Romans 10: The need to call on the Lord

[Preliminary Note: We continue to provide a brief summary of each previous chapter to provide present context:

• Ch.1 The sinfulness of the world     
• Ch.2 All – Jew & Gentile – are under God’s judgment
• Ch.3 Jews are the same as Gentiles in that salvation only comes through faith in Christ
• Ch.4 Abraham illustrates how justification only comes through faith 
• Ch.5 Peace with God is a natural outworking of justification. Adam sinned – Christ saves
• Ch.6 Sin now longer has a place in our lives as we consider our old sinful lives dead and we’ve been raised to a new life
• Ch.7 Because he has died to his old life, he has been freed from the Law. He wrestles with the fact that there is a drive within himself that knows about the goodness of the Law but can’t keep it, a drive called sin
• Ch.8 Christ’s death on the Cross has met the demands of the Law so now as we set our minds on His will, the Spirit brings about a first signs of sonship transformation, secure in Father & Son’s love. 
• Ch.9 He considers the state of his own people, Israel, who might feel rejected when they see Gentiles entering the kingdom. He deals with God’s sovereign choice. See notes at end of chapter 9]

Now he considers the misguided zeal of his own people, their need to receive and speak out by faith the words of the Gospel about Christ, and their failure to believe.

• v.1-7 A wrong zeal and Christ’s righteousness
• v.8-10 Receiving, believing, and speaking out the word of faith
• v.11-21 Belief from the preached message, and unbelief

v.1-7 A wrong zeal and Christ’s righteousness

v.1,2 Paul’s desire

v.1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

v.2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.

[Note: Paul’s desire is for Israel to be saved, for they are zealous, even if wrongly based.]

v.3,4 The Jewish experience

v.3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

v.4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

[Note: They held onto their own self-righteousness instead of receiving God’s, not realizing Christ fulfils the Law to bring righteousness to all believers.]

v.5-7 Scriptural support

v.5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”

v.6,7 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

[Note: Moses referred to this [Lev. 18:5]. God’s righteousness expressed by faith doesn’t deny Christ has gone back to heaven [Deut. 30:12] nor does it challenge he died [Deut 30:13].

v.8-10 Receiving, believing, and speaking out the word

v.8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim:

v.9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

v.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

[Note: But it calls for a simple trust in the word of God [Deut 30:14] so declaring your faith and believing it, brings salvation. Believe it and God justifies you, speak it out and work it out in everyday life

v.11-21 Belief from the preached message, and unbelief

v.11-13 Belief follows calling on the Lord

v.11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

v.12,13 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

[Note: Scripture promises you won’t be shamed for believing, [Isa 28:16 (see Septuagint)], it matters not whether Jew or Gentile, it’s the same for all, call on God by faith to save you. [Joel 2:32]

v.14,15 Admittedly you need to hear first before you can believe

v.14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

v.15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

[Note: To believe you need to first hear and the prophets spoke of such a bringer of good news [Isa 52:7]

v.16-18 Hearing & Unbelief

v.16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

v.17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

v.18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

[Note: But not everyone believed the good news [Isa 53:1]. This was important because faith is the response to hearing the word about Christ. Didn’t they hear? Yes they did! [Psa 19:4]

v.19-21 Warning but Unbelief

v.19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, “I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”

v.20 And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”

v.21 But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

[Note: Didn’t they understand? After all, Moses warned them. [Deut. 32:21] But it also said the Gentiles would hear and believe [Isa 65:1] yet it confronted Israel with their unbelief [Isa 65:2].

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: