Have you ever wondered why some people seem to effortlessly walk in victory while others struggle with doubt and spiritual defeat?
The difference often lies not in their circumstances, but in what they’ve been hearing.
Perhaps you’ve been hearing messages of condemnation, guilt, or religious performance—and it’s left you feeling exhausted and unsure of your standing with God.
The truth is, everything we receive from God begins with hearing the right message.
Understanding the hearing unto salvation is foundational to experiencing the fullness of what Christ accomplished for you on the cross.
What Does “Faith Comes by Hearing” Really Mean?
Romans 10:17 is one of the most quoted verses in Scripture: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” But what does this actually mean for your everyday life?
To understand this verse, we need to look at its context. The Apostle Paul is explaining how people receive salvation.
He’s not talking about hearing just any biblical teaching—he’s specifically referring to hearing the message about Christ.
The Greek word used here is “rhema,” which means the spoken word, particularly the preaching of the Gospel unto salvation.
Here’s the powerful truth: faith doesn’t come from your effort to believe harder. Faith is supplied by God as you hear the Gospel message.
The Gospel doesn’t demand faith from you, it produces faith in you! When you hear the good news of what Jesus accomplished, faith naturally rises within you.
This is why the quality of what you’re hearing matters so much to your spiritual life.
The Hearing unto Salvation: How People Come to Christ
Romans 10:14 poses a series of crucial questions: “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?”
This verse reveals the divine order: preaching leads to hearing, hearing leads to believing, and believing leads to salvation.
There can never be salvation without hearing. There can never be hearing without someone proclaiming the good news.
But what exactly must be heard? The hearing unto salvation is specifically the hearing of the Gospel message, the declaration that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day.
It’s the message that through Christ’s finished work, you are declared righteous, forgiven, and free from sin.
This isn’t just any good preaching from the Bible—it’s the specific message of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
When someone hears this message and believes that because of what Jesus has done, they are free from sin and have received eternal life, that person is saved.
Salvation is received instantly and in full at the moment of belief. Understanding who we are in Christ begins with hearing and believing this transformative message.
The Gospel: A Specific Message for Salvation
Many people think any biblical teaching can lead to salvation, but Scripture is clear that salvation comes through a specific message.
Jesus commanded in Mark 16:15-16: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
The Gospel is not moralistic advice on how to live better. It’s not instructions on religious performance. The Gospel is the announcement of what Christ has already accomplished.
It declares that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again—and through His finished work, you are forgiven, justified, and made righteous before God.
This is why our expectation when sharing the Gospel should always be clear: eternal life, remission of sins, receiving the Holy Spirit, and being made righteous and holy in God’s sight.
These realities are received the moment someone believes, not gradually earned through religious effort.
Having expectations apart from what the Gospel actually gives will either cause us to preach the wrong message or produce false converts who are trying to earn what Christ already provided.
The Transformative Power of Hearing God’s Word
Have you ever experienced a moment during a sermon when a scripture you’ve heard before suddenly comes alive?
Perhaps light seemed to flash through your understanding, or a specific situation in your life suddenly made sense. This is the power of hearing God’s Word.
The Word of God is not merely information, it carries supernatural life and power. John 6:63 declares: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” When you hear God’s Word, you’re not just receiving concepts; you’re receiving spirit and life that can transform your circumstances.
This is why developing a habit of hearing the right messages matters so much.
Messages about who you are in Christ, what you can do through Him, and what Christ has already accomplished for you—these messages build faith and release God’s supernatural power in your life.
Jesus told us that His words are spirit and life, capable of producing real change in every area—your emotional health, your relationships, your finances, and your future.
Biblical Foundations: The Power of God’s Word
Scripture consistently reveals the extraordinary power contained in God’s Word:
Prosperity and Success – Joshua 1:8 promises: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Spiritual Nourishment – Jesus declared in Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Just as physical food sustains your body, God’s Word nourishes your spirit.
Cleansing Power – John 15:3 reveals: “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” The Word doesn’t just inform you—it transforms and purifies you.
Living and Active – Hebrews 4:12 describes God’s Word as “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Unfailing Purpose – Isaiah 55:11 assures us: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
These verses aren’t poetic exaggerations, they’re declarations of spiritual reality. When you hear God’s Word with faith, it accomplishes its purpose in your life.
A Biblical Example: The Woman with the Issue of Blood
Luke 8:43-48 tells the story of a woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for twelve years.
She had spent all her money on physicians who couldn’t heal her. But then she heard about Jesus—specifically, she heard about His miracles and the power that flowed from Him.
What did she do with what she heard? She acted on it. She believed that if she could just touch His clothes, she would be healed.
And the moment she touched Him in faith, she received her healing instantly. Jesus told her, “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
Notice the progression: she heard, she believed what she heard, she acted on what she believed, and she received.
This is the same pattern that operates in salvation and in every promise of God. It begins with hearing the right message—in her case, the message about Jesus’s power and willingness to heal.
Today, you can experience that same power when you hear, believe, act on, and confess God’s Word. But it all starts with hearing the right message about who Christ is and what He’s accomplished.
The Priority of Hearing: Mary’s Choice
In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha. While Martha busied herself with many tasks, Mary sat at Jesus’s feet, listening to His words.
When Martha complained about Mary’s lack of help, Jesus responded: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
What was the “good part” Mary chose? Hearing Jesus’s words. In the midst of all the legitimate activities demanding attention, Jesus identified sitting at His feet and hearing His teaching as the one necessary thing.
This principle remains true today. In a world filled with demands, distractions, and duties, the most important thing you can do is position yourself to hear God’s Word.
Everything else in your Christian life flows from this foundation. Your faith, your peace, your victory, your understanding of the reward after salvation, all of these grow as you prioritize hearing the Word.
Our Responsibility: Making the Gospel Heard
If hearing is essential for salvation, and if faith comes by hearing the message about Christ, then we have a crucial responsibility: we must make the Gospel heard.
Romans 10:14 makes this clear: “How shall they hear without a preacher?”
Someone preached the Gospel to you, and you heard and believed. Now you have the privilege and responsibility to ensure others hear as well.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be a professional minister, it means you should look for opportunities to share the good news of what Christ has accomplished.
The Gospel isn’t complicated: Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, making us righteous before God. When people hear this message and believe it, they’re saved.
Your responsibility isn’t to convince or convert, it’s simply to make the message heard. God supplies the faith to those who hear.
Take Heed How You Hear
Jesus issued an important warning in Luke 8:18: “Take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
Not all hearing is equal. You can hear with a hardened heart, a distracted mind, or a critical spirit—and receive nothing. Or you can hear with an open, hungry, believing heart—and receive everything God wants to give you.
How are you hearing? Are you listening to messages that build your faith in Christ’s finished work, or are you consuming content that leaves you feeling condemned and uncertain?
Are you meditating on who you are in Christ, or are you focused on your failures and shortcomings?
The quality of your Christian life will largely be determined by the quality of what you’re hearing.
If you want to walk in victory, peace, and the fullness of your salvation, you must intentionally position yourself to hear the right messages—messages centered on the Gospel and the finished work of Christ.
Conclusion: It All Begins with Hearing
Your journey with God—from salvation through every blessing and promise—begins with hearing. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
The hearing unto salvation is not just a one-time event at your conversion; it’s an ongoing principle for your entire Christian life.
If you’ve been struggling with doubt, fear, or condemnation, the solution isn’t to try harder—it’s to change what you’re hearing.
Position yourself under teaching that proclaims the finished work of Christ. Meditate on scriptures that declare who you are and what you have in Him. Listen to messages that build faith rather than fear.
Remember: the Gospel doesn’t demand faith from you—it produces faith in you as you hear it. What are you hearing today? Is it producing life, hope, and victory, or is it leaving you defeated and discouraged?
The power is in the message, and the message is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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My passion lies in reaching out to young adults in communities and schools, witnessing the transformative power of faith in their lives.
This blog extends my ministry, sharing insights, encouraging believers, and exploring Christ's teachings in daily life.
Welcome, Brother James.
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