Book of Romans
Lesson #24
Romans 10:1 – 10:11
For the last several chapters we have read the letter of Apostle Paul as he dealt with his own countrymen, the Jews, concerning the relationship between Law and Grace, or salvation through faith and not by obedience to the Law of Moses.
If one is not careful, it may become easy to think that Paul was against the Jews and thought that they just were never going to be converted to Christianity. Perhaps we might even think that he was about ready to throw in the towel and just the chips fall where they may concerning the Jews and their rejection of Jesus Christ.
But make no mistake about it; Paul loved his own people and was simply trying to say or do anything he could to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
In the first verse of chapter 10, we can see the nature of Paul’s heart toward Israel. No one could have cared for them more, except the Lord Himself.
Romans 10:1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
Can you sense the heart-cry of the Apostle as the calling of God inside of him to reach the lost at any cost had become the battle cry of his life in Christ? Paul had taken up his cross and followed Jesus. He wanted desperately to reach out and get the Jews to accept their Messiah.
Just as much as he had fought against Christianity before his conversion; now Paul fought hard, laying his life on the line many times, for the sake of the gospel while preaching to the Jews. Yet it was always the Jews themselves who were his worst enemy in the flesh. Everywhere Paul went, the Jews were there to try and destroy his ministry. Even when he was sent to preach the gospel among the Gentile nations, the Jews were there, trying to keep the Gentiles from believing on Jesus as well, or else trying to cast the bondage of obedience to the Law of Moses on them, weakening their faith.
You see, it is in Christ alone, and the atoning power of his blood that salvation is gained through faith. Nothing else is needed, and nothing else should ever be added to the power of the blood when preaching the gospel.
Yes there are things we must learn about sanctification of the flesh; and yes there is a life of holiness that Christians should live, but these are only the reflection of the light that is already in us. Obedience to a law never results in salvation of the soul. It only serves to the sanctification of the body. The heart is sanctified, cleansed, washed and made perfect through faith in the blood of Jesus alone. It’s only when we lose faith in Christ; or we turn away willfully, spurning again the power of the blood; that we can lose our way in Christ.
None of the threats, the arrests, the beatings, the cursings or being left for dead at least separate times in his ministry, would deter Paul from fulfilling the call of God on his life. Paul understood the eternal consequences of failing in your assigned mission(s).
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
What a dilemma the Jews found themselves in. In their limited understanding of the spiritual things of God, there is no one on earth that carries more zeal for what they know than the Jews. Even today, after thousands of years of being treated as outcasts in society, Israel still clings to the One True God. The nation still displays the Star of David on their official documents and their national flag as a symbol of their faith and belief in a coming Messiah. They are the most zealous people on the planet when it comes to holding on to their beliefs.
They alone had the Law and the Prophets for many years; and they alone even had a very personal visitation of the Son of God in the form of a man. They alone had the awesome privilege of having their leaders and high priests come face to face with the very presence of Almighty God in the glory cloud above the Mercy Seat.
Still they didn’t recognize, and refused to be taught about Jesus being God in human form among them, and they failed to accept the Messiah, and their Deliver. They had accepted the man called Moses who was the Messiah of the Exodus; but now One greater had come and Jesus was summarily rejected as a false teacher who deserved only to die for his sin of blasphemy
.
They had all of the head-knowledge of God they needed, but they had not allowed that knowledge to become real in their hearts and allow the fullness of his resurrection power to be made manifest in them. Their zeal was undeniable, but their spiritual understanding was darkened by sin, and all of their zeal would only serve to create their preconceived ideas of salvation. Zeal for God will only produce right fruits when that zeal comes from the heart and not just the head!
Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
The Bottom Line for the Jews, as well as for all the Gentiles, is that we cannot think that we can establish our own self-righteous path to salvation and expect it to work. We cannot create righteousness out of a sin-blackened heart no matter how much we might try.
A self-made religion won’t get you anywhere. Only the path to Righteousness that is laid before us at the cross, and then staying on that Path will ever allow us to be truly righteous.
We cannot help but say, AMEN, to the things that Paul is writing about now. If there was ever a day, in the entire course of human history, where we could fully identify with Paul, we are in those days now! It’s every man for himself; and every man trying to establish his own beliefs, or non-beliefs, in the power and presence of an Awesome God who really cares for mankind.
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
We understand this now, but the Jews still haven’t allowed this truth to settle into their hearts. The Law of Moses was fulfilled and nullified by the shed blood of Jesus, the Perfect Sacrifice. Jesus met every requirement of the Law for us, and through faith in his shed blood alone is salvation obtained.
Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
The Law of Moses gave the way to salvation, if a man could keep them. Righteousness is full obedience and full payment for any infraction of the Law. But they that would try to claim righteousness through the Law are required to live by them and never break even one. That’s impossible, since we are born into this world having already obtained the sin nature and living in rebellion against God. Therefore, for man, there is no righteousness by obedience to the law and we must depend upon Jesus to be our substitute for payment for our sin nature.
Romans 10:6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
Romans 10:7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
What man can claim to have initiated the birth of Jesus, bringing God in the form of flesh to be our perfect sacrifice? No man has that power!
Even Moses, who ascended up the mountain to talk to God at the burning bush, and when he climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Law as God wrote them on the stone tablets, though Moses is revered as the greatest prophet in Israel, and though he came face to face with God, he did not have the ability to bring God down. God came down first, because man could not reach into Heaven!
What man can say that he went into the grave after the crucifixion and brought Jesus back from the grave? Considering the ministry of Jonah the Prophet, who went down into the deep, and was delivered from the great fish to continue his work of preaching repentance; even Jonah never held the power of life and death to bring Jesus back.
Jesus alone is the resurrection and the life. No one else holds the keys of death, hell and the grave.
Certainly no man has the power to enter heaven, nor do we have power to raise the dead, simply by obeying the law. It’s all something that we must just accept by faith in what God alone has done.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
There is no reason to search high and low for the saving power, or to find a way to salvation through the law, or through the efforts of man. The plain and simple way of reconciliation is right in front of you. Salvation’s plan is plain and simple, and easy to find. Why try to complicate the way when we don’t have to?
The message of the Gospel, which is the way of salvation, is close by and the presence of Jesus to save is always within reach. The message that God’s ministers preach should always be simple, easily understood and easily accepted.
If someone wants to be saved; the way is easy! Just hear about the cleansing power of the blood, repent of sin and believe in Jesus, and then confess it with your mouth while you believe it with your heart.
Here is the simple message of the gospel and the way of salvation for the soul of man who desires to be saved from sin. It’s so simple that even a child can hear it, believe it and be saved.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Don’t complicate the way of salvation with a lot of rules, laws, regulation, requirements, or methods of mankind. Just make it simple; keep it simple; and let God do the rest!
I’m glad that God didn’t make it harder by including the obedience to the Law. The fact is that God want’s all men to be saved, so why would he make it hard to obtain salvation?
Jesus died that we all could be free from sin. God is not willing to allow any man to be lost and without hope. God creates the easy path; gives us hope for eternal life; and then provides his own payment for our sin.
There is no great show of repentance required; just a simple confession that we need a Savior because we have sinned!
There is no reason to go up and shake a preacher’s hand, or make a show out of water baptism, or wail and mourn in sorrow! God doesn’t require a performance, or a show. All he requires is an act of faith to confess that we are turning our lives around to follow Jesus, believing that he has already paid the price and we are free in him!
If we keep the gospel simple, making it easy for lost souls to find the way to the cross and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, then we will not fear having to face Jesus and be ashamed for having made the way hard.
But I fear that a different judgment awaits those who try make salvation complicated by adding their own requirements.
What will Jesus say to those who have caused many to be lost because of the religions of man that made it seem impossible to be saved? They won’t enter into Heaven, right along with those they have blocked from getting there.
It’s as the old statement says that I learned in the business world a long time ago that is explained in the acronym K.I.S.S., which means:
Keep It Simple Stupid! The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated. This was a principle established by the U. S. Navy back in 1960. Sometimes it’s stated as Keep it Short and Simple. Other times as Keep it Short and Sweet. Other times its stated as Keep it Simple and Straightforward! But it all means the same thing. Don’t complicate something that is meant to be easy!
God has made the way of salvation and obtaining eternal life and forgiveness of sin, so simple. Don’t try to take away from that simplicity, or add to it any requirements of men. God has made the way. Why should we strive to change what God has already finished?
What a great God we serve! Amen
