Romans 10



Why Israel was Rejected____

a. They were rejected because they sought justification by another means than that provided by God. 10:1-21

b. The two methods of justification explained. 5-13

c. How they they shall call on Him. 14,15.

d. Objection to the gospel method of justification. 16-21

Objection Stated: So few have accepted Jesus as the Messiah, He must not be the Messiah. 16

Objection Answered: Isaiah said few would accept. All heard and could believe but they chose not to do so. 17-21

Israel's Failure to Attain Righteousness Due to Reliance on Works Rather than Faith in Christ ____9:30--10:21

9:30___Salvation is not by Works

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33just as it is written,
         "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,
         AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

9:30-33___It is here that Paul sets us up for the next chapter (10). There can be no doubt about this. The Jews were lost because they might attain salvation through works. Here we have a contrast. Gentiles who were not "pursuing a law of righteousness." The Gentiles on the other hand attained righteousness on the basis of faith. "Justification by faith is the prize here___counted righteous on the basis of faith. (V31) Israel failed to attain righteousness on the basis of the law.

Define Faith:

πίστις (pistis 4102) 1. faith , that is to say firm persuasion, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight, or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God in His Word.

Verse 32-33__Israel stumbled over the stone because they try to attain salvation by works. The Jews fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 28:16 since it was Jesus Isaiah was speaking about (1st Cor. 1:23).

Chapter 10: 1-4___

 1Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.2For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.3For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Verse 1___Paul has just finished explaining Israel's failure. This is working on Paul's heart because he loves his fellow country men. Paul wants the Jews to be saved and he went to them first (Acts 13:46; 18:5, 6; Rom. 1:16).

Verse 2___But here is the rub. Like so many modern groups who call themselves Christians and "claim" they belong to God, they do not practice according to knowledge. This applies to most all modern religous groups I am familiar with.

But not according to knowledge  (αλλ' ου κατ' επιγνωσιν). They had knowledge of God and so were superior to the Gentiles in privilege (2:9-11), but they sought God in an external way by rules and rites and missed him (9:30-33). They became zealous for the letter and the form instead of for God himself.

Verse 3___ Salvation by works denies God His own method of salvation. It might also be pointed out that ignorance is no excuse. The Jews "did not know" about God's plan for righteousness.

Verse 4___Here is what the Jews missed. Christ was the "end" of the law. The law in fact was all about Christ and His coming. Seeking salvation after Christ is a futile effort.

Moses as a Witness: 5-13__

5For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.6But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' (that is, to bring Christ down),7or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)."8But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.11For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;13for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Verse 5___ Paul now cites Moses (Lev.18:5). Leviticus calls for obedience and performance based on his statues and ordinances. The one who complies will live. The law (at this point) is not based on faith but obedience.

Look at Galatians 3:12

12However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM."

If one expect to live one must "do."

Verse 6___Next Paul addresses himself to the positive approach and uses Deut. 30:11-14 also used by Moses. This time it is a description of "righteousness based on faith."

Verse 7__The other extreme is found here. "Let's just go to the under world and bring Jesus back and then I will believe."

Verse 8___All of the above ideas are an absurdity. If done, then there was not faith but involved but proof___ or knowledge. We are discussing salvation by faith and not by sight!!! One need not look any further than in the mouth__or heart.

What is this "Word of Faith:

The word of faith (το ρημα της πιστεως). The gospel message concerning faith (objective genitive). Only here. In contrast to the law.



The method of attaining justification by faith is personified. The one underlying difficulty of the Jew who in this section objected to "justification by faith" was that he/she wanted to dictate the terms of their own belief. He is heard to say" If you will go up in heaven where you say that Christ has ascended and bring Him down, I might believe you."

This Word of Faith (notice, the Word is where Faith comes from) comes from the Apostles preaching.

9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Verse 9___ This "Word of Faith" or gospel message must be "confessed" as well as "believed." This was done in the early church with new converts at their baptism (Matthew 10:32)

With thy mouth Jesus as Lord (εν τω στοματ σου Κυριον Ιησουν). This is the reading of nearly all the MSS. But B 71 Clem of Alex. read το ρημα εν τω στοματ σου οτ Κυριος Ιησους (the word in thy mouth that Jesus is Lord). The idea is the same, the confession of Jesus as Lord as in 1Co 12:3; Php 2:11. No Jew would do this who had not really trusted Christ, for Κυριος in the LXX is used of God. No Gentile would do it who had not ceased worshipping the emperor as Κυριος. The word Κυριος was and is the touchstone of faith.

As noted by RWP__This confessing that Jesus is Lord is opposed to confessing that the Emperor was Lord or even that Jesus was Lord to the Jew. Without confessing Lordship, we are going nowhere.

Verse 10___ This is a "restatement" of what has already been said. Having faith in God is from the heart and it is that type of faith that saves.

Verses 11-13___The Old Testament said the same thing!

11For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;

 13for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Verse 11_13__Faith can transform a life. Paul goes back to Isaiah 28:16. This belief and faith is open to the Jew and Gentile. Peter will use this same passage in his Pentecost sermon. (Acts 2:21) At Pentecost Peter explains how it is we "call on the name of the Lord." (See Acts 2:38)



14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?15How 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!"

Verse 14-15___And now we turn to the role that believers have in reaching the lost. Belief in Christ or "calling on the name of the Lord" is meaningless apart from assurance that Jesus is worth to call on. All of this means we must have a "preacher." It is the "preacher" (notice, Paul does not call them Pastors), that bring the gospel of salvation to the lost. But just as important, someone must send the preacher. (Isaiah 52:7)

Verses 16-18___

6However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

 18But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have;
         "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH,
         AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.

Verse 16-17__ Isaiah foretold about this (Isaiah 52:7) It is here we have a Biblical definition of faith. For one to claim faith as a basis of actions or believes those actions are beliefs must be in the Word of God.



19But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says,
         "I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION,
         BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU."20And Isaiah is very bold and says,
         "I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME,
         I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME."21But as for Israel He says, "ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE."



Verse 19-21___This is from Isaiah 65:1. God is the one who is seeking and searching out His people. Israel had the chance to hear the gospel but they were disobedient and obstinate.



Lane Rogers