Romans 9: 30 – 10: 21
Is Jealousy good or bad?
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.” 20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” 21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands Israel Rejects the Gospel to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Is Jealousy Good or Bad?
When we think about jealousy we look at it as if it is a negative emotion or a bad habit we have.
The most common association that comes to mind is usually with revenge or anger. A typical example would be a romantic relationship were being jealous of your partner is a common perception. It can also be associated with the feeling of desperately wanting something someone else has.
It is proven with time that jealousy can lead to making bad decisions and regretting a certain type of unhealthy attitude. However, there is a way that the feeling of envy can be a good thing. The craving for something we do not possess can help us grow and improve ourselves. It can be the fuel we need to accomplish our goals and ambitions. So, can we use jealousy as a boost for our self-growth?
Being jealous is part of our initial instincts. It is a natural emotion which sadly often leads to self-destructive behavior. Envy can also be considered as a negative feeling which makes us blindly want things we can’t have. The thin line between jealousy and envy is that jealousy can also serve as motivation and provoke us to do something for ourselves. In fact, little amounts of jealousy can be beneficial to keeping a relationship together or even make us more considerable and careful with our actions towards others.
Furthermore, there is another difference between jealousy and envy. Envy is more about what you don’t have while jealousy relates to an emotional attachment. When you see a person driving by in a car that you always wanted and you start making up scenarios in your head why this person should be so entitled, that’s envy. Yet if you wish one day to be financially stable or successful like that person you just saw driving your dream car and you are willing to work for it, that’s healthy jealousy.
Envy is based on the feeling of unfairness in a combination of fear and weakness. It often arouses in competitive environments where people are valued by their accomplishments or their possessions. Unfortunately, this describes a great number of our lives as social human beings. Well, we might not be able to change that, but we are capable of appreciating others’ achievements, aren’t we? As a matter of fact, we can also use this as an inspiration to be better people.
What is important here is where exactly do you put your focus on. It is okay to be jealous but only if this jealousy doesn’t convert into negative envious energy. When you feel like wanting something you don’t have or when you are wishing to have the accomplishments someone else has, take a step back and reconsider your own mindset. Ask yourself “Why am I having these feelings?”, “Why do I feel inferior to this person?” and take your time to reevaluate your goals.
You need to understand that jealousy is not concentrated in the other person’s attainment. Its core is all about you and your own perspective about the situation. Once you see that, you will be able to transform the negative feelings of jealousy into a good motivational strategy for self-improvement. You can learn from another person’s success rather than be envious about it.
Along with that, you can adjust your ambitions to be more applicable to the things you really want in your life and to focus your energy into getting where you want to be in life. Hence, you will effectively use jealousy for your own prosperity and your life will be fulfilled and purposeful.
Our Creator God loves the nation of Israel. He desires that no one should perish. We will learn that He put into His plans to use us Gentiles to arouse a jealousy for the Jews. Sadly, the majority instead of repenting and accepting His Anointed Holy One our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ they remain stiff neck and refuse to come to Him.
There is now a vast change in Paul’s argument, for it will be noted that from chapters 9.30-10.17 Paul lays huge emphasis on faith and on believing in Jesus Christ, this in contrast with 9.6-29 where they are not mentioned. Faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah undergirds this whole passage. The Greek words for faith and/or believing occur in almost every verse, with those verses which do not contain the words being in specific contrast with a verse that does. And the faith that is in mind is faith in the Messiah. Furthermore, even in 10.17--21, which contain citations from the Old Testament Scriptures, faith and unbelief, although only mentioned once, underlie all that is said. Faith and belief are thus the keynote of this passage, and it is faith in Jesus as Messiah and LORD. Here then Paul is explaining how the Jews overall came short. It was because they did not respond in faith to their Messiah, Whose coming was the greatest of all the privileges that God had given them (9.4-5).
In 9.1-29 Israel came short because of God’s elective purposes, the message being that God had always purposed that only a remnant would be saved. Here they come short because of unbelief in that they have failed to believe in the Messiah. We thus have human responsibility going hand in hand with God’s sovereignty.
A second emphasis in this passage, although subordinate to the first, is on ‘righteousness’, which occurs at least ten times (although in clusters), all of which are in 9.30-10.10. Paul is here seeking to bring out the difference between righteousness attained by works, which is the righteousness of men, and righteousness resulting from faith in the Messiah, a central feature of 3.19-4.25, which is the righteousness of God.
1). The Gentiles who did not follow after righteousness (the righteousness of the Law) attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith (acceptability in God’s eyes through the righteousness of Christ (5.17-18) received by faith (3.22), which resulted in practical righteousness), while Israel who followed after the Law of righteousness, did not arrive at the Law because they sought it by works and not by faith, failing to believe in the Messiah (9.30-33). Here receiving the righteousness of God by faith in the Messiah is contrasted with following the Law and seeking to achieve it (or with pursuing the Law and failing to overtake it).
2). Israel were ignorant of God’s righteousness, and sought to establish their own, thus not subjecting themselves to the righteousness of God, which is found in Christ. Thus, as Christ (the Messiah) is the end of the Law for righteousness (the righteousness of God) to everyone who believes (10.3-4), their failure was in not believing, and as a result failing to receive the benefit from what He had accomplished. Here an emphasis is laid on the ignorance of the Jews as to what true righteousness was, with the consequence that they failed to recognize the need for the righteousness of God, thereby failing to recognize that their Messiah had come as the final fulfilment of that Law.
3). Moses wrote that the man who does the righteousness out of the Law will live thereby, but the righteousness out of faith says if you believe in your heart that Jesus Is LORD and that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved, for with the heart man believes unto righteousness (10.5-10). Here the vain attempt to seek ‘life’ by the Law, is contrasted with the sure way of receiving ‘life’ and salvation through the acceptance of Jesus as LORD.
We may see the whole passage as having as its central theme, faith in Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah, a faith which responds to Him and which results in reception of the righteousness of God, this being in contrast with Israel’s unbelief and refusal to respond to God’s way of righteousness. It is those who call on the Name of the LORD who will be saved (10.13), that is, those who believe on ‘Jesus as LORD’ (10.9).
Paul emphasizes that the believing Gentiles, by responding to the Messiah, have attained to the righteousness which is of faith, the righteousness which was God’s gift to them through Christ. They had discovered that ‘he who believes on Him will not be put to shame’ (verse 33), that is, will have nothing to be ashamed of in the eyes of God the Judge when he comes before Him for judgment. In contrast unbelieving ‘Israel’, by rejecting their Messiah, and seeking righteousness by works, have stumbled and fallen on the Messianic stumbling stone (verse 32).
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
The statement ‘What shall we say then?’ connecting with the previous discussion. It summarizes the situation from a new point of view. For here there is certainly a movement from the idea of God’s election, where all was of God’s decree, to that of man’s faith and belief, where man is responsible for his actions and attitudes. Prior to this all had been due to the sovereignty of God. God had been active in choosing out a remnant for Himself (8.29-30). Now, suddenly, emphasis is laid on man’s faith or unbelief as a deciding factor (constantly throughout 9.30-10.17), and it is faith or unbelief in the Messiah. Here is the human side of why the majority of Israel has been rejected. It was because they had rejected their Messiah. In contrast believing Gentiles, conjoined with the believing remnant of Israel, have been accepted because they have believed in Him.
Paul is here dealing with what was a sticking point for Jews, that so many Gentiles were being saved, and on so simple a basis. They had been willing to accept that Gentiles could become a part of Israel, by being circumcised, after having gone through a process of instruction and Law keeping. What they could not stomach was this new mass movement in which Gentiles were being immediately included among the elect because of believing in Christ, without being circumcised and without being instructed in the Law. Paul, therefore, now explains the basis of it. Why are so many Gentiles being saved even though they had not followed the path of righteousness? (That is, they had not been Law-keeping Jews, nor had they submitted themselves to a probationary period under the Law). It is because they have ‘attained to righteousness’, the righteousness of God, the righteousness which is the consequence of faith and is given freely to those who believe in Jesus Christ. And as the whole of Romans 1-8 has demonstrated, this righteousness is based on the Messiah Jesus, and on what He has done for them. As verses 32-33 emphasize, it was Israel’s failure to believe in Him that was the reason for their downfall. ‘The righteousness of faith’ is thus that righteousness which is received as a gift in consequence of the righteousness provided by the Messiah, and it is received through faith.
In contrast with the believing Gentiles, who had attained to righteousness through accepting the free gift of Christ’s righteousness, were unbelieving Israel, who while ‘following after a law of righteousness’ did not arrive at it. (We might have expected Paul to say, ‘following after righteousness’ or ‘following after the righteousness of the Law’ (10.5) in contrast with what he had said of the Gentiles. But instead he speaks of ‘following after the Law of righteousness’. This was an important emphasis. For by stressing ‘the Law of righteousness’ he was bringing out what they really did seek. He was emphasizing that what they sought was not true righteousness but a synthetic kind of righteousness which was comprised of obedience to the Law in accordance with their own interpretation of it. They were ‘following the Law’, and in practice the idea of ‘real righteousness’ was secondary. It passed them by. What they were more concerned with was ‘observing the Law’. For they had convinced themselves that by doing this they would please God, and observe the covenant. They saw it as their side of the bargain with God. To them the be all and end all had become ‘following the Law’ as interpreted by the Rabbis so as, in their eyes, to observe the covenant. But the problem with this was that they had by this observed the letter of the Law rather than the spirit of the Law. They had put their whole effort into observing it without any real concern as to whether they were truly being righteous, and thereby many had convinced themselves that they were righteous, when all they were was self-righteous. For as Jesus had said, ‘you tithe mint, and anise, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the Law, judgment and mercy and faith’ (Matthew 23.23). Paul is saying that on the whole they had no conception of true righteousness.
And the consequence of this was that they had not ‘arrived at the Law’. They had not attained to it. They had failed to fulfil it. Indeed they had fallen far short of it. They had not even come close to achieving it. And this was because they had failed to observe its spirit, to love God wholly from the heart and to love all men as themselves (both their neighbor and the stranger who lived amongst them - Leviticus 19.18). All the Law could do, therefore, was condemn them, as Paul had made clear in 2.1-3.20. So ‘not arriving at the Law’ indicates their falling short of it, and it brings out that what they really feared was not ‘falling short of righteousness’, but ‘falling short of the Law’ which they had turned into a list of rules. They had done what it is so easy to do, they had replaced the spirit with the letter.
32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
And why did they fail to ‘arrive at the Law’? That is fail to fulfil it to the Law’s satisfaction. It was because they had sought to fulfil it in the wrong way. They had thought that they could achieve it ‘by works’, that is, by hard endeavor, and by their own efforts. And many had struggled manfully to that end, like Paul had once done, but they had inevitably failed, because for sinful man it was unachievable. What they should rather have done was respond to the righteousness of God which was by faith in their Messiah, in Jesus Christ (3.22), receiving it as a free gift. Then the righteousness of the Law would have been fulfilled in them (8.4).
But to believe in Jesus Christ Who had brought them the true significance of the Law (Matthew 5-7), and Who had brought righteousness through faith in Him (5.14-21), was beyond them. For if He was right then they, and all they had lived for, were wrong. They stumbled at the stumbling stone of which the Scriptures had spoken, the stumbling stone of the Messiah. (As men always stumble at and are annoyed with God’s ways). He was a stumbling stone because the way of salvation that He had brought was contrary to the ideas of men, and in their eyes, with their false emphasis, was contrary to the Law of Moses. Christ crucified was for them a stumbling block (1 Corinthians 1.23). They had failed to see that the Law of Moses and the prophets pointed to a righteousness of God obtainable through Christ and through His death. And so, their pride in their own viewpoint was too great to enable them to accept His offer. They were so tied up with religious forms and ceremonies, and with the ‘traditions of the elders’, and were so proud of them, that as a result His way appeared too simple. It offended their religious perspectives and attitudes. He became both a stumbling stone, a stone which tripped them up, and a rock of offence, a rock on which they hurt themselves.
Paul then illustrates this with citations from Scripture which had by this time come to be seen by many as referring to the Messiah (this reference of it to the Messiah is found e.g. in some of the Targums, the Aramaic paraphrases of the Old Testament Scriptures which had been developed for synagogue use). His citation is “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, and he who believes on him will not be put to shame.” This is a combination of Isaiah 28.16 with Isaiah 8.14. Isaiah 28.16 reads, ‘Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, of sure foundation. He who believes will not make haste.’ Isaiah 8.14 reads, ‘and He will be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel.’ Paul thus condensed the two verses to bring out that for the majority of Israel hope and sureness were replaced by unbelief and stumbling. He takes the opening and closing clauses in Isaiah 28.16 and inserts within them a portion (paraphrased) of Isaiah 8.14 because, sadly, He Who was intended for a foundation and a Sanctuary for Israel, was to turn out rather to be a stumbling stone and rock of offence for a large part of Israel. On the other hand, for those who believed in Him there would be nothing to be ashamed of. They could rest confidently in Him without shame, not racing about trying to find a solution. He sees the unbelief of a large part of Israel concerning the Messiah as already prophesied in Scripture.
The reason that Israel have not been saved is because they sought their own righteousness (a lowered standard of righteousness based on the traditions of the elders), and refused to submit to the righteousness of God, a true righteousness which came up to God’s perfect requirement, which was to be found in the Messiah. They were so taken up with their own efforts after righteousness that they were ignorant of this righteousness of God. They missed the point of what Scripture was saying. And thus they failed to recognize that Christ (the anointed Messiah) had brought righteousness for everyone who believes, a righteousness which could be ‘reckoned to them’, a righteousness obtainable simply through faith (3.24-4.25). Meanwhile in contrast to their situation is the fact that, for those who believe in Him, the condemnation of the Law is rendered inoperative, for Christ (the Messiah) is ‘the end of the Law unto righteousness for all who believe’.
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
Paul now diverts (‘brothers and sisters’) in order again to express his deep regret over the fact that the Jews are not saved, for this is his great desire that they might find eternal life. And he explains how he longs that they might be so by believing in their Messiah. He points out that his feelings concerning them are so deep that he prays from ‘the good pleasure of his heart’ to God on their behalf ‘unto their salvation’. What ‘unto salvation’ means in this context is defined in 10.10. It is the consequence of confessing Jesus as LORD. And this is what he longs that the Jews might experience. He quite clearly does not believe that they could be saved while they continued as Jews and in rejection of the Messiah. This is apparent from the whole context, for as he has emphasized, they had failed to submit to the Messiah (verses 3-4); they had not subjected themselves to the righteousness of God (verse 3); they were ignorant of God’s righteousness (verse 3); they had stumbled at the stumbling stone of the Messiah (9.32-33); and they had not arrived at the Law (9.31). As 2.1-3.19 has brought out they had failed in their attempt to fulfil the Law. They were a disobedient and obstinate people (10.21). It is clear then that at this present time they were not seen as in process of being saved.
This expression of Paul’s deep concern was important, for it brought home to the Jewish Christians that he was not complacent over the situation of the Jews, and that he had not denied his ancestry. Rather he was stressing that he was deeply concerned that they should participate in what the Messiah, Who had been born among them, had brought. The Gentile Christians should therefore note that Jews were not to be despised by them.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
The tragedy of the Jews was that while they had a kind of zeal for God, (no people were more religious than they), their zeal was ‘not in accordance with knowledge’. In other words, their zeal was operating outside revealed truth. They had failed to interpret the Scriptures correctly. They were thus ignorant of the truth. For those Scriptures had pointed to a humble Messiah, and they had stressed the need for ‘circumcision of the heart’ (and for a work to take place in their hearts. But this was something that they had failed to recognize. The very truth that they believed that God had given them was instead condemning them, because what the Law gave them was the knowledge of sin (3.20), while on the other hand they had overlooked the emphasis of the Scriptures on the fact that their righteousness was to come from God. In seeking to establish their own righteousness by constant obedience to the Law of Moses (in accordance with the traditions of the elders), they were merely compounding their sins. This was because the Law continually condemned them, while they themselves were missing out on much of what the Scriptures taught.
And this state of affairs resulted from the fact that they were ignorant of the righteousness of God and did not submit themselves to it. It was the free gift of righteousness, a righteousness which God had brought to His people in Jesus Christ the Messiah because of His death for them. They had failed to submit to the Messiah and the message that He had brought. They had failed to submit to the truth.
‘Seeking to establish their own (righteousness).’ There is an echo here of Deuteronomy 9.4-6 where Moses pointed out to Israel that it was not because of their own righteousness that God was giving them the land, but rather in fulfilment of the word of the Lord given in His promises to their fathers (Deuteronomy 9.5), a permanent reminder that God’s promises are not contingent on ‘our own righteousness’ but on His elective purposes. There too they were called on to respond to the word of the Lord, not depending on their own righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
For if they would only recognize it their Messiah had come, the Messiah (Christos) Who ‘is the end of the Law unto righteousness to everyone who believes.’ This phrase can be interpreted in two ways, for the Greek word telos can signify either ‘the aim, final intention of the Law’ or ‘the cessation of the Law’. Both are in fact true, although the second is more likely, because in the Scriptures telos usually means ‘cessation’.
Taking the first meaning Paul would be saying that the Law pointed forward to Christ both in its prophecies and its ritual. When men’s attitude of heart was right, temporary righteousness was provided through sacrifices and offerings, but it had awaited the Supreme Sacrifice of Christ to make this truly effective (3.24-25). The whole system of sacrifices had pointed forward to the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah, as He bore our sins in His own body on the cross (. For, as chapter 3.21 has brought out, ‘a righteousness of God has now been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets’. That is, the Scriptures had pointed forward to this righteousness of God obtainable through faith in Christ.
But in another way Christ’s offering of Himself be having ‘rendered the Law inoperative’ as a way of passing judgment on men; as having ‘ended’ the Law, because through His offering He had provided the gift of righteousness for men, a righteousness which wholly satisfied the Law (5.15-19). For those who received Christ (the Messiah), God’s free gift of righteousness was provided, a righteousness that made them acceptable to God. Then the Law could no longer point the finger at them. Its reign was over. It was not that the Law was totally got rid of. It still fulfils its task of passing judgment on men. And it can still be a guide to man. Rather in Christ it was fulfilled. He vindicated it by His complete obedience to it. Thus it was seen as fulfilled in all who are His. In support of interpreting as ‘cessation of the Law’ are several Scriptures which indicate the same. ‘He abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments given in ordinances’ (Ephesians 2.15). ‘Having blotted out the bond written in ordinances, which was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to His cross’ (Colossians 2.14). It is made clear that through His offering of Himself, the power of the Law to bring Christians into judgment had ceased.
There is no more important thought than this, that the world is divided into two. On the one hand are those who are ‘under law’, whether that of the Torah or that of conscience. They are all subject to condemnation. On the other are those who are under Christ. For them there is no condemnation. They are accounted as righteous in God’s sight.
The purpose of Christ’s coming was in order to provide man with a righteousness which would stand the test in the Day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God (2.5), the Day when God judges the secrets of men (2.16).
there is a contrast between the life obtainable through the Law, and the full salvation available through Christ. In it Paul cites Moses in order to define the two righteousness’s, and then explains exactly how men can achieve the righteousness which is by faith. It is by confessing Jesus as LORD and believing that God vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead. And this is true for both Jew and Gentile, for Jesus Christ is LORD of ALL.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
Paul is satisfied that he has now paid enough attention to the situation of the Jews about righteousness, and thus refers to it only briefly as ‘the righteousness which is of the Law’. His concentration is rather now on presenting the positive side of the Gospel. He refers to the righteousness which is of the Law again to contrast it with the Gospel and in so doing brings out important aspects of it. Moses had written that ‘the man who does the righteousness which is of the law will live by it’. The reference is to Leviticus 18.5 where it says, ‘you will therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a man does he will live in them’. This reference is used by Paul in Galatians 3.12 to evidence the fact that ‘the Law is not of faith’. It can hardly therefore have any other meaning than that here.
Here then ‘the righteousness which is of the Law’ is defined as ‘keeping God’s statutes and judgments’, and this had very easily slipped from being a loving and grateful response to the God Who had redeemed them, which was what God had intended, to being in practice a determination to observe a highly detailed set of rules which they saw as explaining God’s requirements. They got bogged down in the detail. And this was in the hope that they would thereby ‘fulfil the covenant’ from their point of view, so that God would have to fulfil it from His. They saw the ultimate consequence of this as being that they would receive ‘life’, and their perception of ‘if a man do he will live in them’ was that it referred to the way in which a man could have eternal life. What Moses was, of course, meaning was that men could thereby enjoy fullness of life (he had no real conception of eternal life). But the two do equate in that ‘eternal life’ in its earthly aspect is indeed fullness of life (John 10.10). In this, in the view of the Jews, lay the Jew’s hope of final salvation.
Please note the emphasis on ‘doing’. It appealed to those who believed in a righteousness resulting from works. But Moses was not thinking in those terms. He was concerned with what followed redemption, and was stressing the benefits of then obeying God, an emphasis with which Paul would have agreed. But the Jews misunderstood it and saw it as teaching that the way to eternal life was by doing the Law, that is, that doing the Law as an important part of the covenant would cause them to inherit the benefit of eternal life. It is this idea which Paul is seeking to counter.
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “?‘Who will descend into the abyss?’?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
In contrast with the righteousness which is of the Law is the righteousness which is of faith. This presents us with a totally different picture. Whereas ‘observing the Law had required a constant, and unavailing struggle, the righteousness which is of faith was obtained solely by truly believing in the Messiah Who had died for them and risen again, and by genuinely confessing Him as LORD. It did not require great effort. It required submission and trust, and subsequently a whole change of attitude.
Paul exemplifies this in terms of Deuteronomy 30.11-14, although altering it from referring to God’s commandment, to referring to the Messiah, who is, of course, God’s Word. It will be noted, however, that he does not in this case refer to his words as Scripture. There is no ‘the scripture says’, or ‘it says’, or ‘it is written’. It is ‘the righteousness of faith’ that ‘speaks’. It is thus an explanation of the righteousness which is by faith. The wording then, although mainly taken from Scripture, is not necessarily being cited as Scriptural evidence. He is rather using what Moses says about God’s commands as being something readily available and applying it to the Messiah as Someone Who is readily available.
Just as it was with God’s commands to Israel so was it with the Messiah. We do not have to find some means of accessing Heaven to bring the Messiah down, for He has been sent by God and is already present among us. We do not have to descend into the depths of the nether world to bring the Messiah up from the dead, for He is already risen. No huge effort or mysticism is required, for the Messiah is not far away but near at hand.
In Amos 9.2 the idea of accessing Heaven or descending to the nether world was that of a task of great difficulty resulting from sheer desperation, something attempted to escape the hand of God. Something that the Psalmist knew was foolish to attempt, for they would find God there (Psalm 139.8). So, Moses and Paul are thinking of a task of great difficulty, possibly even of desperation, as men seek God’s truth. But Paul’s point is that in the case of finding the Messiah it was unnecessary. He had come among us to reveal Himself to us. We may also see here that the Messiah was sent down from Heaven, and raised up from the nether world, in order that men and women may be able to access Him. That was why He was available. God had already done the difficult work for us.
On the other hand, if we bear in mind that Jesus as the Messiah was seen as ‘God’s Word to man’ (John 1.1-18), and as the One ‘through Whom God had spoken’ (Hebrews 1.2), we can see why Paul could associate Him in his mind with ‘God’s commandment’, seeing Him as God’s final commandment to men. In support of this is the reference to ‘the word’ which is ‘near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (verse 8). However, it may be that Paul was deliberately contrasting ‘the commandment’ with the Messiah in order to emphasize by the substitution the contrast between works on the one hand and faith in the Messiah on the other. Either way the emphasis is on the fact that the Messiah is near at hand for all who would call upon Him.
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
But what does the righteousness which is of faith say? It says that ‘the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’, this word referring to ‘the word of faith’ (the word that produces faith) preached by the Apostles, and by Paul’s assistants. It is saying that it is readily to hand and easily available, affecting both mouth and heart, for it is receivable through faith. And the content of that word is now made clear in verse 9. The fact that it is ‘in your mouth and in your heart’ explains the next verse and why Paul speaks of confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart, for the content of that word is Jesus as LORD, and the resurrection.
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
What was required in order to be saved was confessing with the mouth Jesus as LORD, and believing in the heart that God had raised Him from the dead, (that is, had vindicated Him as the true Messiah, as the only One so raised). An open willingness to confess with the mouth what we believe about Jesus was thus seen as important. As Jesus had said to His disciples, ‘everyone therefore who will confess Me before men, him will I also confess you before My Father in Heaven’ (Matthew 12.32). The main idea behind this was not so much witnessing, as being willing to take a stand when challenged. So to receive the righteousness which comes from faith it was necessary to take an open stand on the fact that Jesus is LORD and to believe that God had vindicated Him and revealed the truth about Him through the resurrection, thereby demonstrating that He is the true and only Son of God (1.3-4). In other words, receiving the righteousness that comes from faith requires belief in Who Jesus really Is, ‘the Son of God with power’, and belief in Him, and open acknowledgement of Him, as LORD.
The word ‘LORD’ here has in mind the title of YHWH in the Old Testament. At some stage YHWH was almost always translated as ‘LORD. There is certainly evidence that prior to the time of Jesus the Jews were doing this orally. And it is quite clear from Old Testament citations in the New Testament that the early church did the same from the beginning (Acts 2.21, 25). The use of LORD (kurios) to signify YHWH is clearly attested. Therefore Paul can constantly link God the Father with the LORD Jesus Christ on equal terms. He is thereby indicating their co-equality. Philippians 2.9-11 confirms this by informing us that, as a consequence of His resurrection, Jesus was declared to be LORD, which is the Name above every Name (i.e. the Name of YHWH), and had to be confessed as such, to the glory of God the Father, with people acknowledging Jesus as YHWH by bowing the knee and confessing Him as LORD (Philippians 2.10-11 with Isaiah 44.23).
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
This believing from the heart (that is, from the whole inner man) that God has raised Him from the dead (as the One Who had claimed to be the Messiah and had been crucified) will result in reception of the righteousness which comes from faith. The true and genuine confession of Jesus as LORD will result in salvation, because it will be by those who have committed themselves to Him as their Savior and Lord based on His death and resurrection. The Gospel is the power of God unto ‘salvation’ because in it the ‘righteousness’ of God is revealed. This paralleling of righteousness with salvation is common in the Old Testament, both in the Psalms and in Isaiah.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
The Scriptures confirm this need for faith, for they declare, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” (Isaiah 28.16), and in context this is referring to belief in the foundation stone, the precious cornerstone, a reference to the Messiah. What he is asking of the Jews is found in their own Scriptures, and they can be sure that if they respond to the Messiah they will have no cause to be ashamed. He will not fail them. With these words Paul also emphasizes the universality of the Gospel. It is for ‘whoever’, that is, for all. This is then confirmed in the next two verses.
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
The reference in Isaiah to ‘whoever’ is now seen by Paul as evidence that the Messiah is for all, something confirmed by the fact that He is LORD of all. Thus there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. All must respond to His Lordship. Previously we learned that there was no distinction because all have sinned (3.22-23), now there is no distinction because both are subject to His Lordship, even though with both Jews and Gentiles the large proportion will not call on Him.
‘For the same (Lord) is Lord of all and is rich unto all who call on him.’ Here Paul is emphasizing that Christ’s riches are given in equal measure to all. He has no favorites. He is rich to all who call on Him. He freely dispenses His love and grace towards all, just as God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2.4) and shows the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2.7). There it relates to His work of salvation (Ephesians 2.8-9). Here we may also see that the Messiah’s richness towards all has in mind His work of salvation. He saves both Jew and Gentile without distinction if they call on Him.
‘For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ’ In order to prove this, he again cites Scripture. The citation is from Joel 2.32 where it has in mind the coming Messianic age (the age of the Coming King). It was probably one commonly used in the early church (Acts 2.21). It was very suitable for Paul’s use here for it stresses the ‘whoever’. It refers to ‘salvation’. And it indicates the need to ‘call on the Name of the LORD’, and, in the context here, that means the LORD Jesus Christ. This referring of Old Testament Scriptures which speak of ‘the LORD’ (i.e. God) to the LORD Jesus Christ is evidence of the high view of Jesus held from the beginning. ‘To call on the name of --’ was, in Gentile circles, a technical description for the worship of a god. It is perhaps significant that Abraham, the father of believers, also ‘called on the Name of the LORD’ (Genesis 12.8). Those who do so are revealing themselves as children of Abraham.
That the noun LORD here refers to Jesus Christ and not to God the Father is apparent:
1). From the previous confession in the context that ‘Jesus Is LORD’ (verse 9).
2). From the applying of a verse of Scripture which has ‘the LORD’ in mind to the Messiah.
3). From the following verses where a closely linked reference is made to calling on Him in whom they have believed (verse 14), which, from what has been said previously, clearly refers to Jesus Christ (the whole chapter is about believing in Jesus Christ).
So, unless we totally cut verses 12-21 off from verses 1-11 it is clear that verses 12-21 also have Jesus Christ in mind, just as verses 1-11 do. Besides the citation would be pointless otherwise, for if we take it to refer to God the Father the Jews would have claimed that they already ‘called on the name of the LORD’, (even if not from a believing heart). Paul’s whole point is that by accepting Jesus as LORD, Scriptures referring to ‘the LORD’ can be applied to Him, and that the Jews have failed to recognize this and to call upon Him for salvation.
Having established that salvation is to be found through faith in Jesus the Messiah, and that it is being offered to ‘whoever’, the question would now arise as to how the ‘whoever’ would hear. So Paul now stresses that the necessary means for reception of the message are in place. God has sent out His Messianic messengers both to Israel and to the world in order to arouse faith in the Messiah, just as the Scriptures foretold (verses 14-15). On the other hand, the Scriptures also make clear that not all would respond, ‘Lord who has believed what we have reported?’, a question which was asked concerning Israel (verse 16). The principle is that for those who do believe, their faith comes through hearing God’s messengers who are bringing to them the word of the Messiah (verse 17). The unbelieving part of Israel have, however, not believed because they would not hear, as the prophets had made clear would happen.
Thus no one has any excuse. Were there any who had not heard? No. All had heard. For the fact that they had ‘heard the message’ is evidenced by the fact that the sound of God’s messengers ‘has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world’ (verse 18). All must therefore have heard, both Jew and Gentile. But if that is so what about Israel particularly? Why have they not believed? Did they not know? Of course, they knew about the message for those who did not believe within Israel were provoked to jealousy over, and made angry by, those who did receive it, as Moses had said would happen. That could not have happened had they not known about it.
Isaiah had also prophesied that this would happen, for while he had declared that the message was being received, he had also declared that it was being received by those who were no nation (they were not of the chosen nation) and were void of understanding (they did not fully observe, or did not even have, the Law and the prophets), that is, it was being received by the kind of Jews who were despised by the leadership, and it was being received by Gentiles. Thus, in accordance with Scripture, God was being found by, and manifested to, the Gentiles, in spite of their previous lack of seeking (verse 20), whilst the same Scriptures said concerning Israel that He would hold out His hands all day without response, because they were a disobedient and gainsaying people (verse 21). The Scriptures had prophesied both the reception of the Gentiles and the unbelief of Israel. Israel’s unbelief was not unexpected, for the Scriptures had declared that they would not believe.
So, a regular pattern reveals itself, considering on the one hand those who would hear and believe (believing Jews and Gentiles) and those who would not believe, (unbelieving Israel). Thus:
. Messianic messengers have gone out into the world that all men, both Jew and Greek (verse 12), might hear and believe through the word of Christ (the Messiah) (10.14-15). Unbelieving Jews have refused to listen to their message, and to the word of the Messiah, because they ‘would not hear’, as the Scriptures had made clear would happen concerning God’s Servant (verse 16).
. All, both Jew and Greek, have heard because the word has gone out into ‘the whole world’ (verse 18). But why then does Israel not believe? Can it be that they do not know? The fact that Israel do know of it, despite their being in a state of unbelief, is evidenced by their jealousy and anger over Christianity, as Moses had prophesied (verse 19). (The contrast between ‘did they not hear?’ and ‘did not Israel know’ suggests that the ‘they’ refers to verses 11-15, and thus refers to all men not just Israel.
. Isaiah says that those who did not seek God, or pray to Him, have found Him (verse 20), while Israel, to whom He has constantly held out His hands, are disobedient and speak against Him, as the Scriptures have made clear (verse 21).
Israel have refused to listen to Isaiah when he speaks (verse 16), Moses when he speaks (verse 19), and God when He speaks through Isaiah (verse 21). They thus reject the word of the prophets, the word of Moses, and the word of God. Believing Jews and Gentiles, however, receive the word with joy (verse 15), have all heard it (verse 18), and have all found Him (verse 20).
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
All, both Jew and Greek, are being offered salvation through faith (verses 10-13). But the question now arises as to how this message of salvation through the Messiah is to go out into the world. How is it to reach them? For men to believe, they must first hear. And for that to happen there must preachers. And for there to be preachers there must be those who are sent. There was, however, no problem with regard to this for the Scriptures had made clear that there would be those who were sent, that is, those who would bring to men the glad tidings of good things. That this refers to a ‘hearing’ by both Jews and Gentile is apparent from the link with ‘whoever calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved’, and with the fact that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek with respect to it (verses 14-15).
‘How shall they preach except they be sent.’ Paul no doubt has primarily in mind the sending out by Christ of the Apostles (those who have been sent forth), including himself and his crew. These are the ones through whom the true message of the Messiah has been proclaimed. But it also, of course, includes all who take out the Apostolic message.
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?”
But that not all would receive those glad tidings was also made apparent in Scripture, for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ (Isaiah 53.1). The idea is, ‘who has believed what they have heard from the messengers of the Messiah?’, and the answer expected in the context of Isaiah is ‘no one’ or ‘very few’. In Isaiah the question ‘Lord who has believed out report’ is then followed by a description of the humiliated Servant of YHWH Who will offer Himself up His people, and will make many to be accounted as righteous, thus the question is particularly apposite to preaching about the crucified Messiah. The question then is, ‘Who will believe it?’
To answer this question we must ask, who is the ‘they’ (in Paul’s letter) who did not listen? Certainly, it is possible to see the ‘who’ in Isaiah’s words as addressing a generalized ‘who’ which could have included anyone. It is a question open to everyone. But the ‘our’ limits the statement to the Jews, and this can be seen as supported by the fact that Paul’s reference is to unbelievers (‘they did not all listen’). As Paul, when he speaks of unbelief, has in mind the Jews (it was they who were without excuse), rather than Gentiles, who were not necessarily expected to believe, this would confirm that this applies to the unbelieving Jews.
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
All that has been stated in verses 14-16 has referred to a hearing of the Good News, with a view to believing it, there being the recognition that the Jews will not believe. Paul now brings out how important the hearing (verse 15) and the not hearing (verse 16) are, for he sees belief as a consequence of such hearing, that is of hearing ‘the word of Christ (Messiah)’. ‘The word of Christ’ means either the word concerning Christ (the Messiah), or the word preached by Christ (the Messiah) through His messengers. And it is this word of Christ (the Messiah) which, on being heard, results in belief. so that the way to true faith is through hearing and believing. The reason then why Israel are in unbelief is because they have not listened to the word of their God-sent Messiah.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Paul then asks the question as to whether in fact the Messianic message has not been heard (in order to emphasize that it has been). He is no doubt referring to an objection put by some that men had not heard the message. His reply is put in Scriptural terminology,
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”
The switch here to addressing Israel tends to confirm that what has been said previously was directed more widely, that is, as speaking to both believing Jews and Gentiles. So the question now is, but what about (unbelieving) Israel? Did they not know? That raises the issue of what it was they were supposed to know. In context there are two main possibilities. The first is as to whether they knew the message about the Messiah. That has been answered in verses 2-3. They were ignorant of God’s righteousness, brought by the Messiah. The second is as to whether they knew that God’s word would go out to the Gentiles. That might be answered in verses 14-15. (It is also answered in Isaiah 2.2-4). Since it is the preaching of the Gospel about the Messiah to the Gentiles which will arouse Israel to jealousy (11.11, 14), the first would appear to be more likely. For here Paul does cite Scripture authoritatively, when he declares what ‘Moses said’ (Deuteronomy 32.21). And what did Moses say? He said that God would provoke Israel to jealousy by means of a ‘no-nation’, and would anger them by means of a nation ‘void of understanding’, that is one that did not know the Law (something which the followers of Jesus were accused of (John 7.49) and was clearly applicable, as well, to Gentiles). But to be provoked to jealousy in this way Israel had to have become cognisant of what was being proclaimed. Thus it is clear that they did know what the messengers of the Messiah were teaching.
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” 21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands Israel Rejects the Gospel to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Paul then summarizes the situation as described above by two authoritative Scripture statements (seen as providing Scriptural authority because they are introduced by ‘Isaiah -- says’). The first declares that those who found God (the believing Jews, who were mainly from the despised element of Israel, together with the Gentiles) would not be those who sought Him (that is, the unbelieving Jews who prided themselves on seeking God), and that those who had God made manifest (openly shown) to them would be those who did not ask anything of Him (thus not the unbelieving Jews who asked for and expected a great deal).
The second is specifically referred to Israel and declares that God has long been holding out His hand ‘to a disobedient and gainsaying people’, in other words to the unbelieving Jews. The response of Israel to God’s compassion and mercy was that the Jews continued in opposition to Him, being both disobedient (they did not have the obedience of faith - 1.5), and obstinate (constantly speaking against Him). We have in this verse both a manifestation of the grace of God in holding out His hands to an unbelieving people, and a description of the meanness of spirit that causes them to reject Him. Israel is seen to be without excuse and therefore as awaiting the judgment of God.
(The fact that Paul here deals with believing Jews and Gentiles in verse 20, and then with unbelieving Jews in verse 21, confirms the idea that the two questions in verses 18 and 19 do the same, as we have suggested there).
