Most people struggle with the idea that faith results in salvation and then followed by righteousness. Paul writes, “ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful But all did not obey the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:

Their voice has gone out to all the earth,and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.” Romans 10:13-18 HCSB.

The entirety of Romans chapter 10 speaks to faith resulting in righteousness and salvation for just as Doctor Luke writes in Acts 4:11-12, “This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders,which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people, and we must be saved by it.” The Gospel Message is founded upon the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. And in Him alone everyone who is saved finds that  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10. Truth is, mankind has mostly turned a deaf ear to the Message heralded around the globe for fear of being transformed by the power of the Gospel, “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2. The will of God is far outside the understanding of man.

The Apostle Paul asks, “What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith. But Israel, pursuing the law for righteousness, has not achieved the righteousness of the law. Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. As it is written: Look! I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over and a rock to trip over,yet the one who believes on Himwill not be put to shame.” Romans 9:30-33. The fact is, the lost heart will continue to stumble along in spiritual darkness because their hope is only in what can be achieved without God, the presence of Jesus Christ. They, therefore have ‘stumbled over the stumbling stone, that is, Jesus.

Going further we find, “Now the Scripture saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and told the good news ahead of time to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed through you. So those who have faith are blessed with Abraham, who had faith. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written: Everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law is cursed. Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live. But the law is not based on faith; instead, the one who does these things will live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:8-14.

There is one common denominator for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord…a simple lack of faith in the Risen Lord. “ Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way. For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession. So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while,the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” Hebrews 10:32-39. The last two phrases are of utmost importance for everyone, “But My righteous one and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.” Some are destroyed for lack of believing and others obtain eternal life because of their faith.

And what we know is, “Jesus remains Savior and Lord.