Romans 10:12

οὐ γάρ ἐστι διαστολὴ Ἰουδαίου τε καὶ Ἕλληνος : this has been proved in one sense in chap. 3 there is no distinction between them in point of sin; it is now asserted in another sense there is no distinction between them in that the same Lord is waiting to save all on the same conditions. κύριος πάντων is best taken as predicate: the same Lord is Lord of all: cf. Acts 10:36; Philippians 2:10 f. Christ is undoubtedly meant: in His presence, in view of His work and His present relation to men, all differences disappear; there can be only one religion. πλουτῶν εἰς πάντας : abounding in wealth toward all. Christ can impart to all men what all men need the righteousness of God. Cf. Romans 5:15-17; Ephesians 3:8, τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. τοὺς ἐπικαλουμένους αὐτόν : cf. 1 C. Romans 1:2 where Christians are described as οἱ ἐπικαλούμενοι τὸ ὄνομα τ. Κ. ἡμῶν Ι. Χ. The formula, as the next verse shows, is borrowed from the Old Testament; and as Weiss remarks, Romans 10:13 sets aside every idea of a distinction between the invocation of God and that of Christ. To a Christian, as Paul conceives him, Christ has at least the religious value of God; the Christian soul has that adoring attitude to Christ which (when shown in relation to Jehovah) was characteristic of O.T. religion, See Acts 9:14; Acts 9:21; Acts 22:16 (Paul's conversion), 2 Timothy 2:22. It is a fair paraphrase of the words to say that salvation depends on this: whether a sinful man will make appeal for it to Christ in prayer, as to One in whom all God's saving judgment and mercy dwell bodily. It rests with Christ, so appealed to, to make a man partaker in the righteousness of God and eternal life.