Romans 10:3

For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

'For' -Here Paul shows wherein they lacked knowledge. An explanation of 'not according to knowledge.'

'Being ignorant' -'not knowing about' (NASV). 'i.e. not recognizing. 'Being ignorant', is liable to the objection, that it may represent to the reader. state of "excusable" ignorance, whereas they had it before them and overlooked it.' (Alford p. 929). (Romans 10:18)

'God's righteousness' -how God makes the sinner 'right' with Him. (Romans 9:30; Romans 1:16-17)

'Seeking to establish their own' -

'These deeply religious people who have. great zeal for God but lack knowledge were ignorant in. basic area. They were ignorant of their own need, their own terrible need. They were ignorant of the only way to. right relationship with God. Verse. again reminds us of Israel's approach to righteousness. They felt they had to establish their own. This is what Paul meant in Romans 9:31-32. They turned the will of God, which was given to sinners to be. rule of conduct, and made of it. legal system by which one gained. right relationship with God by virtue of moral performance.'

'they did not subject themselves' -'they refused to accept with submission' (TCNT); 'They would not surrender to' (Mof).

'This was not vincible ignorance but invincible; not excusable but inexcusable; not merely not knowing but refusing to know when told (Romans 10:16-21). To be subjected to the righteousness of God is to bow to it in faith as being the only real righteousness that acquits us before God..and to forsake all our own righteousness by which we would seek to acquit ourselves.'

'Here was their central problem. They would not accept themselves on. par with all other men; they were not objects of mercy (i.e. in their own minds)..they stumbled at. God who asked for trust rather than sinlessness or earning.'

'Subject' is the keyword here. The best comment on this passage is found at John 8:31. Those who admit themselves bondservants of sin find it no hardship to enter the free service of Christ, but those whose pride and self-sufficiency and self-righteousness make them self-worshippers, can bring themselves to submit to no one.'

'Confident in their own righteousness, they have not yielded their hearts to. plan which requires them to come confessing that they have no merit.'

Many today stumble at this very point. (1) The morally upright in society, that don't see why they need to follow what the Bible says. (2) Those in the religious world that refuse to submit to God's simple conditions of salvation (i.e. Mark 16:16), but who insist on making up 'conditions' of their own.