HAPPY FEET[1]

Romans 10:1-21
We are now in exposition 12 of our series in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans.
Let’s begin this exposition with an exercise: First, stand with your left foot/right
foot. Second, do the first exercise with your eyes closed. Tradmed or Traditional
medicine teaches that one’s health condition can be diagnosed by looking at the
condition of one’s foot. They usually have a drawing of a foot showing points
where vital organs of the body are directly connected. Thus, by massaging a foot
gently and intelligently, one’s body can be relieved from any sickness or
unnecessary stress. Foot massage parlors that have sprung up lately attest to this
fact.
The exercise we just did tells us that our balance or imbalance determines the
degree of stress we’re facing in the present. You see, whether TradMed or Stress
Management course, the condition of one’s foot says a lot about us. But it does not
only apply to the physiological aspect. Even a long way back in Church History,
“Happy Feet,” before becoming an animated film, was already mentioned in the
Epistle of Paul to the Romans. In reality, it was a quotation of Paul referring to
one’s readiness to proclaim the good news from an Old Testament book (Isa.52:7).
Now, what does it really mean to have a happy feet? Definitely it does not refer
to our health condition, stressfulness or, ability to dance. Our text found in Romans
10:1-21 does not say anything about that in mentioning beautiful feet. If the
condition of one’s foot tells something about someone’s physiological wellness,
Paul indicates that it also points to our spiritual state or condition. Let us discover
together what this means. Let us pray…
In the first chapter we discovered the mission and purpose of the writer, the
reputation of the recipients, what the Gospel is all about and the state of the Gentile

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world. Chapter two presents the state of the Jewish people. They are equally guilty
as the Gentiles do for they transgressed God’s law. Chapter three explores the
meaning of Covenant and shows how Israel failed as stewards of God’s oracles.
Half of chapter three, vv.21-31, declares the universal failure (all have sinned…)
and presents the universal remedy (righteousness by faith…) Chapter four presents
Abraham as the father of the faithful. Chapter five enumerates the results of
acquiring righteousness by faith. Chapter six describes how righteousness by faith
can influence our conduct. Chapter seven further describes the function of Law and
its relation with sin. Chapter eight outlines our personal struggle with sin, the
deliverance in Christ which exempts us from God’s condemnation and the role of
the Spirit in this new life. Chapter nine discusses further the state of the Jewish
people and declares God’s sovereignty and chapter ten brings to light the failure of
the Jews to gain God’s approval because they based their confidence on the
righteousness of the law.
In this twelfth exposition, I would like to present the importance of knowing the
difference of righteousness by the law and by faith. In chapter 10 of Romans Paul
presents personal righteousness against God’s righteousness. The former is a human
attempt in gaining God’s approval while the latter refers to God’s way. We will
discover further the necessity of gospel proclamation then relate this truth to our
present context and see how we can be instruments of God in reversing the trend of
godlessness and lawlessness in our own time.
I. The difference of righteousness by the law and by faith, vv.1-13.
It cannot be argued that Israel has a special place in God’s heart. In fact, the
Bible mentions this word 1,821 times (at least, 15 times in the Epistle of Paul to the
Romans). The prominence of Israel is further shown in how humanity is identified
by Paul. There are only two types of race, the Jews and Gentiles (or non-Jews).

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Paul, a Jew himself, reveals his heart’s desire which is the salvation of his fellow
Israelites, v.1. This is a reiteration of what Paul says in 9: 1-3 which is a declaration
of his willingness to replace them if only they could be saved. The Israelites gave us
the best example of gaining God’s approval through human effort. How? Paul
provides the answer in vv.2-3:
 They are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge;
 They did not know the righteousness that comes from God but sought to
establish their own and;
 They did not submit to God’s righteousness.
In other words, the Jews or Israelites based their righteousness on the law.
They did not lack the zeal, as Paul stated, but their means to salvation is not
according to God’s way. There is no question regarding their sincerity. In fact, this
led Paul to pray earnestly for their salvation. But sincerity that is not based on
God’s truth leads to destruction. Even up to this time, Judaism, the religion of
Israel, doesn’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only way to
salvation. This proves that Israel did not submit to God’s righteousness. At the
outset, let’s remember that sincerity doesn’t qualify us to acquiring God’s salvation.
Misinformed sincerity can be a pathway to destruction. How can we avoid the
mistake of the Jewish people? Let’s now review what righteousness by the law is.
A. Righteousness by the Law, vv.1-5.
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Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be
saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is
not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes
from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's
righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for
everyone who believes. 5 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by
the law: "The man who does these things will live by them."(NIV)

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 If you recall, the law came to the Israelites via Moses in the desert. The
Decalogue which we commonly call ‘Ten Commandments’ was given by God to
the Israelites at Mt. Sinai through Moses after God delivered them from four
centuries of Egyptian bondage. In the Old Testament, it is referred to as the ten
words, the words spoken by Yahweh or the words of the covenant.[2] We must
understand that the Decalogue is primarily for Israel and not for all humankind. But
Old Testament Scholars point out that among the Ten Commandments, seven were
already known to other nations. For example, Babylonians and Egyptians consider
murder, adultery, theft and false witness as crimes. In addition, enlightened men
during those times consider dishonoring God’s name, disrespect to parents and
covetousness as wrong. But what is unique are the commandments which is to
worship only One God, not to make any images and to observe the Sabbath.[3] The
Ten Commandments, undoubtedly, shapes the moral life of Israel in preparation to
her becoming a nation dedicated to Yahweh, the only true God. In chapter 10:5 Paul
says, “Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man
who does these things will live by them." Living according to the Ten
Commandments is righteousness by the Law. Ethicists consider the Ten
Commandments as one, if not the highest, form of moral code ever promulgated.
IVCF’s former Gen.Sec., Dr. Isabelo Magalit commented that if nations strictly
observe the Decalogue we could have a safer and better world. If one observes the
Decalogue perfectly, s/he can be considered as morally upright. But even then,
moral uprightness gained by observing the Ten Commandments doesn’t qualify one
to be made right in the eyes of God. In one’s enlightened state, one can perfectly
follow the Ten Commandments, like the young rich ruler who told Jesus that he
followed all the Law. But in the final analysis, this still belongs to “good works”
and Scripture is clear that salvation is not by (good) works so that no one can boast

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(Eph.2: 9). We can therefore say that the Law can make one morally upright but it
cannot make one right before God. Paul makes it clear in ch.3:10 that ‘There is no
one righteous, not even one.’
The zeal of the Jews is awesome. Imagine, the Pharisees or teachers of the law
added more than 600 laws to be observed by faithful Jews. Paul knew this
personally because he was a zealous Pharisee before his conversion. But when he
met Christ Paul made it clear that the only way to be made right with God is
through righteousness that is by faith not through the observance of hundreds of
laws. By sticking to the Law of Moses the Israelites have failed to measure up to
God’s righteousness. Law, in itself, is good (chapter 7 discusses this fully) and
points out one’s sinfulness but it is not God’s power unto salvation. The failure of
the Jews in following righteousness by the law is that it is based on personal
righteousness which cannot measure up with God’s holiness. It is clear then that no
human effort, however lofty, can avail God’s righteousness for the only way
provided by God is righteousness by faith. Let’s look into this.
B. Righteousness by Faith, vv.6-13.
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But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, `Who will
ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 "or `Who will descend into
the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The
word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith
we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it
is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that
you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will
never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the
same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone
who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (NIV)

b.1 First, righteousness by faith is God’s gift, v.3. Paul says in v.3 that the
Jews did not know that righteousness that is by faith comes from God. Righteous

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standing before God that comes by faith is clearly God’s gift and cannot be
acquired through good works. You can have a gift by receiving not by working for
it. Ephesians 2: 8-9 reiterates this by saying, “For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works,
so that no one can boast.” This truth is also implied in other Scripture passages
especially John 3:16 “…that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have
eternal life.” In chapter four, Paul makes an argument concerning Abraham’s status
before God. He says, “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something
to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham
believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Rom.4:2-3, NIV) And
so Paul concludes, “…to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies
the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Rom.4:4) Abraham, just like
anybody else who puts their trust in God, receives God’s free gift of salvation.
Righteousness by faith is God’s gift.
b.2 Second, righteousness by faith is accessible to anyone, vv.6-7. Chapter 10:
6-7 is a quotation from Deuteronomy 30: 12-14 referring to the Law and applied in
principle to Christ. Paul argues that acquiring righteousness by faith doesn’t require
heroic acts. It does not require one to bring Christ down from heaven or up from the
grave. He says in v.8, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"
that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. In the OT passage the "word" is God's
word as found in the law. Paul takes the passage and applies it to the gospel, "the
word of faith". Paul emphasizes the accessibility of the gospel. Righteousness is
gained by faith, not by deeds, and is readily available to anyone who will receive it
freely from God through Christ.[4] Therefore, anybody or anyone can have access to
righteousness by faith. A child or even a dying person can have access to
righteousness by faith.

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 b.3 Third, righteousness by faith comes as we acknowledge Jesus Christ’s
Lordship vv.8-10. “Jesus is Lord” is the earliest Christian confession of faith (see 1
Cor.12:3) which probably occurs during baptism. In the Septuagint (Greek
translation of the Old Testament), kurios (Gk. for ‘Lord’) is mentioned over 6,000
times referring to Yahweh, Israel’s God. It is no doubt that Paul ascribed deity to
Jesus when he used this word.[5] Acknowledging Christ’s Lordship is recognizing
that He is God’s only begotten. The writer of Hebrews begins his letter by citing
that Jesus Christ is God’s final revelation:

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at

many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the
radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his
being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had
provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty in heaven. (Heb. 1:1-4, NIV)

This passage affirms Jesus Christ’s equality with God. Phil. 2: 6-11 resonates
the same theme. Acknowledging Christ’s Lordship is not only confessing ‘Jesus is
Lord’ but also ‘believing in our hearts that God raised him from the dead.’ That
Christ resurrected from the dead is a bedrock truth of Christian faith. It is the central
thrust of Apostolic preaching.[6] There are four things, I discovered in google search
engine, that makes Christianity unique among other religions. The fourth is that it
embraces the most unique event in all of human history – the Resurrection. In fact,
the Resurrection of Christ is the “defining principle of Christianity that makes it
truly unique in every way.”

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 Let’s take note that in Biblical terms the heart is not merely the seat of the
emotions and affections, but also of the intellect and will.[7] Therefore, to ‘believe
in our heart’ is not just to be emotionally touched by the gospel message but to be
intellectually convinced resulting to willful obedience to God’s word. That’s why
the word ‘repent’ is pictured as a 180 degree turn from the sinful self towards God.
In v.10 Paul defines the inward and outward process of salvation. ‘Believing
with our heart’ is the inward process and ‘confessing with our mouth’ is the
outward expression. If both processes occur the resultant effects are justification
and salvation. It is God who justifies and saves us as we acknowledge Jesus Christ’s
Lordship.
b.4 Fourth, righteousness by faith puts us in equal footing, vv.11-13. In verses
11-13 Paul cites that regardless of one’s ethnicity, whether one is a Jew or Gentile,
righteousness by faith produces confidence, entitles one to God’s abundant
blessings and assurance of salvation. There is no dividing line, no discrimination
and no partiality when it comes to righteousness by faith. Unlike righteousness
based on the law, if you transgress one, you are disqualified from enjoying any
privileges.
In summary righteousness by the Law is based on human effort, accessible only
to the self righteous, doesn’t acknowledge Jesus Christ’s Lordship and puts
preferential option for the Jews. On the other hand righteousness by faith is God’s
gift, accessible to anyone, acknowledges Jesus Christ’s Lordship and, puts everyone
in equal footing.
Now let’s focus on the necessity of gospel-proclamation.
C. The necessity of gospel-proclamation, vv.14-21.
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How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without

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someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it
is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"16 But not
all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed
our message?" 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of
course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends
of the world." 19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I will
make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation
that has no understanding." 20 And Isaiah boldly says,"I was found by those who did
not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." 21 But concerning
Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and
obstinate people." (NIV)

Paul, in vv.14-15, outlines the necessary conditions for one to call on Christ
and be saved.[8] He puts it in a series of rhetorical questions in reverse order: First,
the need for God’s messenger (v.15 How can they preach unless they are sent?);
Second, actual proclamation of the message (v.14 How can they hear without
someone preaching to them?); Third, hearing the message (v.14 How can they
believe in the one of whom they have not heard?); Fourth, believing the message
(v.14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?). These verses
describe a complete communication process: messenger transmitting a message and
receiver hearing the message. On the messenger’s side what is implied is God’s call
to proclaim and the messenger’s positive response to this call. What is implied on
the receiver’s side is the clear reception and positive response to the message.
We now come to v.15 which says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who
bring good news!" This quotation is from Isa 52:7, which refers to those who bring
the exiles the good news of their imminent release from captivity in Babylon. Here
it is applied to gospel preachers, who bring the good news of release from captivity
to sin.[9] The task of gospel proclamation can be seen as a responsibility or a
privilege. Paul has indicated in his letter to the Corinthians that he is indebted to

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preach the gospel both to the Jews and the Greeks. In Paul’s perspective, gospel
proclamation is not primarily a duty to discharge but a debt to pay. In the same way,
because of God’s loving-kindness shown towards us, we are indebted to share the
Good News of God’s salvation in Christ to others. If we consider gospel
proclamation as a duty it can become burdensome but if we look at it as a grateful
response to God’s goodness, it will be a joyful privilege. With such attitude we can
truly have ‘Happy Feet.’
Verses 16-21 reveal that not all will respond positively to the preaching of the
gospel. Even the Israelites who had ample opportunities to hear the Gospel
proclaimed to them did not all believe. They received the general revelation which
is displayed in God’s awesome Creation and they had the special revelation in the
person of Jesus Christ yet they rejected him. Thus, God opened the way for the
Gentile nations, whom Israel considered unenlightened, to enjoy the privileges of
believing Him and reaping the benefits of salvation which makes Israel envious.
And so Paul ends this chapter with a verdict: Israel is wholly responsible for her
rejection of Christ because she failed God’s requirement which is righteousness by
faith.
D. The meaning of Gospel-proclamation for us today.
As I conclude, let’s deal with this question: What is the relevance of Gospel-
proclamation today? How can we have happ feet so that the gospel will be clearly
proclaimed?
The 21st century has seen the advent of the most advance scientific and
technological inventions. But in today’s high technology, we are still to prove our
capacity to deeply understand each other. There is so much misunderstanding
around us caused by miscommunications in spite of the availability of electronic
gadgets in the market. When it comes to evangelism or gospel proclamation the

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problem of miscommunication persists. There is much ambivalence and confusion
today even among the Evangelical Christians regarding Evangelism. Rebecca
Pippert in her book “Out of the Saltshaker and into the World” captures this
condition. She says, “Everyone seems uptight when it comes to Evangelism.” In my
personal observation the hesitance is not so much on what message to proclaim
(Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) than on the methodologies appropriate for a
particular audience. Should we adapt the Western Imperialist’s evangelistic
methods in the third world? What evangelistic tool or approach is appropriate in the
Philippines? So on and so forth.
As I read some books on this subject, I discovered that methodologies fall in
these two areas: persuasive evangelism or permissive evangelism. Some are
combination of the two. Ajith Fernando in his book entitled Sharing the Truth in
Love: How to Relate to People of Other Faiths maintains that in a pluralistic
context (multiple faiths), persuasion plays “an important part of our relationship
with people of other faiths.”[10] But he is quick to point out that there are methods of
evangelism that are disrespectful which makes people shun away from receiving the
gospel such as: cultural imperialism (imposing one’s culture as superior to another);
imposition (coercion of others to follow the Christian religion) and; manipulation
(use of bribe, arousing emotions to accept Christ leaving out critical thinking).
Fernando confirms that Christian evangelism today became unpopular or repulsive
to people not because of the gospel-message but because of the methods of
persuasion used by Christians such as those I just mentioned.[11]
In doing evangelism let me cite what Ajith Fernando call’s Biblical
Persuasion:[12]
 It is “a natural expression of our respect for people.”

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  Just like our Creator who does not force His truth upon people but invites
them to reason together with Him (Isa. 1:18), Christians must respect people’s
individual freedom of choice.
 Provide every person an opportunity to make an ‘informed response’ to the
message of Christ.

Reading the Book of Acts, which outlines Paul’s three missionary journeys, we
discover that Paul has strong conviction about absolute truth combined with his
respect for the individual. This should also be our guiding principle in doing
evangelism especially in our pluralistic society. [13] We share the gospel-message to
others not with an attitude of arrogance but with gratefulness and joyous enthusiasm
for what God has done in us through Christ. Our boldness to proclaim the gospel-
message comes from our knowledge that Christ is the only way to salvation. Yet we
do this with great humility knowing that we are unworthy beings.[14]
Therefore, in our proclamation of the Gospel-message, we must maintain:
1. Sensitivity - Persuasive yet seeking to understand first; Paul practiced cultural
sensitivity (Acts 17:17). He went to where the Jews and God-fearing Greeks
were, in synagogues and marketplace (agora – main public place in Athens;
economic, political and cultural heart of the city).[15]
2. Humility - Bold yet avoiding the attitude of arrogance; We present the
gospel-message knowing that we receive God’s favor only by grace. There is
nothing to boast about. We share this good news of God’s salvation for we
cannot help but speak.
3. Respect – giving tolerance to other faiths yet seeking venues to present the
gospel to share Christ’s uniqueness.

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 4. Compassion – a concern for the lost soul which cares to reach out by sharing
the Good News.
Our lifetime attempt at presenting the gospel message effectively can be
summarized with Ajith Fernando’s words:
We must study the people and their culture and also study the
biblical teachings that relate to their ideas and practices. Then
we come up with a lifestyle and methods of presenting the
unchanging message of the gospel that are relevant to their
situation. This will make the gospel understandable, relevant,
and more attractive to the hearers. This message will challenge
the culture through God’s principles… A good witness, then, is
a student of both the Word and the world.[16]

Do we have happy feet? How ready and prepared are we in the Gospel-
proclamation? Friends, the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray
therefore for more workers. Let us pray…
ENDNOTES:
[1]
Ptr. Jun Hernani. Expo 12 for Berean Fellowship. October 01, 2010.
[2]
“Ten Commandments” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. From PC Study Bible, CD-Rom.
[3]
Ibid.
[4]
“Romans,” The New International Version Study Notes in Pradis CD-Rom.
[5]
Ibid.
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
Ibid.
[8]
Ibid.
[9]
Ibid.
[10]
Ajith Fernando. Sharing the Truth in Love: How to Relate to People of Other Faiths (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House
Publishers, 2001), 41.
[11]
Ibid., 43.
[12]
Ibid.
[13]
Ibid., 34-35.
[14]
Ibid. 52.
[15]
Ibid., 55.
[16]
Ajith Fernando. Sharing the Truth in Love: How to Relate to People of Other Faiths (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House
Publishers, 2001), 58,67.

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