Romans 10:1-13

Romans 10:1-13

1Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

5Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: "The man who does these things will live by them." 6But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, ’Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) 7"or ’Who will descend into the deep?" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Paul starts off chapter ten with a hope and a prayer for the lost people of Israel. That is that God would some day open their hearts so that they may accept Christ for who He is, the Son of God.

Paul states here in verse two that the Israelites have zeal for God, but they lack knowledge. This knowledge that Paul is talking about here is not the kind of knowledge that you read from a book and are just aware of it in your mind. It is a knowledge that comes from your heart. The word for head knowledge in the Greek is gnosis, but here the word epignosis is used which has a much stronger and deeper meaning to it. It is a deep faith.

He goes on in verse three to say what knowledge it is that they are lacking in, and that is the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ the righteousness of God. They would not submit it says to Gods righteousness that is Christ, but chose instead to believe in a righteousness obtained by their works.

Nowhere in the bible does it ever say that being a good person or doing good things will ever earn you salvation. But if you truly have Christ in your heart you will reflect at least in part these attributes of Christ and others such as love & kindness.

Last week I said that it is God who gives you the gift of faith that allows you to come to faith in Christ. God also does not hinder as a whole everyone else in attempting to come to faith on their own. But I would say from what we see in the Bible I do not believe that you can do it on your own. The Jews for the most part did not receive from God the Gift of faith as a whole, but some did come to faith through Gods gift as we have seen in Romans. The church in Rome as we see was made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

God Himself we read in the Bible has also at times hardened some, but it is not as if He took someone that was in anyway deserving of salvation and then hardened them, they lacked faith and salvation from the beginning.

Paul quotes the Old Testament here in Romans 10 more than any other of his writings of similar size. He wants to make sure that those in Rome who will read his letter are fully aware that it has been clear from generation to generation that God has done His part in informing them of Christ’s coming and what that will look like. No excuses.

Then in verse 4 - Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Both Jew and Gentile have the open call to come to faith. The law of the Jews is no longer, it has come to an end with the new covenant of Christ. Christ now is the only way to salvation.

John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.