How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
shall they.
1 Kings 8:41-43 Moreover concerning a stranger, that is not of thy people Israel, but cometh out of a far country for thy name's sake; …
Jonah 1:5,9-11,16 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep…
Jonah 3:5-9 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them…
and how shall.
Romans 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Romans 16:25,26 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, …
Mark 16:15,16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…
And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard?
This phrase highlights the necessity of hearing the message of Christ for faith to develop. In the cultural context of the first century, oral communication was the primary means of spreading news and teachings. The importance of hearing is also seen in Romans 10:17, where faith is said to come from hearing the message of Christ. Theologically, this underscores the role of revelation and the proclamation of the Gospel as essential for belief. The connection to other scripture, such as Isaiah 52:7, emphasizes the beauty and necessity of those who bring good news.
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
This phrase points to the essential role of preaching in the dissemination of the Gospel. The term "preach" in the original Greek implies a public proclamation, akin to a herald announcing news. In the early church, apostles and evangelists traveled extensively to preach the Gospel, as seen in the missionary journeys of Paul (Acts 13-28). This reflects the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), where Jesus commands His followers to go and make disciples of all nations. The historical context of the Roman Empire, with its extensive road networks and common language (Koine Greek), facilitated the spread of Christianity through preaching.
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Calling is an act of wholehearted trust, a verbal outcry that presumes the Lord hears and rescues. Yet Paul points out the logical starting point:
• People do not cry out to someone they doubt. Genuine belief precedes the cry (Hebrews 11:6; Psalm 34:17).
• The Scripture pattern is clear: faith, then appeal. Elijah believed before calling for fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-37). Peter believed before crying, “Lord, save me!” on the waves (Matthew 14:30-31).
• Therefore, the promise of Joel 2:32—quoted in Romans 10:13—stands open to all, but only realized by those who first trust that the Lord truly is Savior (Acts 2:21).
Belief is anchored in information, not imagination. Paul underscores that saving faith is rooted in the revealed gospel, not in a vague sense of the divine.
• Hearing means receiving the specific news that “Christ died for our sins…was buried…was raised” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
• Throughout Scripture, faith is generated by God’s spoken word—Abraham believed after hearing God’s promise (Genesis 15:4-6; Galatians 3:6-8).
• Even Cornelius, already God-fearing, needed Peter’s message to believe unto salvation (Acts 10:22, 33-44).
The Lord has chosen human messengers as His ordinary means of broadcasting the gospel.
• “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The preached word is God’s appointed delivery system.
• Old Testament prophets modeled this: Isaiah’s lips were cleansed so he could say, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:6-8).
• New Testament practice confirms it: Paul and Barnabas “spoke the word of the Lord” and “many believed” (Acts 13:44-48).
• The chain is unbreakable: sent preacher → heard message → believed gospel → called on the Lord → saved (Romans 10:15; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
Romans 10:14 unpacks the logical sequence God ordained for salvation: proclamation leads to hearing, hearing produces belief, belief issues in a heartfelt call, and that call receives the promised rescue. Each link depends on the previous one, emphasizing both the necessity of gospel preaching and the certainty that all who believe and call upon Christ will be saved.
(14-21) Thus there is a distinct order--belief, confession, invocation. But before either the last or the first of these steps is taken the gospel must be preached. The Jew, however, cannot plead that the gospel has not been preached to him. It has been preached both to Jew and Gentile. Both Moses and Isaiah had foretold the conversion of the Gentiles, and Isaiah had also foretold the unbelief of the Jews.Verses 14, 15. - How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? This question may be taken, in the first place, as serving to connect the two passages from Joel and from Isaiah (see previous note). But it is further the beginning of a sorites, suggested by a new thought, which is carried out to the end of the chapter. The course of this new thought through the rest of the chapter may be expounded as follows: It might be pleaded, in behalf of the unbelieving Jews, that they had never really heard, through preachers duly sent to them, the gospel message; and hence that they were not to be blamed for rejecting it. With this idea before him, the apostle first (vers. 14, 15) allows generally, in the form of a series of questions, that, as before calling on the Lord there must be faith, so before faith there must be hearing, before hearing there must be preaching, and for preaching there must be authorizing mission; and he quotes, in illustration, a passage from Isaiah, which describes beautifully the preaching of good tidings of peace by commissioned messengers to all the world. But he is careful to add (vers. 16, 17) that, according to the same prophet, such universal preaching, and consequent hearing, does not involve universal hearkening; thus showing, in view of the main purpose of his argument, that the fact of the Jews not hearkening now is no evidence that they had not heard. Then he goes on to ask whether any could plead the excuse of not having heard, so as to justify want of the faith that cometh of hearing. Nay, he replies (ver. 18), the sound of the good tidings has gone forth to all the earth, even like the language of nature spoken of in Psalm 19. Then (ver. 19), pressing his argument home to the Jews, who have been all along in view, he asks, "But I say, Did not Israel know?" The word ἕγνω, being different from ἤκουσααν previously used, must express some different meaning. But what St. Paul exactly meant by it is not quite clear. The quotations from the Old Testament that follow in proof of knowledge (vers. 19, 20) seem to support the view that what Israel knew, or ought to have known, was the Divine design of the promulgation of the "good tidings" to all the world, which has just been spoken cf. Such promulgation should have been to them no stumbling-block; for it had been told to them from Moses downwards, and they had full opportunity of knowing it. Lastly (ver. 21), the apostle intimates that the present state of things, in which Gentiles accept the gospel while Israel in the main rejects it, far from being an objection to it, is but a further fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecies, which represent God as making himself known to those who had not known him, while pleading with Israel in vain. This exposition of the supposed course of thought being borne in mind, the passage (with the further aid of some interposed comments) may become intelligible. It continues: And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard! and how shall they hear without a preacher! and how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that [preach the gospel (or, good tidings) of peace, and] bring glad tidings of flood things! (Isaiah 3:7). The genuineness of the. words within brackets is at least doubtful. Even with them the text is not quoted in full, though sufficiently to remind of its purport.