Faith Comes by Hearing, and Hearing by the Word of God [Easter]

Today's passage is the apostle Paul's emphasis, to the believers in Rome, on the importance of the gospel and the mission of evangelism. Paul says that faith comes from hearing, and that hearing is possible only when there is someone to proclaim the word of Christ. God has made it so that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, without distinction between Jew and Gentile, yet people are missing the chance of salvation because they have not heard the gospel. So believers must become people who proclaim the gospel and declare God's love to the ends of the earth.

The sermon compares this world to a train speeding toward the end, and points out how believers should see this reality. The people on the train are absorbed in cramped space and material competition, but believers know that the train will stop and that there is an eternal world. As ambassadors, believers must protect God's people in this dangerous world and carry the news of salvation. Truth is not about force or chasing miracles; it must change people by seeping in, and believers must do their best to share the gospel where they are.

Could it be that believers fail to share the gospel not because they don't know how to evangelize, but because they have no goal of saving anyone? Just as God loved Israel to the end and yet they refused him, God accomplishes his work regardless of our choices. Believers must not make excuses for their shortcomings, but entrust their lives to God and pray. Then with what heart should we listen to the voices of the world in order to carry out this great mission?