New Testament
Romans 10
Overview
Having defended God's sovereignty in chapter 9, Paul now presses Israel's responsibility. He testifies that his heart's desire and prayer is for their salvation, acknowledging they have "a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge": ignorant of God's righteousness, they tried to establish their own and refused to submit to God's. The reason is that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Paul contrasts the righteousness based on law (Leviticus 18:5) with the righteousness based on faith (Deuteronomy 30), which does not require ascending to heaven or descending to the deep, because the word is near—"in your mouth and in your heart." He distills the gospel: "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," for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek—"everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." This triggers the famous chain: calling requires believing, believing requires hearing, hearing requires preaching, preaching requires sending. Paul ends by showing from Isaiah and Moses that Israel did hear and did understand, yet remained "a disobedient and contrary people," while God stretched out His hands to them all day long.
1Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved.
2For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
4For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.”
6But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t 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 preach:
9that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made 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, and is rich to all who call on him.
13For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?
15And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”
19But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation. I will make you angry with a nation void of understanding.”
20Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”
21But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”