Unless they are sent
- In Romans 10, after proclaiming salvation by grace, the
Apostle Paul brings up those who have no one to preach the Good News to them.
- In Romans 10:15, the phrase about "sending" does not refer
to preachers going to shepherd existing congregations, as important as that pastoral ministry is. It
refers to being "commissioned" to proclaim the Gospel to those who have not yet heard it.
- While God does call people to be global missionaries, He expects every believer to be
involved in sending and supporting those He is calling.
Missions: The Heart of God
What does Romans 10:15 mean for us today?
- "How are they to proclaim Him unless they are sent?" -- Romans 10:15, New Revised Standard Version
- "How can people tell the Good News if no one sends them?" -- Romans 10:15, GOD'S WORD Translation
- "And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?" -- Romans 10:15, New Life Version
Romans 10:9-10 proclaims that we are saved by believing that God raised Jesus from the
dead and then embracing Him as Lord. After that powerful declaration of salvation by grace, the
passage moves to describe the plight of those who seemingly have no hope of anyone
preaching to them the Good News.
The words of Romans 10:15 come next and, therefore, constitute more than random thoughts
about a call to preach. That verse points to the Church's obligation to reach those without any
access to the Gospel. The phrase about "sending" preachers does not speak to the need for pastors
to shepherd existing congregations, as important as that pastoral ministry is. Because of the
context in which it is found, Romans 10:15 is centered squarely on the unfinished task of world
evangelism.
People being sent to proclaim a message from God is not something unique to the New
Testament. Old Testament writings contain several stories of God sending people as His
messengers. For example, the writings of prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Jonah give
specifics of how, when, and where they were divinely sent.
Though the idea of being divinely sent appears in both Testaments, the New Testament adds
an additional element: the Church's involvement. As a case in point, Jesus told His
followers to "pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers" (Luke 10:2,
ESV). Then, Acts 13:2 describes the Holy Spirit directing the Antioch church to be a sending
agent for Paul and Barnabas.
During his third missionary trip, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome.
In that Epistle to the Romans, Paul asked for their help for his planned missionary voyage to
Spain (Romans 15:24). Because of that, when Paul wrote the "unless they are sent" phrase in Romans
10:15, he may very well have envisioned human involvement as well as the hand of God in the
sending process.
Not every believer has understood that. For example, some time ago, I was recruiting college
students for a mission trip. One campus leader got exasperated at my attempts to get him on
board. One day, as we walked together across campus, the young man blurted out, "Well,
missions is your thing. It's just not mine!"
He was wrong, of course. "Making Christlike disciples in the nations" will never be
accomplished by missionaries flying solo. Maybe God was not calling that particular young man
to spend his life preaching the Gospel among an unreached people group. However, God does
expect him -- and every other believer -- to be involved in sending and supporting those workers
He is calling..
The phrase "how can anyone preach" in Romans 10:15 is connected to a twofold condition:
- How will anyone preach to the unreached unless God calls them?
- How can anyone go to the unreached unless the Church steps forward with emotional
and financial backing in addition to intercessory prayer support?
Reflection Questions
- What is the significance of the phrase "unless they are sent" in Romans 10:15? How
does it relate to the Church's obligation to reach those without access to the Gospel?
- How does the New Testament concept of being divinely sent differ from similar concepts in
the Old Testament? What role should the Church play in the sending process?
- What should be expected of every believer regarding sending and supporting global
missionaries?
- What are some misconceptions or misunderstandings about world evangelism? What can and should be done in the Church to bring up those issues?
- How can churches and individual believers better support those who feel called to cross-cultural missionary ministry?
-- Howard Culbertson,
This blog on a world missions Bible passage is one of more than three dozen in the "Heart of God" series published in Engage, a monthly online magazine. That series looks 36 Bible verses that point to world missions activity.
Three Takeaways from Romans 10:15
Romans 10:15 says: "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" (NIV)
Key takeaways for us from this verse about the role of senders:
- Importance of Partnerships: Those who preach to people who have never before heard the Gospel cannot go unless they are sent. This means that those who provide the resources, encouragement, and support (the "senders") are as necessary for the mission as those who go to preach the Good News.
- Responsibility to Send: Romans 10:15 draws attention to the responsibility of ordinary believers to support the spread of the Gospel. That aid can be through prayer, financial support, or logistical help, or some combination of those.
- Sharing the Blessing of Going: The beauty attributed to those who bring the Good News reflects on the entire mission structure. This means that the goers and senders share alike in the beauty and blessing of spreading the Gospel.
Crux of the Matter: Romans 15:15 reminds us that senders play a vital, divinely appointed role in the global mission to share the Good News. Without senders, the gospel message may never reach the unreached.
Memorable Quotes About Romans 10:15 and Its Relevance to World Evangelism
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“Romans 10:15 reminds us that missions is not just a calling for a few, but a divine necessity for all who believe in the gospel’s global scope.”
— John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions
- “The beauty of the feet in Romans 10:15 is not in their appearance, but in their purpose—bringing the life-changing news of salvation to a dying world.”
— David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream
- “Romans 10:15 underscores the indispensable role of the preacher—not as a celebrity, but as a herald of hope to the unreached.”
— Al Mohler, He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World
- “The question in Romans 10:15 is not just ‘Who will go?’ but ‘Will we send?’ Evangelism is impossible without sending.”
— Oswald J. Smith, The Challenge of Missions
- “Romans 10:15 is a divine rebuke to indifference and a rallying cry for the church to mobilize for the Great Commission.”
— Hudson Taylor, quoted in Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
- “How shall they preach unless they are sent? Romans 10:15 answers the logistical side of the Great Commission—it’s a call to strategic and sacrificial action.” — Ralph Winter, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
Memorable Quotes About Other Bible Verses
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