What does Romans 10:17 mean by 'faith comes by hearing'?
Romans 10:17 means saving faith—the kind that needs nothing else—comes by hearing, not by works. Hearing is not a work, so salvation is faith plus nothing, apart from the works of the law. This matches the hearing of faith in Galatians 3:2, not law-keeping.
Les explains that Romans 10:17 is a simple verse teaching that saving faith—the kind that needs nothing else—comes by hearing, not by works. He connects this to Galatians 3, where Paul asks whether the Galatians received the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Since hearing involves no work, salvation is faith plus nothing, and if it were otherwise, Christ died in vain.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
More Questions
What does Romans 10:17 teach about how faith comes?
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), so faith does not come from assumptions but from the specific word God speaks.