I can testify that they have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or “Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.[ NRSA: Romans 10:2-17]

First: Hear the Good News Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, including you and me, and through resurrection, opens eternity to all who believe, for all who confess with their lips, or confirm in their mind.

The passage begins we are all musketeers, “All for One and One for All.”

I’m in Christ > You’re in Christ = We are both in Christ

Just like the Gieco insurance commercial say, “Everyone knows that.”


So, Paul speaks of the joy of sharing the Good News. “ How beautiful are the feet” of the one who brings Good News. Instead of being known as Christians, “I wonder why we are not known as the people with beautiful feet?”

We will have a foot washing service on Maunday Thursday this year and many will avoid this intimate reception of love and service because we think our feet are not beautiful.

Paul gives us a new way to look at feet… those who bring the good news are no longer worried about what the feet look like…. We bring prize of salvation when we share Christ with others and one another.


Paul has a more important than our feet

But there is more than hearing the Good News.

There is hearing and believing the Good News

But there is more than believing

There is hearing, believing, and living in the Good News of Jesus.


Jesus gives witness, instruction, teaching, and even commandments to follow.

We will hear people who proclaim Jesus’s inclusive love without also following the right-living, the righteousness, that Jesus calling us into.

Love without transformation of who we were, means that we didn’t need Jesus in the first place. I know I need to be transformed daily!

 

Paul’s is reminding us that it is beautiful to know about Jesus, to talk about Jesus, to sing and praise Jesus, but our relationship with Jesus must reflect Jesus and the righteousness of Jesus.


Paul is calling us to obey the good news.


Paul’s lesson to the church at Rome holds the two ends of this rope together.

One end is believing in Christ

The other is believing Christ desire to shape us into kingdom people through faith.

Paul cautions, and says, “We might think we are in Christ, but we might just be stuck at the start of a relationship that is not growing and maturing.


When a couple marries they pledge their faithfulness to God and one another and the words are lovely and true, but have not been tested.

The subsequent relationship has been established in a covenant, but without the following relationship there is no growth, no maturity, no fulfilment of the promised words.

So it is the profession of our faith in Christ, we activate Christ’s invitation when our mind accepts and/or our lips and words confess, but the nature of being in Christ demands our response to have been welcomed in relationship…

Our theological neighbors might lay a heavy hand of guilt to to make sure that every person has uttered the sinner’s prayers and quote, accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and Savior.” Even if they have spent the rest of their days in questionable choices pretending to be TO BE “IN” CHRIST. 

As Wesley would remind us we can forfeit our salvation. Our belief is the beginning of our journey and the growth of our relationship, is our sanctification. What Paul is referring to our hearing and obeying the word.

In the older baptism liturgy used the word, ‘Expiation.’ As a kid I had no idea, not until Mrs Smith, our 5th grade SS teacher, opened the Websters dictionary with us do we learn this word means Atonement… Our recognition that we are broken, sinful, incomplete, and without Christ who transforms us by love, through faith do we ‘become’ the believers we profess.

It means that we also believe

·      Believe Jesus is the one who makes me whole. Implies that I am incomplete without Jesus.

·      Believe Jesus is my salvation implies I acknowledge I am lost without Jesus.

·      Actitation by words, mouth, mind…

 

This is why we come to the this holy table. For God so loves us, even when we are broken sinful and longs for use to become the people he died and rose to be.