Romans 10:17

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So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17 (NIV)

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 (KJV)

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Romans 10:17 (NLT)

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.

Romans 10:17 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

But the only way people can call for help is if they know who to trust; and the only way they can know who to trust is if somebody tells them; and the only way someone can tell them is if there is a messenger.

Romans 10:17 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

Faith Is Not Generated. It Is Received Through Hearing.

This verse answers the most practical question in the Christian life: how do I get more faith? The answer is not to try harder to believe or to muster up greater willpower. Faith comes. It arrives. It is received. And it comes through a specific channel: hearing the word of God. When you hear the gospel, the promises, and the finished work of Christ proclaimed and explained, faith rises in you. This is how God designed the process. The Word is the vehicle. Faith is the cargo. Hearing is the road.

The Specific Word That Builds Faith Is the Word About Christ

The ESV and NASB translate the end of this verse as "the word of Christ" rather than simply "the word of God." This is significant. The specific content that builds faith is not generic religious teaching or moral instruction. It is the proclamation of Christ: who He is, what He accomplished, what He has made available to those who believe. Faith rises when you hear about the finished work, about grace, about the covenant, about what Jesus purchased at Calvary. This is why preaching that centers on Christ produces faith and preaching that centers on behavior modification does not.

The context of Romans 10 is about Israel's failure to embrace the gospel. Paul asks in verse 14: how can they believe in One they have not heard? And in verse 15: how can they hear without a preacher? Romans 10:17 is the conclusion of that chain: therefore faith comes from hearing. The implication is that proclaimed, preached, heard, spoken gospel is the mechanism by which faith is produced in human hearts. This is why preaching the Word matters, why you feed on the Word personally, and why what you consistently hear shapes your faith.

Application for Your Life

If Your Faith Is Low, Check What You Are Hearing

Romans 10:17 is diagnostic. If faith is absent or weak, the question to ask is: what am I consistently hearing? If you are primarily hearing bad news, fear-based content, doubt-filled voices, and criticism, your faith environment is poverty. But if you fill your ears with the Word of God, with the proclamation of what Christ has done, with testimonies of His faithfulness, your faith environment is rich. Faith does not come from trying to feel faithful. It comes from consistently exposing yourself to the living Word.

Preach the Word to Yourself

David spoke to his own soul in the Psalms (Psalm 42:5, 103:1-2). Paul says faith comes through hearing. You can be your own preacher. Speak the Word of God out loud to yourself. Rehearse the promises. Declare what Christ has accomplished. This is not self-delusion. It is applying the principle of Romans 10:17 to your own inner life: you are hearing the Word of God, and faith is rising as a result. What you say to yourself about God is one of the most faith-forming activities available to you.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I thank You that faith is not something I manufacture through effort. It comes through hearing Your Word. I commit to filling my ears with the truth of the gospel: what Christ has accomplished, who I am in Him, what is available to me through the New Covenant. Let faith rise in me as I hear. Let the Word of Christ do its work in my inner man. I believe that as I consistently expose myself to the truth of Scripture, the faith I need for every situation is produced in me. Let Your Word be the loudest voice in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.