The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 307

Vars. 14, 15.-Four questions for every <Jhrisw.,,n. When the great heart of the Apostle Paul burned within:him as he wrote hie Epistles to the Churches, he threw aside ae it were, the calm and stately prose of the quiet thinker and careful writer. He becam; an orator. He saw before him--even in his prison cell-immortal souls, whom he wanted to awaken and arouse. He asked questions, as if he expected an answer to them all. Such questions e.re frequent in this Epistle to the Romans, and on looking care- fully over them we see the.t they are not only full of eager earnestness, but also of pro- fitable instruction. In the four questions before us the apostle eeeks to press home upon Christians the absolute necessity of mission work. In the previous chapter he is sorrowing for the unbelief of the Jews, and he begins this chapter by saying that his heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Then, as he goes on, he is led to think of the salvation, not only of the Jews, but also of the whole world. He says, "There is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." And then, as he thinks of the heathen world lying in darkness, he asks these four questions. I. " How SHALL THEY OALL ON HUtl IN WHOM THEY HA VE NOT BELIEVED ? " In the ordinary dealings of daily life a certain amount of faith in another person is neces- sary before we can make any request of him. Unless we believe that he hears us, unless we believe that he is both able and willing to give us what we want, we are not likely to ask anything of him. So in spiritual matters, faith in God-the belief that he is, that he hee.rs us, and that he is able and willing to help us-is necessary to snccessful prayer. It is necessary to salvation. But the heathen cannot call upon this gracious God of ours. As a matter of fact, they do not. No doubt, even amid heathen darkness, there are some earnest seekers after God. Certainly, if they call upon him, they shall be saved. But the vast majority of the heathen are without the knowledge of the true God. They are bowing down to pieces of silver and gold, of wood and stone, which cannot hear, or help, or save. 'l'heir very worship is a degradation in it.<!elf. Their religious rites are for the most part horrid cruelties, or foul and nnspeakable lusts. And as for Buddhism, to quote only one authority, Sir Richard Temple, lately,Governor of Bombay, tells us that however excellent and attractive the poetic accounts of it may be, as in the well-known poem, 'The Light of Asia,' the actual Buddhism of India is as degrading as can well be imagined. What they need to know is that there is a God who will hear them when they call upon him. They need to know the.t God is of purer eyes than to behold evil, that the abominations of their la.ad may be put a.way. They need to know of the Lamb of God who beareth a.way the sin of the world, that they may turn from their useless ceremonies and cruel penances. They need to know of a Saviour who gives to all who ce.ll on him salvation, holiness, everlasting life. But "how shall they call on Mm in whom they have not believed," II. "How SHALL THEY BELIEVE IN HIM OF WHOM THEY 11AVE NOT HE.I.RD?. Even Christians need to he.ve the importance of hearing about God more impressed upon them. Some professing Christinns seem to ima,,<Yine that the heart instinctively turns to God, and that in some mysterious way the heathen who have never heard of Gad will come to him. This mistake is fallen into because in Christian lands we have been so accustomed to henr about God from our childhood that we cau hardly imagine it possible not to know nbout him. But the simple refutation of this idea is the actual state of heathen nations. St. Pe.ul, in this very Epistle (eh. i. 21, 25, 28), assures us that though tho heathen had Bt one time a knowledge of God from his works of nature, yet they glorified him not as God, but changed the truth of God into a lie, e.nd there- fore lost the knowledge of God. This is confirmed by the testin1ony of travellers in heathen lands. Missionnrios often. find it very difficult to convey to heathen min,is an idee. of what God is, eo dogrnded lrnve been their notions. It is a long time before UOAiANS, ~ 306 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [ell. x. 1-:u~