Romans 10:17

Romans 10:17

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1. “So then faith cometh by hearing…”

a. So then [Strong: 686 ára, ar'-ah; probably from G142 (through the idea of drawing a conclusion); a particle denoting an inference more or less decisive (as follows):—haply, (what) manner (of man), no doubt, perhaps, so be, then, therefore, truly, wherefore.]

b. faith [Strong: 4102 pístis, pis'-tis; from G3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:—assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.] [Vine: The main elements in faith in its relation to the invisible God…are especially brought out in the use of this noun and the corresponding verb, they are: 1. A firm conviction producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth [His word]. 2. A personal surrender to Him. 3. A conduct inspired by such surrender.]

c. cometh by [Strong: 1537 ek, ek; a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote):--after, among, X are, at, betwixt(-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for(- th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, ...ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with(-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.]

d. hearing [Strong: 189 akoḗ, ak-o-ay'; from G191; hearing (the act, the sense or the thing heard):—audience, ear, fame, which ye heard, hearing, preached, report, rumor.]   

2. “…and hearing by the word of God.”

a. and [Strong: 1161 dé, deh; a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:—also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. hearing [Strong: 189 akoḗ, ak-o-ay'; from G191; hearing (the act, the sense or the thing heard):—audience, ear, fame, which ye heard, hearing, preached, report, rumor.]

1). Without making things too complicated a Scriptural definition of “hearing” needs to be discussed. During the teaching ministry of Christ Jesus he repeatedly said, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Probably 99% of the people in his audience had physical ears, so what did Jesus mean? Jesus was referring to spiritual hearing with spiritual ears. This will be discussed further down the page.

c. by [the] [Strong: 1223 dia dee-ah' a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional):--after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) ... fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through(-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general importance.]

d. word [Strong: 4487 rhema hray'-mah from 4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:--+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.] [Zodhiates: That which is spoken, a statement, word.] [W.E. Vine: “The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.”]

1). Again, without trying to make things too complicated, there are two primary Greek words used in the New Testament translated “word” in the English New Testament. Understanding the differences in their uses in critical passages is vital and I will do so here. Scripture uses two primary Greek words translated “word” or “words” in the English New Testament. One is logos and the other is rhema. These words need to be clearly defined before we go further. Below the differences are laid out.

a). Word [3056 * logos] [Zodhiates: Intelligence, word as the expression of that intelligence, discourse, saying, thing.] [Vine: “The expression of thought…as embodying a concept or idea…a saying or statement…sometimes it is used as the sum of God’s utterances, a discourse, speech, of instruction, a word…Also a title of the Son of God.”]

b). Word [Strong: 4487 rhema hray'-mah from 4483; an utterance (individually, collectively or specially),; by implication, a matter or topic (especially of narration, command or dispute); with a negative naught whatever:--+ evil, + nothing, saying, word.] [Zodhiates: That which is spoken, a statement, word.] [W.E. Vine: “The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.”]

c). Dr. Charles Farah, Jr. Professor of Theology at ORU [This reference is from the 1980’s]: The Logos tends to be universal, while the Rhema is often used as a particular…the Logos is eternal, while the Rhema is often contemporary…It is a word a man takes action on; a personal word he hears…”The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart…” Romans 10:8. Here the word Rhema is used, and I believe, though not all scholars would agree, that Paul is saying this: Because the word is in your heart, it is necessary to use the word Rhema rather than the Logos, because God’s word has become a personal word to you.

d). Advanced Training Institute:  There are two primary Greek words that describe Scripture which are translated word in the New Testament. The first, logos, refers principally to the total inspired Word of God and to Jesus, Who is the living Logos… The second primary Greek word that describes Scripture is rhema, which refers to a word that is spoken and means “an utterance.” A rhema is a verse or portion of Scripture that the Holy Spirit brings to our attention with application to a current situation or need for direction.

e). Don Costello: Hearing logos requires physical ears, hearing rhema requires spiritual ears. Hearing logos produces knowledge, while rhema produces revelation, faith and grace. The literal meaning of Romans 10:17: faith comes from hearing faith, we hear faith when we hear the rhema of God. A logos word can become a rhema word through prayer and meditation and confession. See notes on Joshua 1:8 and Proverbs 4:20-22. If a believer desires any benefit from the logos word, that is, principally to the total inspired Word of God, it must become rhema. A perfect example of faith coming from hearing faith is found in the book of Acts.

(1). Acts 14:7-10 And there they preached the gospel.

14:8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

14:10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

(2). This man heard Paul preach faith and he heard faith, faith to be healed entered into his heart and he rose up healed.

6). Don Costello: This all becomes more intriguing when we look at the next verse. Romans 10:18 is a reference to Psalm 19:4, the whole passage being Psalm 19:1-6. When we compare the two we see that Paul is saying that the revelation given by the heavens in declaring the glory of God was a “rhema” word given to those who saw it.