Pelagius — Commentary on Scripture

Romans 10:5

Moses distinguished between two kinds of righteousness, the righteousness of faith and the righteousness of works. The latter justifies the suppliant by deeds, but the former justifies by belief alone.… In this age no one keeps the law perfectly without Christ. Believing in him is also implied in the law. On account of this passage some think that the Jews have earned only this present life by the works of the law, but the words of the Lord show that this is not true. When he was asked about eternal life the Lord stipulated the commandments of the law: “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” From this we understand that one who kept the law at that time had everlasting life.

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Romans 10:8

Historically speaking, Moses said this about the law, but the apostle applies it to Christ, because the law was neither in heaven nor in the abyss. Or it may mean that Paul is ordering them to meditate constantly on the law so that they may find Christ in it. The “word of faith which we preach” is the New Testament.

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Romans 10:9

The testimony of the heart is the confession of the mouth. “You will be saved” from past transgressions, not from future ones.

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Romans 10:10

If faith avails for righteousness and confession for salvation, there is no distinction between the Jew who believes and the Gentile who believes.

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Romans 10:11

This applies not only to the Jews but to everyone. Do not put believers to shame, therefore, on account of their former actions, since the Scripture says that they cannot be put to shame.

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Romans 10:12

There is one Lord of all, who abounds in mercy and possesses salvation, with which he is generous to all.

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Romans 10:14

Here we have an objection raised by the Jews concerning the Gentiles, viz., that they could not call upon God.

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Romans 10:16

The prophets were never sent to the Gentiles. If not all those to whom the prophets were sent obeyed, how much less those to whom no one was sent!

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Romans 10:17

From here on we have the apostle’s reply to the above questions.

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Romans 10:18

Paul wants this passage to be understood allegorically to refer to the cries of the prophets.

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Romans 10:19

Israel did not understand that the Gentiles were to be called to faith. Moses is first because the prophets after him spoke of the salvation of the Gentiles. Before they believed in God, they were not God’s people. Therefore it is as if he says: “I shall call those who are not my people, and they will believe in me in order to provoke you, so that although you should have been better than they are, you will be glad to be their equals.” It is just as if someone has a disobedient son and in order to reform him gives half his inheritance to his slave, so that when he finally repents he may be glad if he deserves to receive even that much.

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Romans 10:20

The Gentiles did not enquire after God in the law but after idols in ignorance. They asked not of God but of demons through the augurs, astrologers and haruspices of the idols.

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Romans 10:21

The same prophet who made promises of this sort to the Gentiles issues similar warnings here to the Jews, so that you may know that both were foretold. The holding out of the hands means, allegorically, the cross.

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Romans 11:2

God has not rejected those whom he knew in advance would believe. Paul eliminates any occasion for pride among the Gentiles, in case they become boastful because so few of the Jews believed.

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Romans 11:3

The prophets knew only the things which had been revealed to them by the Lord. That is why the king, uncertain of mind, asked Jeremiah if, at the time at which he spoke with him, a word of the Lord had come to him. … Elijah was unaware that there were others besides himself who worshiped God.

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Romans 11:4

If so many men were hidden from the prophet, how much more are you unaware of how many Jews have been saved and are to be saved!

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Romans 11:5

Just as all did not perish then, so too some are saved now. The election of grace is faith just as works are the election of the law. Otherwise, what sort of election is it where there is no difference in merit?

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Romans 11:6

In case the Jews replied to Paul about those concerning whom the word comes to Elijah: “They were righteous; why were these sinners chosen?” the apostle adds that they too are saved freely just as the Gentiles are.

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Romans 11:7

Israel as a whole has not obtained righteousness because it did not seek it by faith but thought that it was justified solely by works of the law, even though it disregarded the greatest commandments of the law. That is why the Savior censures those who strain at a gnat but swallow a camel.

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Romans 11:8

The rest were hardened through unfaithfulness, as it is written: “Unless you believe, you will not understand.”It is God’s prerogative to give them the spirit of stupor which they desired, for they have always disbelieved the words of God. If they had wanted to have a spirit of faith they would have received it. But even today Christians who doubt the resurrection reward or Gehenna have sought a similar spirit for themselves, for in this passage the prophet was addressing both believers and sinners.

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