βI can understand why Romans 10:17 might say, βfaith cometh by hearing the Word of God.β Why does it rather say, βfaith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Godβ?β
It is sometimes taught that an unsaved sinner is so spiritually βdead in trespasses and sinsβ (Eph. 2:1) that he cannot even hear the Word of God in the gospel, let alone respond to it in faith. It is argued that if you go to a funeral and tell the deceased to rise up out of the coffin, he cannot even hear the words of your command, let alone respond to it. It is then argued from this that the Spirit must first regenerate a lost sinner so that he can hear the gospel and believe it.
While that sounds logical, the Lord Jesus gave a different explanation for how a sinner who is βdead in sinsβ is βquickenedβ (Eph. 2:5) when He said,
βIt is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are lifeβ (John 6:63).
The Lord here asserts that His words βare spirit.β That is, His words have the spiritual power to raise a dead sinner from spiritual death. The Lord also taught that His words βare life.β Thus, if a sinner must be given life in order to be able to hear the gospel, then the Lordβs words are able to give a dead sinner all the life he needs to hear and respond to the gospel in faith.
This is why Romans 10:17 is worded in that manner. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, to be sure, but even the hearing comes by the Word. source
