Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17 is the key proof-text for a major teaching concerning Family spiritual life. This is not a teaching that is unique to the Family; indeed it appears that a number of other groups are content to extract this verse from the tenth chapter of Romans and give it a similar meaning. In most cases this does not result in major error. However, as is often the case, Family teaching extends the implications far beyond that of most other groups, often resulting in questionable practices. This page examines the meaning and implications of Romans 10:17, as well as the ways this verse is applied within the Family.

How the Family understands Romans 10:17

In general, Family teaching is that Rom 10:17 could easily be shortened to “Faith comes by hearing the word of God.” In other words, faith grows as you hear God’s word. The more you listen to or read God’s word, the more your faith will grow. If you are weak in faith, it’s because you’re weak in the word. People who are strong in faith are also strong in the word. Faith grows in proportion to the amount of ‘word time’ one has. People have doubts about doctrine only because they haven’t been reading enough. Reading the word brings faith; that’s how it comes.

Now, what could be wrong with that?

Implications of this teaching

The first major area of concern lies in the Family’s definition of ‘God’s word.’ Almost universally throughout Christianity, ‘God’s word’ means ‘the Bible,’ no more and no less. Within the Family, it means ‘the Bible and official Family writings.’

Using this definition, Romans 10:17 now means ‘the more you read Family writings, the more you believe them.’ This implies that people who have doubts about certain Family practices have obviously been neglecting their ‘word time’ by failing to read Family writings such as the GNs and MLs. People who confess such doubts are usually given extensive reading lists, not of Bible chapters, but of GNs and MLs. New members are likewise given such lists in order to establish them in the beliefs and practices of the Family.

The implication is that questions about Family doctrine result from failure to study. If a Family member begins to wonder whether a certain Family teaching is correct, this indicates (according to the Family) that it is the Family member who is at fault, not the doctrine. This effectively prohibits any Family member from raising doctrinal questions or attempting to rectify errors in the teaching. Anyone who persists in questioning Family doctrine is often encouraged to leave the Family entirely.

The second issue lies in the word ‘faith,’ which can have several meanings. It can refer to one’s heartfelt acceptance of the teaching, or to a spiritual ability to work miracles, as in ‘faith to move mountains,’ or belief in Christ for salvation, or simple trust in God. In the Family, Romans 10:17 is usually taken to mean ‘the more you read Family writings, the more you accept them,’ or ‘the more you read, the more faith you gain.’ Naturally, those who have more faith can expect greater miracles.

This places a kind of magical aura around reading Family writings. Time spent reading GNs and MLs is viewed as time in the temple of God, holy time that supernaturally endows the reader with faith to believe Family doctrines and to appropriate some of the more miraculous workings of God.

But is that what Paul intended to say in Romans chapter ten? Did he really say that Bible reading is the conduit for faith that can work miracles? Did he exhort his readers to study the Bible in order to increase their faith? Was he telling them to read and re-read his letters until they accepted them? Is there something ‘magical’ about reading the Bible?

Note that it is the position of the authors of this web site that the term ‘God’s word’ cannot refer to Family writings. While Family members do acknowledge that the Bible is the word of God, they generally spend far more time reading Family writings than the Bible. In fact, it is official Family doctrine that the latest Family writings are ‘more relevant’ word of God than the Bible, and consequently there are mandatory requirements for the amount of time Family members must spend reading official Family writings. For a look at the meaning of ‘the word of God’, please see The Word of God.

Romans 10

In the tenth chapter of Romans, Paul discusses salvation for his fellow Israelites.

Rom 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. NKJV

The Jews zealously attempt to establish their own righteousness, not subjecting themselves to God’s true righteousness in Christ (vs. 1-4).

Paul contrasts righteousness based on the Law with the righteousness which is by faith, concluding that the Old Testament supports the doctrine of salvation by faith (vs.5-13)

Rom 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” NKJV

Next, Paul outlines the process whereby Israel will come to salvation:

Rom 10:14-15

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” NASU

In order for Israel to be saved, they must call on the name of the Lord. Before they do this, there must be some measure of belief, for no one will call on the Lord if he does not believe at all. Further, they won’t believe at all until they have heard of Him. They won’t hear of Him unless someone preaches to them. Finally, no one will preach unless God sends preachers.

Paul comments that in spite of this process, not all of Israel has accepted Christ. This is hardly surprising, as one of the most famous messianic chapters (Isaiah 53) is actually prefaced by the prediction that the advent of the Messiah would be greeted with unbelief.

Rom 10:16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” NASU

Paul then goes on to explain that Israel has indeed heard the Gospel, that God himself has been calling them, and that they have not responded (vs.18-21).

Romans 10:17 in several translations

Rom 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. NKJV

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. NASU.

(footnote: or, concerning Christ)

Rom 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ. NET.

(footnote: [The grammar could be] either subjective (“Christ does the speaking”) or objective (“Christ is spoken about”), but the latter is more likely here.)

Rom 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. NIV

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ. RSV

Rom 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ESV

It is apparent that most versions use ‘Christ’ instead of ‘God’ (as in the KJV and NKJV).

The key words are ‘faith’, ‘hearing’ and ‘word’. First, what kind of faith does Paul mean?

Faith

As in English, so in ancient Greek, words can have several meanings, depending on the circumstances.

faith NT:4102 pistis

1. conviction of the truth of anything, belief Heb 11:1

a) when it relates to God, pistis is the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ: Heb 11:6

b) in reference to Christ, it denotes a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God

i) universally: Rom 3:22

ii) in an ethical sense, persuasion or conviction concerning things lawful for a Christian: Rom 14:1,23

c) universally, the religious belief of Christians

i) subjectively: Eph 4:13

ii) objectively, the substance of Christian faith or what is believed by Christians:

d) with the predominant idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same: Matt 8:10

2. fidelity, faithfulness, i.e. the character of one who can be relied on: Matt 23:23

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

In Romans 10, Paul was not talking about people’s acceptance of his teaching, neither was he discussing faith of the kind that works miracles. He was discussing saving faith, faith in Christ for salvation. He is talking about how the Israelites could come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour and the opportunities they have been given that they would believe. ‘Faith’ in Rom 10:17 means ‘saving faith’ or ‘faith for salvation.’ It does not refer to a mental acceptance of the various Christian or Pauline doctrines, nor to a spiritual connection with God that enables miracles.

In Romans chapter 10 Paul means ‘saving faith’. He uses this word elsewhere with other inferences (as for example in Romans chapter 14), but here it refers only to faith for salvation.

Hearing

‘Hearing’ likewise has several meanings in the Bible, including the sense of hearing and the ear itself. In Romans 10:17, it takes this meaning:

hearing NT:189

instruction, namely oral; specifically, the preaching of the gospel

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

a message or teaching; the receiving of a message

(Vine)

The word here does not refer to the general sense of hearing, or to other senses of perception. It specifically refers back to what Paul has been discussing in the passage, namely hearing the preaching of the Gospel.

Rom 10:14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? NIV

Hearing means hearing the Gospel of salvation.

The Word

NT:4487 rhema

it is used of the gospel in Rom 10:8 (twice), Rom 10:17, “the word of Christ” (i.e., the “word” which preaches Christ)

(Vine)

Thayer’s lexicon gives the meaning “doctrine, instruction.” For the KJV rendition ‘the word of God,’ it means “divine instruction by the preachers of the gospel,” and for the more common ‘word of Christ,’ it has “the sense of command, commission”

The NET Bible says, “The Greek term often (but not exclusively) focuses on the spoken word.”

The “word” here means the Gospel of salvation, whether preached about Christ, or by Christ’s command, or the Gospel as divine instruction, as in the King James translations. It does not refer to the scriptures in general or even to the epistle of Romans. In fact, Paul defined his own term a few verses earlier:

Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” — that is, the word of faith which we are preaching NASU

NT:4487 the word of faith, i.e. concerning the necessity of putting faith in Christ

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

What does Romans 10:17 mean?

Quite simply, as people hear and receive the Gospel, faith is born in their hearts that they may get saved. Saving faith results from hearing the Gospel. Or simplest yet, people won’t get saved unless someone preaches to them.

Romans 10:17 does not describe a process for increasing faith.

So how does one get faith?

If Romans 10:17 doesn’t mean that we can strengthen our faith through diligent study of the Bible, then how do we get faith?

First, all Christians have ‘saving faith.’ If they don’t, they are not Christians at all, for that is the faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. As Paul acknowledged in Rom 10:14 (quoted above), and as is written in Hebrews, in order for someone to call upon God for salvation, he or she must first believe that God exists, and there must be some belief that their prayer will be answered (Heb 11:6).

Jesus likewise commended those who came to Him in simple faith, expecting that their prayers would be answered (Matt 8:10) and reprimanded those who did not have enough trust (Matt 8:26). Jesus did not describe a process for acquiring faith, He just expected people to have it, even reprimanding Peter for his lack of faith while walking on the water (Matt 14:31). He didn’t explain how people were to increase their faith; He simply instructed them to believe.

Mark 5:36 But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe .” NASU

He was disappointed in those who wanted to see a miracle in order that they might believe (John 4:48) and praised those who believed without seeing evidence.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” NASU

Jesus came to give us salvation by dying for our sins. We can only partake of this salvation through faith. That’s why Jesus said that the main duty we have towards God is to believe.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” NASU

We all have faith. If we don’t, we aren’t Christians. We are all expected to trust God, regardless of the circumstances.

Yet it also seems to be true that some people have much more faith than others. Paul hints at this later on in Romans:

Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. NIV

The NASU puts it like this: “God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Romans 12 goes on to discuss some of the different spiritual gifts Christians may be given, each one in proportion to the amount of faith he or she was also given.

In 1 Corinthians 12, faith is listed as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, in this passage it does not seem as though Paul considered that every Christian would get the gift of faith:

1 Cor 12:7-11

7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

NASU

It is the Lord who gives this extra faith, and He decides who gets it and how much they get. ‘Faith’ is not listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5), all of which have to do with Christians’ relations with each other, not their relations with God.

Conclusion

All Christians have ‘saving faith’ or they are not Christians. All Christians are expected to trust God, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in.

However, faith is also a special gift of God given in various measures to Christians as God sees fit. He chooses to whom and how much faith He gives. To some are given faith to move mountains, to others are given faith for teaching, giving or leadership (Rom 12:6-8).

It is true that diligent Bible study can raise our awareness of the truth and power of God, but Rom 10:17 does not say that the more we read, the greater our faith will be. Neither does it imply that Bible reading somehow gives us spiritual power to work miracles.

Specifically regarding the Family, faith for Family doctrines does not come via reading the GNs. Likewise, doubts regarding Family doctrines are not born of a lack of reading Family material. To be sure, the more you read the writings of a certain author, the more likely it is that you persuade yourself to accept his or her point of view, but that has nothing to do with the biblical concept of faith. Continual reading of Family writings may be a form of self-indoctrination, but the Bible does not say that this is a means to increase one’s faith.

Romans 10:17 says that faith for salvation won’t come to people unless someone preaches the Gospel to them. Preaching alone is not enough either. The audience must hear, receive and accept the precious gift of saving faith that God has for them.

Rom 10:17 [Saving] faith comes by hearing [the Gospel], and hearing [the Gospel] comes by the [preached] word concerning Christ.

References

Thayer: Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, 2003, Biblesoft, Seattle, WA.

Vine: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, 1985, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN.

Home

Romans 10:17

How the Family understands Romans 10:17

Implications of this teaching

Romans 10

Romans 10:17 in several translations

Faith

Hearing

The Word

What does Romans 10:17 mean?

So how does one get faith?

Conclusion

See also

References