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Romans 10:11-13

“For 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, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You Will Not Be Put to Shame

In our last post from Romans, Kurt showed Paul’s continued building upon Deuteronomy 30:14. He points out there, that the Word of God is on the mouths and hearts of the Roman church and his Jewish brothers and sisters, and if they take the next step presented to them by the Lord (namely accepting and professing that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah and was raised from death), then they will be saved. Kurt then explained that God wants more than just our words; He wants our whole self. Because we’re sinners, we’re all hypocrites. We all say we love the Lord, and yet we continually choose to turn against Him. As such, the greatest threat to Christianity, the greatest threat to bringing people close to Jesus, is me. If you’re interested in reading about that, you can do so here: https://godrunning.com/2026/01/03/the-greatest-threat-to-christianity-romans-109/

Kurt referenced both Romans 10:9 and 10:10, so I want to take a look at the next couple of verses. In many ways, this post will sort of be a re-emphasis of much of what Kurt had written about previously.

Romans 10:11-13 says:

“For 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, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

When I read these couple verses, particularly that last sentence, it brought to mind something elsewhere in the New Testament. Let’s flip over to the Gospel of Matthew real quick once:

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” – Matthew 7:21-23

Yikes.

Here we have Paul saying that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, but we have Jesus seeming to say the opposite; not everyone who calls on His name will be saved.

So… what do we do with that?

Relationship Is A Two-Way Street

Well, let’s first look at the scripture that Paul is referencing when he says “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” This is actually a reference to Isaiah.

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, A precious cornerstone and a sure foundation; whoever puts faith in it will not waver.” – Isaiah 28:16

The stone is the true and sure foundation of salvation, the very presence of God who has chosen Zion as His city and the house of David as its ruler. In the prophet’s time, this assurance of salvation – this cornerstone – was rejected by the people of Judah, but is later fulfilled in Christ, who is biologically from the line of David. I won’t go through the entire genealogy of our Savior now, but both Mary and Joseph are descendants of David. Jesus, of course, is not biologically related to Joseph, but the Lord wanted it to be very clear that the entirety of the Holy Family, the environment that raised the Savior, is fully of the House of David, aligning perfectly with His promise through the Prophet Isaiah. But that’s a story for another time.

What I really want to focus on from Isaiah is that last bit: “whoever puts faith in it will not waver,” which Paul refers to when he says “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” This goes back to the if/then proposition Kurt brought up last time: if you put your faith in Jesus, then you will not waver. If you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart, then you will be saved.

Let’s think about this in terms of a marriage for a moment. When a man and woman get married, they promise to be there for each other and take care of each other in any and all problems of life until the day they die. I made that promise to my wife Martina almost four years ago before God and my entire family, and she did the same. I like to think that I’ve been doing my best to keep that promise, and she has been too, but suppose one of us didn’t. Suppose, for the last four years, I spent all my time away from home, never gave her the time of day, and only really talked to her when I needed something from her, all the while introducing her to people as my wife and ensuring everyone I met saw that I was wearing my wedding ring, and expecting her to keep her vows. We said the words, made the vows, but there’s no relationship there.

Right relationship in a marriage compels action, not simply out of duty but out of love. Kurt gave me a great quote, and I wish I could remember where it came from, but it goes something like, “When you love someone, you want to waste time with them.” Whether you’re married or simply close friends, you want to do things with and for them; anything and everything. The vows I took at our wedding weren’t just words; those are things I truly want to do out of love for my wife, and am dedicated to doing to the best of my ability for my whole life.

And Jesus wants that kind of a relationship with you too.

And He’s told us through Sacred Scripture what a relationship with Him looks like.

I know I’m kind of cheating here a bit, but Paul goes into greater detail in the next chapter. He tells the faithful of Rome to “Note, then, the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you provided you continue in his kindness, otherwise you too will be cut off.” (Romans 11:22)

In short, Jesus wants a relationship with you. He wants to give you His grace, He wants to be near to you, and everything relies upon the grace He gives out of His immense love. My prayer for you is for the love of Jesus, which surpasses all understanding, move you to receive Him and do all you can to remain in His kindness.

God bless you!

-Wes

Note: Here’s a link to a recent Gallup report discussing loneliness in the US. It’s a little over a year old, but still relevant enough in my estimation: https://news.gallup.com/poll/651881/daily-loneliness-afflicts-one-five.aspx#:~:text=Daily%20Loneliness%20Edges%20up%20to%2020%25%20of%20U.S.%20Adults&text=Line%20chart%20with%20trendline%20depicting,in%202023%20through%20mid%2D2024.&text=In%202023%2C%20the%20Surgeon%20General,though%20the%20pandemic%20has%20ended.

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