Hear with Your Ears and Your Heart
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 15, 2022
- 2 min read
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
The tenth chapter of Romans deals with the efficacy of the Word of God. It also describes the Word in our mouths and in our hearts. Let’s look at a few verses that precede Romans 10:17.
Romans 10:8 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.”
Did you notice the Word is not far away? It is close to you. As important as it is to speak the Word, for your words to have power, they also must be in your heart.
Roman 10:9-10 describes how a person can be saved. It reads, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Again, Paul noted the importance of believing in your heart and speaking with your mouth. Words without heart behind them are empty just as a heart full of unspoken faith is powerless. A person must believe in their heart and speak with their mouth.
Paul talked much about the speaking part of faith. Now, if we go down to Romans 10:17, we see that Paul talked about the hearing part of faith. The word faith is pistis in Greek. It means trust, confidence, belief, reliance, and assurance. The word hearing is akoe; it means to give audience to. Rhema, or spoken word, is the Greek that is translated Word of God in Romans 10:17.
Paul wrote that faith cometh by hearing and hearing. Why did he add the second hearing? Paul was talking about two kinds of hearing: hearing with your ears and hearing with your heart. Just as believing happens in the heart and in the mouth, hearing happens in the heart and the ears. Many people can hear with their ears, but if they don’t hear with their heart, the Word won’t produce fruit in their lives.
Practical Application
When you hear the Word of God, be sure to listen with your heart, not only your ears.
