Till the cross, well might a converted soul be found groaning in misery at each fresh discovery of evil in himself. God has given us His word. The law which was given upon Mount Sinai, though it was not a pure covenant of works (for who then could be saved under that dispensation?) 14, 15). "The man has not got anything like settled peace with God; perhaps he hardly knows his sins forgiven; but at least he is a saved soul." This do, and thou shalt live. For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.. There never can be solid peace with God without both. The appeal to their own inspired account of Abraham turned into a proof of the consistency of God's ways in justifying by faith, and hence in justifying the uncircumcised no less than the circumcision. God send us more like him men to whom religion is for home consumption. Verse 17. Listen to it, lost ones; you need not climb to heaven: Christ has come down from heaven to you; and if you lie among the spiritually dead to-day, or think you do, he has come down to you, and you need not enquire bow you can go up to him. It is hard to trust somebody you don't know. "Whosoever." b. Who bring glad tidings of good things!. There was somewhat as yet lacking to the saints there; but even this was ordered of God to call forth from the Holy Ghost an epistle which more than any other approaches a complete treatise on the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, and especially as to righteousness. If in Isaac only, it is a question of the seed, not that was born, but that was called. Moses does not allow any person to dream that under the law he can be saved in any other way than by perfect obedience thereto. Now, our flesh likes the complications, because I would like to take some credit and receive some glory for salvation. Wishing and woulding, if that be all, are not praying. Confess with your mouth: Confession has the idea of agreeing with. A good wish (Romans 10:1; Romans 10:1), a wish that they might be saved--saved from the temporal ruin and destruction that were coming upon them--saved from the wrath to come, eternal wrath, which was hanging over their heads. But if it were so, He had not done with them. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? There must be a radical, ii. Our Lord Jesus lays a great stress upon this confessing of him before men; see Matthew 10:32; Matthew 10:33. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Accordingly, in chapter 2 the Holy Spirit shows us man satisfying himself with pronouncing on what is right and wrong moralizing for others, but nothing more. On the contrary, it was the Jew provoked by the Gentiles "By them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you." Neither was there a need to ask about Gods will. They will not accept that the way of salvation for them is the same as for the Gentiles - through faith in Christ (30-33). That was said to Paul, rather than what was taught by Paul. Now what is this word of faith? 13). i. To these then he wishes, as was his wont, the fresh flow of that source and stream of divine blessing which Christ has made to be household bread to us: "Grace and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. Next, this precious gospel translates these questions, and then answers them. Difficulty there is none: only believe and thou art saved. In the beginning ofRomans 2:1-29; Romans 2:1-29 we have man pretending to righteousness. The word is near you -- --easily accessible. It is nigh you; it is nigh you now: it will never be nigher than it is at this moment. When God gives you growth in grace and fruitfulness in good works it will be your safety to be as little as ever you were, and to trust in nothing but the work of the Lord. The Christian must believe not only that Jesus lived, but also that he lives. Now, was it not extreme folly in the Jews to adhere so closely to this way of justification and salvation, which was in itself so hard, and by the corruption of nature now become impossible, when there was a new and a living way opened? Verse 9 seems to be directly connected to Deuteronomy 30:14 (it may be helpful to read this verse a second time). He wished his beloved ones to go to their beds; and since they would stop with him, he desired them to sing." You, dear friend, down the aisle there, it you trust in Christ you shall never be ashamed of your hope. Never lose the balance. What could be conceived closer or more even than this? It seems to us that what we have here is not so much a finished passage as summary notes. (325) It is the word which requires faith, and is received by faith; or it is the word entitled to faith, worthy of being believed; or it is the word which generates and supports faith. It was undoubtedly enough for present purposes. Now you won't get that on television, nor will you get that in your evening newspaper, watching the news or reading Time Magazine. Paul had no difficulty in granting that, but the zeal was misdirected and misapplied. You need not "bring up Christ again from the dead," for the Lord has risen indeed. Choose a chapter and verse from 'Romans' to begin your 'Verse-by-Verse' study of God's Word using the more than 100 commentaries available on StudyLight.org. Saul of Tarsus was a notorious persecutor of Christians before Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20). (b.) The word for Lord is kurios ( G2962) . So then faith must come by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ( Romans 10:16-17 ). You cannot hear about him unless there is someone to proclaim the good news. But by now the gospel had been carried to most parts of the Mediterranean area where Jews were to be found; and that is all the argument requires. (Bruce), b. As Cottrell observes: Moses emphasis is clearly on the accessibility and understandability of Gods law. At the same time he connects, in a singularly interesting manner, this disclosure of the principles of the eternal judgment of God with what he calls "my gospel." For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes ( Romans 10:3-4 ). Its remarkable that Paul found something good to say about these Jewish people who persecuted him so mercilessly. This blessed faith keeps men down when they are apt to go up, and up when otherwise they would be apt to go down. We know that God is behind everything; and yet, at the same time, we know that we have free will and can accept or reject God's offer. But I say, did not Israel know? Did the Jew fancy that the gospel makes very light of Abraham, and of the then dealings of God? Oh, my bearer, our salvation lies in this! Just say it, "Jesus is my Lord," and believe in your heart that God did raise Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Obedience was possible and the consequences of obedience (Gods blessings) were sure. Paul was entirely ready to admit that the Jews were zealous for God; but he also saw that their zeal was a misdirected thing. But this may be comparatively a light question. The soul is brought into peace with God, as it finds its standing in the grace of God, and, more than that, rejoices in hope of the glory of God. He selects this language because it expresses his meaning in familiar terminology that is at once suitable and proverbial. The righteousness of God means that God is just, while at the same time He justifies the believer in Christ Jesus. But there is more, which Paul afterwards insisted on. 2. This applies to all who cast themselves upon God in faith, Jews and Gentiles alike (11-13).Before people can believe this message, they must hear it. In vain will you preach Romans 3:1-31, or even 4 alone, for souls to know themselves consciously and holily set free. All through this section Paul has been driving home the personal responsibility of the Jews. The best of them are but filthy rags: stow them all away in the coal-hole, and look to the merits of your Lord for salvation. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek ( Romans 10:11-12 ): Quite a statement for Paul a Hebrew of the Hebrews to make--no difference between the Jew and the Greek, that is, as far as salvation is concerned. The whole work is done. They did not understand, and believe, and consider, the strict justice of God, in hating and punishing sin, and demanding satisfaction, did not consider what need we have of a righteousness wherein to appear before him; if they had, they would never have stood out against the gospel offer, nor expected justification by their own works, as if they could satisfy God's justice. She would say, "Oh, help me to believe you, Chuck, just help me to believe you." His witness to our spirit is this, that we are children of God. What saith the gospel? An Italian gentleman, who has known me since I have been at Mentone, was asked, "Are you a Catholic?" 3). How can they call on him in whom they have not believed? Ed. Have as many good works as you can cram into your life, but never tell anybody about them, or think anything of them. God is proved thus divinely consistent with Himself in Christ Jesus, whom He has set forth a mercy-seat through faith in His blood. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. The 14th verse in Deuteronomy 30:1-20 completes the thought by saying that the Jews could do what God wanted them to do - that thou mayest do it. Many times people say, "Oh, I wish I had more faith," and I think that oftentimes we almost insult God by our lack of faith.I have heard people pray, "Oh, Lord, help me to believe. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. Man seeks to complicate it. He must know not only Christ the martyr: he must know Christ the victor, too. To the ends of the world: There is not a part of the promised land in which these glad tidings have not been preached; and there is scarcely a place in the Roman empire in which the doctrine of Christ crucified has not been heard: if, therefore, the Jews have not believed, the fault is entirely their own; as God has amply furnished them with the means of faith of salvation. (Clarke). Love is the great debt that we owe, which never can be paid, but which we should always be paying. i. But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." The Jews have no reason to believe that God has rejected them. The design of the law was to lead people to Christ. Man is only so much the worse for knowing the truth, if he holds it ever so fast with unrighteousness. He shall come to Zion, says the other. Undoubtedly there are fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, and God values them I will not say from man, but from His saints; but here it is what, according to the apostle, God has for man. Nothing can be more simple and essential. But this does not content the apostle, or rather the Spirit of God; for he goes on to point out that Isaiah "is very bold" in a similar way; that is, there is no concealing the truth of the matter. It is not the awakening of conscience, however real; neither is it the attraction of heart by the grace of Christ, however blessed this may be. Psalms 19:1-14 is used in the most beautiful manner to insinuate that the limits are the world. When we drift away from it, we become confused, and we begin dividing, bickering and fighting among ourselves. a. This is what that word of faith says, even the gospel which we preach. Paul's joy and boast were in the gospel of God. Go to Jesus for everything. If you want your faith increased, study the Word of God. Lower than that, he descended to being "despised and rejected of men." God's righteousness was now manifested as to the past sins He had not brought into judgment through His forbearance, and yet more conspicuously in the present time, when He displayed His justice in justifying the believer. If you crawl on your knees for five miles to kiss the statue you can be spared several days of purgatory. "The word is near you. Christianity is belief plus confession; it involves witness before men. 2. Yes indeed: Their sound has gone out to all the earth, Without faith there is neither justice nor life that God owns; where faith is, the rest will surely follow. Every mouth was stopped; the Jew by his own oracles, as the Gentile by their evident abominations, shown already. Rules for the conduct of Christians to one another, as members of the Christian church, Rom. and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. In light of what Moses said, Pauls teaching (justification by faith) was not a new concept. Christ's work of redemption deserves that God should act as He does in the gospel. Then there is another and crowning part of the blessing: "And not only so, but also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation." (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead. Then your principle is your condemnation. So, then, faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word which comes from Christ and which tells of him. This was the key to their difficulties this alone, and fully explains their coming ruin as well as God's solemn warnings. Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat, for Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. That is, [a.] Moses writes that the man who works at the righteousness which comes from the law shall live by it. He speaks of the sovereignty of God having elected that it might stand by election. If he had to die, his fathers would receive him "holy and pure." Romans 10:17, NLT: So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. . a. b. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God: Paul will readily recognize that Israel has a zeal for God but he also sees that it is zeal not according to knowledge. Their sins had been passed by. Believe that he can save you; believe that he will save you; at any rate leave the whole matter of your salvation with him in unquestioning confidence. What the law says, it speaks to those under it. It is our duty that we must not, it is our privilege that we shall not, be ashamed of our faith in Christ. I am sure we should not. But did this satisfy the apostle? Some thought him half-witted, but the story would show his wind to be sound enough. Far from denying or obscuring what they boasted of, he goes beyond them "Who are Israelites," says he, "to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed for ever." He demands perfect and entire obedience, if life is to come of it. Law works wrath because it provokes transgression; grace makes the promise sure to all the seed, not only because faith is open to the Gentile and Jew alike, but because God is looked to as a quickener of the dead. [1.] All Israel shall be saved. He takes their own books, and proves from one of them (Deuteronomy) that in the ruin of Israel the resource is not going into the depths, nor going up to heaven. That is God's promise.So we have the divine sovereignty of God, but we also have the human responsibility of man, and you will not be saved unless you do call upon the name of the Lord. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary 10:12-17 There is not one God to the Jews, more kind, and another to the Gentiles, who is less kind; the Lord is a Father to all men. Sin had left its crimson stain, but He washed me white as snow." Have done with doings, and feelings, and trust yourself with Christ. Still, it is "man" not yet exactly the Jew, but man who had profited, it might be, by whatever the Jew had; at the least, by the workings of natural conscience. From the very first we have these characteristics of the epistle disclosing themselves. But Paul makes it clear: There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. They thought they needed not to be beholden to the merit of Christ, and therefore depended upon their own performances as sufficient to make up a righteousness wherein to appear before God. The word of God is to be close to the heart of every Christian. The apostle allows this privilege to be great, specially in having the Scriptures, but turns the argument against the boasters. (324) For the purpose of removing the impediments of faith, he has hitherto spoken negatively: but now in order to show the way of obtaining righteousness, he adopts an affirmative mode of speaking. Cottrell cites Leon Morris in summary: "The righteousness of faith does not demand that we be supermen; it does not set some impossible task before us. He suffered agonizing pain, but his peace was as deep as the sea. Increase of privileges can never avail without the soul's self-judgment before the mercy of God. The information in this verse is a rather loose quotation from Deuteronomy 30:12-14 (it would be best to read these verses). If you trust in him with your heart, trust him openly, and confess him with your mouth, owning that he is your Lord, and your Savior. Believe in Christ as you would believe in your friend: believe that he died for sinners, and trust in him for salvation. It is not so alone; but in His death, unto which I am baptized, I am dead to sin. No, salvation is not put at so vast a distance from us. But it is very plain and easy: The word is nigh thee. Christ is thus the end of the law for righteousness, that is, for justification; but it is only to every one that believeth. If ever we are to bring men to the Christian faith, our attitude must be the same. (that is, to bring Christ down), or, 'Who shall go down into the deep abyss?' Confess with your mouth: Confession has the idea of agreeing with. The story of Jesus Christ passed through all of the Jewish communities around the world. (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? of Observe. Believe in him as your risen Saviour, declare him to be your Lord, and you will receive from God the righteousness that saves (9-10). Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. The apostle is therefore plainly in presence of the broadest possible grounds of comparison, though we shall find more too. The direction is "unto all;" the application is, of course, only to "them that believe;" but it is to all them that believe. (that is, to bring Christ down:) 7 or, Who shall descend into the abyss? Their opposition to the gospel is from a principle of respect to the law, which they know to have come from God. gospel of God. Of whom does it declare all this? The righteousness of the law is an impossibility for all who have sinned even once, and the truth is all responsible men have sinned more than one time. He can meet the sinner, but He justifies the believer; and in this, instead of trenching on His glory, there is a deeper revelation and maintenance of it than if there never had been sin or a sinner. Well, I can't either, but God didn't call me to reconcile it, He just called me to believe it.I tried to reconcile it for years until I was in such mental gymnastics I was worn out. No man could believe this who did not also believe all the truths dependent on it. The Jews were the last in the world to take such ground as this. Christ is the end of the moral law in that he did what the law could not do (Romans 8:3; Romans 8:3), and secured the great end of it. i. Beneath it there runs the conviction that there are certain kinds of ignorance which are inexcusable. a. He saves those who are always confessors of sin, always needy in themselves, and therefore always glad of him. () in Romans 10:8, as afterwards . Now there is a tremendous failure some place of getting the message out.For how can they call on Him who they don't believe in? Isaiah was very bold, and he said, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that ask not after me. Thus the discussion of Abraham strengthens the case in behalf of the uncircumcised who believe, to the overthrow of the greatest boast of the Jew. What is near us may be easily reached. You will get the foreboding of this world with all of its problems. 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