Romans 10:1-21

Paul’s letter to the *Romans

Romans

Hilda Bright and Keith Simons

Chapter 10

The law and *faith 10:1-13

v1 *Brothers and *sisters, my greatest desire is for the people from *Israel to accept *salvation. I pray to God on behalf of them. v2 I am sure that they are eager about God. But they do not know what he really wants. v3 They do not know how God makes people *righteous. Instead, they try to become *righteous by their own efforts. So they refuse the means by which God makes people *righteous. v4 *Christ has completed the law. So now everyone who believes can be *righteous.

v5 Moses wrote about people who want to become *righteous by means of the law. He wrote, ‘Someone who obeys the law will live by means of the law.’ v6 But the way to do what God wants begins with *faith in him. *Scripture says, ‘Do not imagine that you have to go up to heaven.’ (That means to go up into heaven in order to bring *Christ down.) v7 ‘And do not imagine that you have to go down into a deep place.’ (That means to bring *Christ up from death.) v8 This is what it says. ‘The word is near you. Speak it with your mouth! Believe it in your heart!’ That means the message that we are *preaching. You must put your *faith in it.

v9 Say with your mouth, ‘Jesus is *Lord.’ Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from death. If you do these things, God will *save you. v10 As you believe in your heart, God will make you *righteous. And as you declare this with your mouth, God will *save you. v11 *Scripture says, ‘*Christ will never disappoint anyone who trusts in him.’ v12 There is no difference between *Jews and *Gentiles. They all have the same *Lord. God is generous to everyone who asks him for help. v13 *Scripture says, ‘God will *save everyone who calls upon the name of the *Lord.’

Verses 1-2 Paul repeats his great desire. He wants very much his own people to accept their *Messiah. He knows from his own experience how much the *Jews wanted to serve God. Paul had been a Pharisee (a strict *Jew). At that time, Paul thought that the Christians were wrong about God. And Paul was so eager to please God. So Paul arrested many Christians (Philippians 3:6). But Paul had to learn an important lesson. It is not good to be eager, if one does not have knowledge (Proverbs 19:2).

Verses 3-4 The *Jews were trying to please God. But they did not know how to please God. The *Jews thought that they must obey all their laws. Then they would be in a right *relationship with God. But this is not correct. Nobody can earn a right *relationship with God by means of that person’s own efforts. A person has a right *relationship with God if he or she believes in *Christ. The purpose of God’s law is to show people that they need *faith in *Christ. *Christ showed more completely what the law meant (Matthew 5:17). His death was the perfect *sacrifice for *sin. And he gives the *Holy Spirit. With the help of the Holy Spirit, people can live in a manner that pleases God.

Verse 5 Moses had said, ‘Someone who obeys the law will live by means of the law’ (Leviticus 18:5). He was explaining that people had to obey God’s law completely. If they did so, they would have a right *relationship with God. But Paul is emphasising that people did not obey the law. Apart from *Christ himself, nobody had ever obeyed the law perfectly. But Moses explained that a proper *relationship with God is not difficult to achieve. We do not achieve this by our own efforts. Instead, we need to believe his message in our hearts. And we declare the message that God has given to us. We do this by *faith, in other words, because we trust him. (See Romans 10:6-10.)

Verses 6-7 People receive a right *relationship with God by *faith in *Christ. It is not difficult to find God. Paul thinks about Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30:12-14. What God teaches is not difficult to find. People do not have to search for it in heaven or in the depths of the sea. Paul says the same thing about the *gospel as Moses said about God’s law. There is no need to search for *Christ. He had already come down from heaven as a man. And he had risen from death, so there was no need to look for him in the grave.

Verses 8-11 The message that the *apostles *preached was about trust in *Christ and his *resurrection. In other words, it was about *faith. And God would *save people who have *faith in *Christ. They would have a right *relationship with God. God would make them *righteous. He would give them the *Holy Spirit. And God’s Spirit would teach them how to live in a manner that pleases God.

Their *relationship with God would not depend on the law. It would depend on *Christ, who made the law complete. By his death, *Christ did everything that the law orders to make people *righteous. And by his *resurrection, we too receive a new life. (See Romans 6:1-8.) That is why Paul emphasises *Christ’s death and *resurrection here.

Paul tells the people to declare, ‘Jesus is *Lord.’ The word ‘*Lord’ has two meanings. Slaves would call their master, ‘*Lord’. The word shows that the slave intends to obey his master. In the same manner, Christians should obey Jesus completely (John 13:13-16).

But the word ‘*Lord’ is also a translation of God’s most *sacred name. So Paul was emphasising that Jesus is God. And Paul said that this belief was essential for Christians to declare.

In verse 9, Paul is describing the moment when a person becomes a real Christian. For the first time, that person has real *faith in God. That person believes in his or her heart. It is not sufficient simply to say the words without *faith. But if that person is sincere, God will give *faith to that person (Matthew 7:7-8). And the actual words that a person speaks at that moment do not always need to be these words. But these are good words to say.

In fact, ‘Jesus is *Lord’ was the earliest form of *creed. People would declare in public, ‘Jesus is *Lord’ at their *baptism. Afterwards, they would continue to tell other people about their *faith (1 Peter 3:15). *Christ will never disappoint anyone (Isaiah 28:16). He will *save everyone who trusts him.

Verses 12-13 *Christ is *Lord of both *Jews and *Gentiles. *Christ offers *salvation to everyone. He will *save everyone who asks him. Paul uses words from Joel 2:32 to emphasise this. Peter used the same words at the end of his speech on the day called *Pentecost (Acts 2:21).

Paul answers *Jewish excuses 10:14-21

v14 But people cannot call upon the name of the *Lord unless they believe in him. And they cannot believe in him if they have not heard about him. And they cannot hear about him unless someone *preaches to them. v15 And nobody will *preach unless someone sends that person. So, the *scripture says, ‘It is wonderful when someone goes to declare a good message.’ v16 But people do not always obey the good message. In fact, Isaiah wrote, ‘*Lord, it seems that nobody believes our message.’ v17 So *faith comes when people hear the message. And the message that people hear is the word of *Christ. v18 But I consider that the people in *Israel heard God’s message. It is as the *scripture says:

‘The sound of their message has gone out into all the earth.

People have heard their words even in distant places across the world.’

v19 And also, I consider that the people in *Israel understood God’s message. First, Moses says:

‘I (God) will choose people whom you do not even consider to be a nation.

And I will make you jealous.

I will choose people who seem foolish.

And I will make you angry.’

v20 And Isaiah declares boldly what God says,

‘People who were not looking for me have found me.

I have shown myself to people who did not ask for me.’

v21 But Isaiah also explains what God says about *Israel,

‘All day long I have appealed to these people.

But they continuously refuse to obey me. And they oppose me.’

Verses 14-15 These words are still true today. Nobody can believe in *Christ unless that person has heard about him. People cannot hear about *Christ unless someone tells them. God must send someone to tell them the good news.

A person must have *faith in order to please God. The opposite of *faith is unbelief. But when many people hear the *gospel, their reaction is unbelief. In this passage, Paul is thinking about the reasons for this reaction. Especially, he is thinking about the *Jews. Paul was himself a *Jew. God had given many benefits to the *Jews. But still most *Jews had refused to accept *Christ. Paul shows that there is no proper excuse for unbelief.

1. Verse 15 Someone might try to explain this unbelief. Perhaps the people would believe if they heard God’s message. But that explanation cannot be correct. Someone can only show unbelief after they have heard a message. Paul refers to Isaiah 52:7 to show how the people had heard God’s message. In that verse, the person was bringing the good news about freedom to the *Jews. They could return from Babylon where they were prisoners. Paul knows that the *Jews have heard the good news of freedom from *sin. Because of *Christ’s death, God will free everyone who accepts him, both *Jews and *Gentiles.

2. Verse 16 Not everyone believed the good news, even if they had heard it. Paul showed that this was true in Isaiah’s time. Nobody would believe God’s message about his suffering servant (Isaiah 53:1). That message about the suffering servant was a *prophecy about Jesus’ death. Jesus died on the *cross so that God would forgive people’s *sin. But not everyone obeys God’s message. The reaction of many people is unbelief.

3. Verses 17-18 *Faith comes when people hear the message. That is, the message about *Christ. But the *Jews could not say that they had no opportunity to hear this message. Paul replies with words from Psalms 19:4. The words describe how the sun, moon and stars are like witnesses to God, their *Creator. Paul uses the words to mean that the *Jews have heard. It is true that the *gospel message has still not gone out through the whole world. But many *Jews lived in the countries round the Mediterranean Sea. Paul knew that they had been able to hear the *gospel. Paul himself had *preached it in many cities.

4. Verses 19-20 Someone might say, ‘Even if people had heard the message, they might not understand it.’ Paul answers with words from the two main parts of the *Hebrew Bible. These parts are the law and the *prophets.

God spoke by means of Moses. God said that he would make the *Jews jealous of the *Gentiles (Deuteronomy 32:21). Already Paul has used Hosea’s message (Hosea 2:23) about people who were not God’s people (Romans 9:25). Nobody had taught the *Gentiles about God. So they were people who ‘did not understand’. Paul adds a *prophecy from Isaiah (65:1). Isaiah’s message to the *Israelites was very bold. God would show himself to people who were not looking for him. In other words, God would *save people who were *Gentiles. Paul has already explained how God *saved *Gentiles because of their *faith. But many *Jews did not have *faith. Instead, they showed unbelief. God offers *righteousness as a free gift. But they wanted to become *righteous by means of their own efforts. And that is impossible (Romans 9:30-32).

5. Verse 21 The answer to all these excuses was in Isaiah (65:2). Most *Jews did not hear or understand the *gospel because of their *sinful attitudes. Because of their unbelief, they would not obey the *gospel. All during their history, God had appealed to the *Jews. Like a father, God held out his hands, ready to receive them like a child. But they did not want to obey him. They wanted to achieve *salvation by their own efforts. But that is simply not possible. God offers *salvation as a free gift to everyone who trusts him. That is the only way to receive *salvation. And it is available to both *Jews and *Gentiles.

Roman ~ a person from the city called Rome, or a description of anything that has a relationship with Rome. Rome was the most important city in the world at the time when Paul wrote this letter. It was the capital city where the Emperor lived.
Emperor ~ ruler over many countries.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; the things that Christians believe about Jesus.
Israel ~ another name for Jacob, who was an ancestor of the Israelites. Israel became a name for the country where the Israelites lived. And Israel is also a name for all the Israelites.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Israelite ~ the people that are Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
salvation ~ rescue from evil things; when God forgives us our evil deeds.
righteous ~ good, holy.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.
Lord ~ God; the word that we may use for Jesus when we obey him; someone who rules or who is a master.
save ~ to rescue from the power of sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.

'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Gentile ~ someone hwo is not a Jew, or, a description of anything that has a relationship to people who are not Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
sacrifice ~ something which people offer to God, especially an animal that they killed as a gift to God. Jesus’ death was the perfect sacrifice because, by his death, he freed people from sin.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
gospel ~ good news.
apostle ~ someone who goes out to preach about Jesus; one of the 12 men whom Jesus sent out.
preach ~ to tell and to explain the good news about Jesus.
resurrection ~ when a dead person becomes alive again.
sacred ~ special for God.
creed ~ a statement of belief.'baptise, baptism ~ use water as a sign that Christ has freed a person from sin.
baptism ~ when they put a person into water, or put water on a person; the way that we show to everyone that we belong to Christ and his church.
Christ ~ the Greek word for Messiah, that is, Jesus.
sin ~ evil deeds against God’s law; or to do such deeds.
church ~ (1) all Christians; (2) members of a local group of Christians.
Greek ~ the language in which the authors wrote the New Testament; or a word that describes anything that came from the country called Greece; or the people who came from Greece; or anyone who followed the same culture as people from Greece.
Messiah ~ the Jews’ word for the king who would come to rescue them; the Christ (that is, Jesus).

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, about Jesus and the early church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
Pentecost ~ the time when God gave his law to the Jews; the time when God gave the Holy Spirit to the church.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
holy ~ something or someone that is special for God.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.

'Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
prophecy ~ words that God gave someone to speak or to write down; especially, a message from God about the future.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that people have fixed together in the shape of a cross. Soldiers would attach a criminal to a cross in order to kill that person.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; the things that Christians believe about Jesus.
Creator ~ God, who created everything.
Hebrew ~ the language that the Jews spoke.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
prophet ~ a person who told the people what God wanted.
Israelite ~ the people that are Jews.

Jew, Jewish ~ a person whose ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
ancestors ~ people or members of the family or nation in the past.
righteousness ~ goodness; a right relationship with God.
relationship ~ a friendship; or way in which people know each other.
sinful ~ sinful people do things against God or other people; they do not obey God's commands; they do not do what God wants them to do; sinful actions are actions that are against God’s commands.