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Romans 10

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Paul's Concern for Israel's Salvation 1–3

1
Brethren, my heart’s desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. ​
2
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ​
3
For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. ​

Christ: The End of the Law 4–5

4
For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth. ​
5
For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law shall live thereby. ​

The Righteousness of Faith 6–10

6
But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down:) ​
7
or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)
8
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: ​
9
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: ​
10
for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ​

Salvation is Universal 11–13

11
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. ​
12
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: ​
13
for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ​

The Necessity of Preaching 14–17

14
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ​
15
and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things! ​
16
But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? ​
17
So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. ​

Israel's Culpability Confirmed 18–21

18
But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, Their sound went out into all the earth, And their words unto the ends of the world. ​
19
But I say, Did Israel not know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation, With a nation void of understanding will I anger you. ​
20
And Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I became manifest unto them that asked not of me. ​
21
But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Romans 10

Verse 1

my heart's desire and prayer — Eudokia is good will or good pleasure, as in 'good will toward men' (Luke 2:14) and 'the good pleasure of his will' (Eph 1:5). Deesis, 'prayer', is a petition. The wish takes up the sorrow of 9:2–3, where Paul could wish himself 'accursed from Christ for my brethren'.

Verse 2

a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge — Zelos is heat, ardour. Paul had held it himself: 'Concerning zeal, persecuting the church' (Phil 3:6); he 'was zealous toward God' (Acts 22:3). 'Knowledge' is epignosis, full recognition, and v.3 names what was lacking: they were 'ignorant of God's righteousness'.

Verse 3

going about to establish their own righteousness — 'Going about' is zeteo, to seek; 'establish' is histemi, to make stand. Paul had given up 'mine own righteousness, which is of the law' (Phil 3:9). 'Submitted' is hypotasso, to place under: the righteousness of God (1:17) is received by putting oneself under it.

Verse 4

the end of the law — Telos is the point aimed at, a goal and also a completion: 'the end of the commandment is charity' (1 Tim 1:5). The law was 'our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith' (Gal 3:24). 'Every one' (pas) is the word that runs on through vv.11–13.

Verse 5

Moses describeth — The line is Lev 18:5, 'which if a man do, he shall live in them', cited again in Gal 3:12, 'The man that doeth them shall live in them.' 'Describeth' is grapho, to write: the righteousness of the law is what Moses wrote, and its terms are doing. The contrast opens in v.6.

Verse 6

Who shall ascend into heaven? — The words come from Deut 30:12, 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us', said there of the commandment. Paul gives them to 'the righteousness which is of faith' and applies them to Christ, who has already come down from heaven (John 3:13).

Verse 8

The word is nigh thee — These words come from Deut 30:14, 'in thy mouth, and in thy heart', where the near thing is the commandment. 'Word' is rhema, the spoken word, as in 'the word of God' (v.17) and 'their words' (v.18); Paul calls it 'the word of faith, which we preach' (kerysso, to herald). Mouth and heart return in vv.9–10.

Verse 9

confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus — Homologeo, to confess, is the verb of Matt 10:32, 'Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men'. 'Lord' (kyrios) is the word of Phil 2:11, and no man can say 'Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost' (1 Cor 12:3). The fact believed is that 'God hath raised him from the dead'.

Verse 10

with the heart man believeth unto righteousness — The verse takes the two halves of v.9 in reverse order, heart then mouth, and gives each its result: righteousness (dikaiosyne) and salvation (soteria). 'Confession is made' is the verb of v.9, homologeo. The pairing of mouth and heart is that of Deut 30:14 in v.8.

Verse 11

shall not be ashamed — The promise of Isa 28:16, 'he that believeth shall not make haste', cited already in 9:33 as 'whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed'. 'Ashamed' is kataischyno, to put to shame, the verb Peter has in 'shall not be confounded' (1 Pet 2:6). Here 'Whosoever' (pas, every one) leads into the 'all' of vv.12–13.

Verse 12

no difference between the Jew and the Greek — Diastole, a distinction, appears in Romans only here and in 3:22, where 'all have sinned' (3:23); here the same level holds for the gift. 'Rich unto all that call upon him' answers Ps 86:5, 'plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee'. Compare Col 3:11.

Verse 13

call upon the name of the Lord — Joel 2:32 reads 'call on the name of the LORD'. Peter quoted it at Pentecost (Acts 2:21) and ended on Jesus as 'both Lord and Christ' (Acts 2:36); here the Lord is Jesus (v.9). 'Call upon' is epikaleomai, the verb of vv.12 and 14.

Verse 14

without a preacher — Four questions run back from calling to the one who proclaims: call, believe, hear, preach. 'Preacher' is the participle of kerysso, to herald as a public crier, the verb of v.15. 'Heard' is akouo, whose noun akoe is the 'report' and 'hearing' of vv.16–17.

Verse 15

except they be sent — Apostello, the verb behind 'apostle', completes the chain of v.14. The quotation is Isa 52:7, 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace', shortened; 'preach the gospel' and 'bring glad tidings' are one verb, euangelizo. Nahum 1:15 has the line too.

Verse 16

have not all obeyed the gospel — Hypakouo, to obey, is to hear under; the gospel is obeyed as well as believed (cf. 'obedience to the faith', 1:5). Isaiah's question (Isa 53:1) is cited by John for the unbelief that met Christ's signs (John 12:38). 'Report' is akoe, the 'hearing' of v.17.

Verse 17

faith cometh by hearing — 'Hearing' (akoe) is the 'report' of Isaiah's question in v.16: faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard is 'the word of God' (rhema, the spoken word). Paul puts the same choice to the Galatians: the Spirit by 'the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?' (Gal 3:2).

Verse 18

their sound went into all the earth — The words are from Ps 19:4, said there of the heavens that 'declare the glory of God' (Ps 19:1). 'World' is oikoumene, the inhabited earth, the word of Matt 24:14, 'preached in all the world'; Paul speaks of the gospel 'preached to every creature which is under heaven' (Col 1:23).

Verse 19

provoke you to jealousy — Moses is the first witness: 'I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people' (Deut 32:21). Parazeloo, to provoke to jealousy, returns in 11:11, 'to provoke them to jealousy', and 11:14. The 'foolish nation' is asynetos, without understanding.

Verse 20

Esaias is very bold — Apotolmao, to be very bold, occurs only here in the New Testament. Isa 65:1 reads 'I am found of them that sought me not'; Paul takes it of the Gentiles, as in 9:30, 'the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness'.

Verse 21

stretched forth my hands — Isa 65:2: 'I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people'. Ekpetannymi occurs only here in the New Testament. 'Disobedient' is apeitheo, the opposite of 'obeyed' (hypakouo) in v.16; 'gainsaying' is antilego, to speak against. The next question is 11:1, 'Hath God cast away his people?'