What is the word of Christ?

Explanation:

To understand what Paul means by the word of Christ, we need to notice that this phrase is identical to a phrase Paul used earlier, which is the word of faith (Romans 10:8).³ So what is the word of faith? In Romans 10:8 Paul writes that the word is near, that is, the word of faith that we proclaim. Of course, the word of faith that Paul and the apostles proclaimed is the gospel, and the gospel is the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Given that the word of faith is the gospel, and the phrase word of Christ is identical to the phrase word of faith, the phrase the word of Christ is the content of the gospel.

Counterargument:

It is not clear that the phrase the word of Christ is identical to the word of faith. Paul writes in Romans 10:8 that the word of faith is what they proclaim. Then in Romans 10:17 he explains that faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ. True, the word of faith can refer to the content of the gospel, which is what Paul and the other apostles proclaimed, but the word of Christ could refer to the gospel about Christ, or the teachings of Christ.⁴ There is a difference between the preaching of the gospel about Jesus and the specific teachings of Jesus.

Response to counterargument:

The context strongly suggests that the word of faith is identical to the word of Christ. We can detect this because Paul indicates in Romans 10:8 that the word of faith is what he proclaimed, so it refers to the content of his preaching. He goes on in Romans 10:14–15 to explain that people believe in the gospel when it is preached, which is why it is important to send out preachers. Paul then summarizes this by saying that faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ. In other words, faith comes from preachers who preach the word of Christ, which is the same word of faith that Paul said he proclaims. Of course, this counterargument agrees that the word of faith is the content of the gospel. Since the word of Christ and the word of faith are identical, and the word of faith refers to the content of the gospel, so does the word of Christ.

Explanation:

To understand what Paul means by the word of Christ, one has to look to the immediate context to see how he uses that phrase. He opens Romans 10:17 by explaining that faith comes from hearing. Faith, not works, is what justifies, and receives salvation. So whatever it is that produces faith must be associated with salvation. Paul goes on to say that while faith comes from hearing, that hearing is through the word of Christ. Given that the faith that comes from hearing leads to salvation, and that this hearing comes through the word of Christ, the word of Christ must be a word that leads to salvation. Of course, the message that leads to salvation is the gospel, which has it that Jesus died for our sins and rose on the third day. So the word of Christ is the message of the gospel.⁵

Counterargument:

Paul is not saying that preaching the gospel about Christ results in faith. Rather, he is explaining that faith comes from the words of Christ himself. We can detect that he has in mind not the word about Christ but the words of Christ himself, by noticing the thrust of this section. First, in Romans 10:14 he asks how they are to believe unless someone preaches, referring to the preaching of Christ himself. Then, in Romans 10:17 he says that faith comes from hearing the word of Christ. In other words, Christ came to preach, and faith comes from hearing the preaching of Christ.

Response to counterargument:

This counterargument is not strong, for it is not at all clear that the one who preaches in Romans 10:15 is Christ. Rather, Romans 10:14–15 is a response to Romans 10:13, where Paul wrote that everyone who believes in him will be saved. This raises the question, How is anyone to believe the gospel without a preacher? Clearly, the preacher Paul has in mind is not Christ himself but those sent by Christ to proclaim the gospel even after Christ is ascended to the Father. Of course, if Christ is not the preacher, then the word of Christ is not the words of Christ but the word about Christ.

One weakness here is that we know Paul has already used the phrase word of faith to refer to the content of the gospel. If he wanted to be consistent, he could have used this same phrase here to point out that faith comes from the word of faith, that is, the gospel. Instead, he introduces a new phrase, the word of Christ, implying a slightly different meaning from word of faith.

Explanation:

When Paul writes that faith comes from the word of Christ, he uses the genitive construction. So we could translate the phrase as the word of Christ in the sense of the words taught by Christ himself. It would make sense that faith comes from the word of Christ himself, for Christ is the Messiah, and faith in him leads to salvation.

Counterargument:

While the phrase could be interpreted to refer to the words of Christ himself, this is very unlikely due to the immediate context. The context has to do with preaching, and how preaching leads to faith and salvation. Paul writes in Romans 10:13 that whoever calls on him will be saved, but of course no one can call on him unless they hear about him (Romans 10:14). That is why God sends preachers (Romans 10:15). In other words, as Paul summarizes in Romans 10:17, faith comes from hearing the word of Christ, which is the preaching of the gospel, not the words of Christ himself.

The weakness here is that it is the teaching of Christ and the teachings about Christ that lead to faith and salvation. Of course, one could argue that the teachings about Christ include the teachings of Christ, but not the other way around. Since the word of Christ leads to faith and salvation, these are more likely the words about Christ, which include the words of Christ and more.