirms the Bible’s assertion that the Gospel creates faith.  Is this argument, with the context of Romans 10, not a pressing call for the message about Christ to be proclaimed in all nations?

Once again, it has gotten late.  Good night.

Romans 10:17 - part two

So, Monday, I began with the reorganization of my quiet time around prayer and meditation on one verse per week - starting with the Navigator’s HAND illustration (web link provided with Monday’s post) - Romans 10:17.

I guess I need to continue with two confessions:

First, the reason my quiet time is scheduled for 0500 is that, by the time I’m showered and ready for work, my mind is usually fully engaged with the tasks I’m aware of for the day.  This has been the case as long as I can remember.  First thing in the morning, before caffeine kicks in fully and the day starts to intrude.  Even with that, though, the recent lack of discipline has shown up as mental noise as this exercise begins.  I don’t intend to perform eastern mystic meditation but, as the inimitable theologian, Brain, often said, my intention is to “Focus, Pinky”.  Given past experience and the continued ability to get lost in activities, I anticipate it will return with time and practice.

The second confession is far more sinister.  It came from some of yesterday’s mental noise.  While I don’t recall the Navigator explanation saying anything of the sort, I have, apparently, conflated the fingers of the HAND with an experience or learning taxonomy that says things like ‘we only remember 10% of what we hear, 20% of what we read’ and so on.  And, I apologize to any of you who I might have taught the illustration from that vantage point.

Why apologize for such a perspective - especially since many of us agree with it and have some anecdotal support for it?  Well, because it is wrong.  I’ll leave a link down below for a place where you can start chasing it down, if you are so inclined.  If you are not so inclined, I’ll take it as further evidence that we tend to accept things that seem scientific even if they are blatant fabrications.  As a general rule of thumb, it may be healthy to be skeptical of any ‘evidence’ that is made up of all round numbers, easy division, or too neat explanation.  This is at least evidence of generalization.

So which will it be Alice, or is it Neo?

Also, check the references.  If there are none, then you have to assume no actual research or study was done.  And, as in this case, if you check the references, you’ll find that they deny having presented such results.  So, it was either made up by a liar or, perhaps, a marketing department.

The problem with applying such numbers to this illustration is that it infers strongly that each means of grasping or wielding scripture is somehow inferior to the subsequent ones and inadequate for its purpose.  I realized this morning, after thinking about the conflation for a full day, that each of the ‘fingers’ of the illustration serves a definitive purpose - not a cumulative one that is only realized upon the final digit, the thumb - meditation.

While varied and repeated exposure to material does seem to increase retention and understanding, that is not the crux of this illustration.

It is getting late so I will close with the intention to more directly address Romans 10:17 tomorrow.  For now, I’ll just repeat the content:

So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.

Sleep well.

Think on these things...

I recognized, recently, that I have narrowed my scope of extended thought primarily to work.  While it is, or can be, an interesting and a creative outlet, it is limited.  I have apparently done this long enough that my ability to recall and apply ideas (and vocabulary, apparently) in other areas of import have become slower, shallower,  more passive, and less imaginative.

So, to start with the most important area of life, - no, not my diet - I'm going back to review and meditate on scripture - after a manner taught me by my favorite Navigator.  Though, this time, much slower and with a greater intention of meditation and application.  It is true that, if you don't use it, you lose it.  And, if you don't apply it, your head explodes (at least figuratively) while your heart hardens.

This will be rather disruptive to my usual quiet time - even more so than sleeping in and missing it, sometimes for days at a time.  The intention for now, is to use the morning for prayer and meditation on a single verse.  This will require me to move my reading and study time to different times of the day/week to further pursue understanding and application of my meditations.  For those that I've taught a different approach, well, it's different for me too.  But hopefully one in which I more actively engage for a while - anticipating the benefits that come with pursuing God.

This process began this morning with Romans 10:17, the 'pinky finger' of the "Word Hand" illustration.  

Hear

In the New American Standard version (published by the Lockman foundation), it reads:

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

If my thoughts seem to wander, please send me an email.  Show a little grace because with thinking, like exercise, it may be a truism that you should either never stop or never start - otherwise pain surely ensues.  I will be concentrating on this verse for the rest of the week. I did say it would be much slower.  We'll see how this goes.

Looking for a good story

In looking for the 'secrets' to becoming a good storyteller, I came upon this TEDglobal talk by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  I hope you enjoy it.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Leave it better than you found it

Like all of us, some of the science evangelists let their zeal outrun their knowledge... must be a human condition.  The challenge is, remaining humble about our own 'knowledge, to look for the truth that is presented by another.  This talk has some good points to think on.  Enjoy.

My longtime corollary to Mr. Woodward's talk title - 

We are mostly wrong about everything we know.

For the love of reading.

I haven’t posted anything in a few millennia (or so it feels). So, here is to new beginnings.

https://link.medium.com/ymRTsTQNSZ