Romans10
Romans 10
Paul speaking to “Brothers and Sisters” –Scripture text from the Net Bible starting with Romans 9:33
9:33 just as it is written,
“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble
and a rock that will make them fall,
yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
10:1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation. 10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. 10:3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.
10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.” 10:6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 10:7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we preach), 10:9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10:10 For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation. 10:11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
10:14 How are they to call on one they have not believed in? And how are they to believe in one they have not heard of? And how are they to hear without someone preaching to them? 10:15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How timely is the arrival of those who proclaim the good news.” 10:16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
10:18 But I ask, have they not heard? Yes, they have: Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. 10:19 But again I ask, didn’t Israel understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; with a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.” 10:20 And Isaiah is even bold enough to say, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became well known to those who did not ask for me.” 10:21 But about Israel he says, “All day long I held out my hands to this disobedient and stubborn people!” [1]
What will happen to the Jewish people who believe in God but not in Christ
Because Jesus is the most complete revelation of God, no one can fully know God apart from knowing Jesus; and because God appointed Jesus to bring God and human beings together, no one can come to God by another path. The Jews, like everyone else, can find salvation only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
Just as Paul did, we would want to desire that all Jews might be saved. In fact we should pray for them and lovingly share the Good News with them.
Our hearts need to be filled with concern for others. We will do well to as self: Who do I desire to be saved, and am I regularly praying for them?
Ro10:1-4 – Paul preaches to be earnest, but that alone cannot convert a person. Salvation has to start with God moving hearts.
As Israel established their own righteous standing before God, but refused to submit to God’s plan and His Son that was given all control. It is said that the Jewish nation rejected Him.
The law is righteous in its requirements yet it fails as an instrument of justification. No human effort is possible but only an acceptance of the divine gift.
10:5-8 – Moses is cited that it calls for obedience and performance of the will of God with His statues and ordinances.
Galatians 3:12(ESV)
12But the law is not of faith, rather £“The one who does them shall live by them.”
Israel attempted to gain righteousness for themselves by law keeping. However that cannot and did not work because of man’s weakness and imperfection inherited from Adam. Instead their efforts only took them into their self-deception and pride.
Salvation is out of our hands for it is God’s will that is as near as the mouth and heart. Mouth –the organ to repeat the word of God and turn it back to him in prayer and praise… Heart – as the source of desire to please him.
10:9-10 – “the Word of Faith” or ‘the gospel message’ is something to confess as well as to believe. “Confession” had a base in the Jewish Christian who was to confess before God their sins.
10:11-13 – Faith is what can be a transforming force in one’s life. It is replacing fear and hesitation with bold confidence that rests on the promises of God. The problem for the Jews was that true a Spiritual Life is only found in the Jesus that they rejected. At that time and now the door of salvation was and is open to the Jews. The calling on the Lord is the echoing within the human heart of the call of God according to his gracious purpose.
10:14-15 – Here it shows the role and responsibility of the seeker after salvation. Emphasizes was placed on the role that believers are intended to have in God’s plan for reaching the lost. These requirements are for those seeking God.
1. To call upon God – to work to establishing a relationship to him.
2. That ‘faith’ depends on knowledge. One must hear the message, believe it, and act upon it.
3. Someone is to proclaim the message…
We are ‘sent’! That phrase is telling us to go forth and to deliver a message from the sender. It means we are under the authority of God to proclaim His message.
10:16-18 – The good news of physical restoration may have been welcome to Israel. However, the spiritual salvation God promised to provide through his Servant was met with unbelief. Jesus was what was provided in the fullness of time and they rejected Him.
In verse Romans 10:15 Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 –
Romans 10:15 – Romans 10:15 (NASB95) How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
Isaiah 52:7 (NASB95) How lovely on the mountains – Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
The next verse #16 – Paul quotes Isaiah 53:1 – Take note of the difference in atmosphere…
Romans 10:16 (NASB95) However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
Isaiah 53:1 (NASB95) – Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
In Verse 16 Paul was pointing out that the prophet foresaw a denial/refusal of the message about salvation through a suffering Servant. History has sustained prophecy. This was confirmed in 1 Corinthians 1:23.
1 Corinthians 1:23 (NASB95) but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, Faith depends on hearing the message. That is the hearing it with understanding and acceptance.
Ro10:18-19 – The Jews could not claim a lack of opportunity to hear the gospel as it was widespread in their area.
At Pentecost Peter spoke of the ignorance of his countrymen as explaining the crucifixion. But as time went on, fewer and fewer Jews in proportion to the total population of the nation responded to the gospel. A hardened attitude set in. The precedent of the Jews who did respond to the gospel, instead of moving their fellow-Jews, only embittered them. Then, as the gospel spread abroad and was received by Gentiles in ever greater numbers, this served to antagonize them still further.
10:20-21- God is the one who is seeking, reaching out to his people continually. God wants them to return to him in loving obedience. Confirmation in Isaiah 65:2(ESV)
2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
We may draw the conclusion that the spiritual condition of Israel does not come from a lack of opportunity to hear the gospel or a lack of understanding of its content, but must be traced to a stubborn and rebellious spirit such as cropped up in the days of Moses and the days of the prophets. It is the more grievous now because God has spoken his final word in his Son and has been rebuffed by those who should have been the most ready to respond.
For additional information on Romans 10 note the following excerpts from Life Application Commentary:
They are zealous for God. The Jews certainly were zealous in their devotion to God and their practice of the law—Paul knew that from his own experience. However, their zeal is not based on knowledge. The people Paul loved (the Jews) were so busy trying to keep the law that their zeal was actually keeping them from understanding God’s way of salvation. This was exactly Paul’s state of mind before Christ confronted him. He was so zealous for God and for his religion that he persecuted Christians (see Acts 9:12; 22:3–5; 26:4–11). His zeal was based on a misunderstanding of God’s Word, and so was the zeal of his fellow Jews (see chapter 9).[2]
WHY GOOD INTENTIONS CAN’T SAVE US
• Starting out with good intentions does not ensure the results will be good.
• Possessing good intentions does not guarantee that any action will be taken.
• Good intentions by themselves do not fulfill the demand to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• Our ever-present bad intentions are often hidden from us. Good intentions can lead to false pride.
• Good intentions can seek to bypass and alter God’s clear commands.
• Good intentions can be a cover-up for ignoring or willfully disregarding God’s desires.
• Good intentions may appear to do so, but they cannot actually make up for bad deeds.
HEBREW WORDS FOR LAW
Hebrew law served as the personal and national guide for living under God’s authority. It directed their moral, spiritual, and social life. Its purpose was to produce better understanding of God and commitment to him.
Figure 1
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” The word is near—as near as your mouth and heart (10:8; Deuteronomy 30:14). To “confess” (homologeo) means to “give verbal affirmation,”—in this case to ackowledge with your mouth that Jesus Christ died and was raised for you. Anyone can say he or she believes something, but God knows each person’s heart. In this confession, it is not enough to merely utter the words; they must be declared, professed, proclaimed “from the heart,” expressing our full conviction. For salvation you must truly believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15:17 Paul asserts how the Resurrection is totally interrelated with our salvation: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (niv). Jesus is distinct from all other religious leaders: he is the only “Lord” to have risen from the grave. This makes Christianity more than a philosophy of life or a religious option; it is the only way to be saved.
You will be saved. The gospel message in a nutshell is “believe and confess Jesus as Lord, and you will be saved.” There is no reference to works or rituals. The point of decision is between a person and God, but the point of confession implies another person. It is true that God is often our first confessor, but having others witness our confession confirms our belief. In fact, to confess and to believe become mutually related responses. If one is true, the other follows.
BECOMING A CHRISTIAN
Have you ever been asked, “How do I become a Christian?” These verses give the beautiful answer—salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. People think it must be a complicated process, but it is not. If we believe in our heart and say with our mouth that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved.
10:10 It is with your heart that you believe and are justified. You must first believe with your heart—that belief justifies you (God declares you “not guilty” for your sins).
It is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. By prayer to God, you confess with your mouth your belief in God and what he has done for you. As in verses 8–9 above, belief and confession lead to salvation.
As has already been noted, neither of these components that establish our personal relationship with God can be reduced to reciting certain words or assenting to the facts. To believe and to confess involve whole-person commitment. Neither are these components described in such a way that a person might accomplish one without accomplishing the other. They are two parts of a single step, just as lifting the foot and then placing it back down are two movements in the one act of taking a step. Likewise, one cannot be served without being justified, nor justified without being saved.
TAKING AND TELLING
We must take God’s great message of salvation to others so that they can respond to the Good News. How will our loved ones and neighbors hear about Christ unless someone tells them? Is God calling you to be a part of making his message known in your community? Besides thinking of a person who needs to hear the Good News, think of something you can do to help that person hear it. Then take that step as soon as possible.
10:21 Concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” Finally, from Isaiah 65:2, Paul explains that God had been gracious to his people, patiently holding out his hands to them and calling them, only to have them turn away. God held out his hands to his people indicates a gesture of dual purpose: one of welcome and one of giving. But God’s welcome was spurned and his gifts were rejected.
The disobedience of Israel was judged by God’s welcome to the Gentiles (even though that was in his plan all along). But he will still accept his chosen people if they will only return to him. He remains faithful to his promises to his people, even though they have been unfaithful to him. God still holds out his hands.