"As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame”. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all, and richly blesses all who call upon him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””.
Romans 10:11-13

AS we come back to these verses for a second time, let us meditate on the words of Paul which give such solid arguments to confirm this wonderful Bible doctrine that salvation is in Christ alone and through faith in him.

NEVER BE PUT TO SHAME.

We dwelt on this clause in the last sermon, and were reminded that there is sure salvation from sin, Satan, death and hell in Jesus and faith in him because salvation is based on the perfect work of Christ for us, and is in no way dependent on any action that we are called upon to do. As Christ worked perfect righteousness on behalf of all those who trust in him, and this righteousness is bestowed as a gift by imputation on all who believe from their hearts in Jesus, then we can never be under God's condemnation or the condemnation of the law of God, and so we are reconciled to God through Christ, and are raised to new life in him.

This is the basis, and sure foundation for our faith, but the devil never stops assaulting our faith and it is one thing to believe in the perfect work of Christ for us, and quite another to believe that Christ really loves us and all this wonderful salvation can be ours. There is also the doubt that creeps into the mind so often, implanted by the devil, that Christ can't really continue to love us because we are such sinful creatures.

This word from the prophet Isaiah quoted here by Paul is the sure anchor for our faith. It is the word of the Lord and his word never will fail, and he will never go back on his word. The word is that all who trust their souls to Jesus, coming to him with empty hands and the confession that we have no righteousness of our own, and we are lost, all such will never be put to shame. It is the assurance that trusting in Jesus, Jesus will never reject such a trust and dependence on him. This is the promise. Jesus will never let us down. There never can be any more fear that Jesus will be ashamed of us, and so now and when he comes we will never find him turning away from us, or saying to us depart from me I never knew you. The promise is that as our trust is wholly in Jesus and in him alone, we can never be lost. This is the word of promise given by the Lord. So when our faith is tested, and Satan afflicts us with doubts; when our sin and corruption rise up before us so we see ourself as hateful, and wonder how Jesus can ever accept us, we have this assurance, of Scripture the very word of God, that “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

NO DIFFERENCE.

Paul gives us further proof of this wonderful blessing to add to our assurance. He tells us that there is no difference before God between anyone of us human beings. Before God all are the same. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.

The Jews had grown up with the idea that God had chosen them and nobody else. They had come to believe that just because they were Jews they were saved, whereas all the rest of humanity were automatically damned and cast out of the presence of God.

Paul expresses the fact that before God there is no difference between a Jew and a Gentile in the sight of God. Nationality does not come into the equation. By the same token there is nothing that distinguishes one person from another in our world in the sight of God. Society makes distinction between those who are morally upright and those who are not. Society makes a difference between upper, middle and lower classes, with the idea that the higher in class are more favoured than the lower. Society makes a difference between race and colour and many other spurious distinctions. But the truth is that we are all the same in the sight of God.

The fact is that all that matters before God is holiness. We must be holy as God is holy if we are to see God, and know him. The world exalts people who show wonderful characters of love, caring, sacrifice, service, etc. but the Bible tells us that without faith we can't please God, and so all this wonderful character is still defiled by sin before God. We all stand before God, whoever we are, and however clever we are, and however good we may be, as lost sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God, and so there is no difference between any human being and another in the sight of God. It is the beginning of salvation in anyone of us when we realize this and cry to the Lord in our desperate need.

Being all the same – sinners in the sight of God - we all are treated the same, and the offer of salvation, of not being shamed before God, is made to all, and so we all are saved, accepted by God and reconciled to God the same way, that is by trusting in Jesus. No one, not even the devil, not even and angel from heaven, can deny this, so that all who come to Jesus and call on him that we may be saved, will be received, welcomed and saved from death for eternal life. We all are the same, paupers before God with nothing to bring before God.

SAME LORD.

Paul's proof does not end there. What he has said is enough, but Paul is not content until he has given us all he can of the truth, so that we may be sure that we will never be put to shame before God when our soul is resting on Jesus and his work for us.

The argument he brings forward is that fact that there is only one Lord Jesus Christ. There is not one Lord for the Jews, and another for the rest of us. There is just one Saviour, and the one way he treats people who come to him, whether Jew or Gentile or any other sort of human being.

So this means that Jesus treats everyone of us in the same way. It is the same promise of salvation from the one Lord whether we are a terrible sinner or morally good person; or whether we belong to one nationality or another; or whether we are white or coloured. None of these distinctions which abound in the world are of any significance, for there is only one Lord, and so he behaves in the same way to all who come to him and call upon him.

We may be sure of this for this one Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today and for ever. He is always the same, and so when he makes a promise, this promise will never change or be altered either.

Nor does Jesus as the one Lord ever show favouritism. Jesus never favoured the Jews above the Gentiles as far as salvation was concerned. The Gospel was given before Abraham. It was given to Adam and Eve just after they had sinned. God promised Christ to overcome Satan at that time. Abel was saved through Christ when he believed God and his word. The choosing of the Jews was not to make salvation exclusive to them, but for another reason which was to secure the promise that Jesus, the one Lord and Saviour, would be born in the purpose God.

ALL WHO CALL UPON HIM.

Paul finally comes to the last proof and assurance that all who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame. He tells us that all who call on him will be richly blest. This rich blessing is all the blessings of salvation in Jesus Christ.

All who call upon him. What does this mean? We must ask this question because our call must be right if we are to know Christ's rich blessing. It is here that so much of preaching and teaching these days is lacking, and leading souls to a false security.

It is in the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32 that we find what true calling on the the name of the Lord is all about. There were two sons mentioned in the parable, both communicated with their father, but in different ways. The son who stayed at home and apparently behaved in an exemplary way spoke to his father but he came with a sense of deserving. He did not have trust and love for his father. He served for reward. He felt himself to be worthy of reward, and was very upset when the brother he felt was so reprehensible was give so much.

There are many in the visible church like this. The Pharisees were like this in the time of Jesus. There are many in church congregations who just believe that all is well with them and God, simply because they come to church, and live good lives. Then there is so much preaching and teaching today which assumes as axiomatic that because Jesus came into the world and loved us, and showed this love in accepting the cross and its pain, that all are accepted by God willy nilly. The parable tells us that this son that stayed at home refused to join the party, and in the end all who have not the right call to God will find themselves in the same position and state before God. They will be put to shame.

The right calling on the name of the Lord is found in the lost son. He was bad. He wasted his inheritance and found himself in dire need when his inheritance was spent. He found himself in poverty and misery. Then we are told that he came to himself. What did this mean? It is expressed as we here him saying how he will approach his father when he goes back to him. He confesses 'I have sinned against heaven and before you'. He called on his father empty handed and in desperate need for mercy and grace. He knew himself to deserve to be rejected and refused a place in his father's house. He came knowing himself to be unworthy of his father's love and acceptance. He came seeking mercy.

This is the true way to call upon the name of the Lord. We come like the tax collector in the temple. We come crying to God to be merciful because we are sinners. We do not call upon the name of the Lord and are saved unless we come in this way. But if and when we do then we shall know the rich blessing of the Lord, expressed so vividly and powerfully in the parable of the lost son. His father ran to meet him, embraced him, gave him a ring to show that he owned him as his son and accepted him in this relationship. His father put clean clothes upon him, which is just what Christ does for us. He replaces the filthy robes of our sin, with the robe of his perfect righteousness. And then he brings his lost son rejoicing into his house, and prepares a feast for him and a celebration.