Romans 10:17 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Romans 10:15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!”

Romans 10:16 However, they did not all heed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Romans 10:18 But I say, have they never heard? On the contrary, they have; “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”

Romans 10:19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "comes", "hearing", "word", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "comes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "However they did not all heed the..." into verse 18's "But I say have they never heard...", so "faith" and "comes" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "comes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.