Romans 10

Saturday, 14 September 2013

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)… Romans 10:6

To contrast the preceding verse which spoke of actively doing deeds to attain the righteousness of the law, Paul begins with “But…” One would think that by showing a contrast, he would remove himself from the law and initiate a new discourse apart from it; he doesn’t. Instead, he goes right back to the very same law he just spoke of and he cites Deuteronomy 30:11-14 –

“For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.”

And so in 10:6, he cites a portion of this passage, “But the righteousness of faith…” Literally “of-faith righteousness.” He has personified righteousness and then causes it to describe itself – “The righteousness of faith speaks this way.” It is an ingenious way of showing us the source of righteousness.

Far too often, we look to the distant as better than the near. The saying “The grass grows greener on the other side of the fence” shows us this. From that springboard, we look at the more distant the fence, the greener the grass. When we look for wisdom, we don’t do it in our own household, but a college far away. And even better, we assume that we can travel to the Far East and attain the enlightened wisdom of those cultures. We look to Japan for business acumen, to China for better Kung-Fu, and to Tibet for spiritual enlightenment – as if they were the answer to our own failing wisdom.

Even Christian missionaries use the “far-away” logic. “I must travel across the seas to make a convert.” But one’s mission field can be in their own neighborhood; in their own family. Likewise, the righteousness of faith is found right in the precepts of the law as fulfilled in Christ. Understanding this, Paul notes the way faith-based righteousness calls out, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven.'”

Moses gave Israel the law which was near to them. It was to them their righteousness and it was handed to them as a people. All they needed to do was live within its precepts. They didn’t have to travel to foreign countries to find it, they didn’t need to search the heavens for it. Instead, it was right there for them to pursue. And the law they were given pointed directly to the coming work of Christ. In fact, the book of Hebrews clearly demonstrates that the fulfillment of the Mosaic and Levitical pictures are found in Him. He is the “greater than” of those types and pictures.

Now, with the fulfillment of those shadows clearly seen in the light of Christ – who came through Israel, there is much less need to “ascend into heaven. (that is, to bring Christ down from above.)” Such an attitude would be a denial of the incarnation. Christ has come down from above. To search for faith-righteousness in heaven after the coming of Christ would then be to deny what He has already accomplished.

Life application: Spiritual matters don’t require removing oneself to distant lands, either for education or execution. Jesus Christ is available to all by simple faith and His mission field is the entire world. One can serve Him wherever they are and one can fellowship with Him anywhere and at any time. Such is the beauty of a personal, faith-based relationship with the Lord.

Lord, it is so good to know that You aren’t a distant God. I don’t need to climb the highest mountain nor travel the widest sea in order to meet You. You are near and in You I have my being. I know that when times are tough, I need do nothing more than simply talk to You in order for Your comfort to come flooding in. Thank You for being with me always. Amen.

Friday, 13 September 2013

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” Romans 10:5

Paul now describes the righteousness which is of the law. In doing so, he won’t make up any new concept of it in order to make a claim against it. Instead, he will go to the law itself. Before looking at that, it would be good to understand the progression of what he is saying. This will establish why he is citing this. Notice the term “for” in the following verses and see how he builds upon each new thought –

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.'” Romans 10:1-5

“For” in verse 5, is explaining verse 3 (and which is built upon in verse 4). And so he says, “For Moses writes…” The law was received by Moses and within that law is a note concerning the necessity to follow the very same law in order to obtain “the righteousness which is of the law.” And what is that note? It is Leviticus 18:5 –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”

Or, as Paul paraphrases, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”

God promised life to any who could keep the law. In fact, it was a guarantee of right-standing and a ticket to the fullness of His blessing if it could be done. But the fact is that no-one was, or even today is, capable of such a thing. More so, no one is capable of obeying even the first commandment perfectly. And with Jesus’ words showing that intent is the same as execution (see Matthew 5:27, 28 for an example), we have utterly failed in any hopes of keeping any portion of the law.

The law shows that in order to be right with God, one must live in a right manner before God. And then the law turns around and shows that no one can live in a right manner before God. Because of this, blood sacrifices were needed as a form of grace to protect against the penalties of the very law they were described in. Something more was needed to be right before God, something apart from the law. This righteousness involves a Person, not a deed. This is what the law actually anticipated and it is found in Jesus.

Life application: God is looking for faith that He is fully capable of saving us apart from our efforts. If we add in our efforts feeling they are necessary for our salvation, we are lacking faith in His provision. Have faith; stand on Christ alone.

Lord God, today I am facing battles. Some are known only to You, but I know that You know them. Please help me to face these challenges according to Your will. Please don’t allow these trials to take my eyes off of You, but instead may they be used to bring us even closer together. I need Your hand of guidance and reassurance Lord, and I know that You will provide it. Amen.

Thursday, 12 September 2013

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.    Romans 10:4

For the third time in only four verses, Paul begins with “For.” This time, it looks back to the thought that Israel, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, sought instead to establish their own righteousness. By doing so, they “have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” Based on this, Paul explains, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.” The law was put in place to show us of our desperately sinful state (refer to Romans 7) and to lead us to our need for Christ (see Galatians 3:21-25).

Jesus, being born without sin, was qualified to replace Adam. And living perfectly under the law without sinning, He fulfilled the law on our behalf. Now God offers us a trade. If we accept what Jesus did, believing that it was all-sufficient for us, He grants us Jesus’ perfect righteousness and places our sins under His shed blood. In Him, we have peace with God. This is offered “to everyone who believes.”

Nothing is said here, or at any other place in Scripture what Calvinists teach – that God first regenerates us in order to believe and then we exercise our faith. Belief is an act of the volitional will. We hear the message, we accept the premise, we believe that it is true, and God grants us Christ’s righteousness. This is how it works and this is how the Bible describes the process time and time again.

So a question remains for consideration. “What happens to the law?” If Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, then what does that mean about the law itself? The answer is twofold. First, the law remains in full force and effect for those who fail to believe in what Christ does. They must fulfill the law perfectly in order to stand justified before God. But Paul explains in Galatians 3:10-12 (and elsewhere) that no one is justified by the law. Because of this, those who fail to accept Christ stand condemned. Secondly however, the law is over for those who have accepted Christ. It is:

1) Annulled (Hebrews 7:18)
2) Obsolete (Hebrews 8:13)
3) Taken away (Hebrews 10:9)
4) Wiped out, taken out of the way, and nailed to the cross (Colossian 2:14)
5) Etc. elsewhere in multiple statements, explicitly and implicitly

In other words, we are free from the constraints of the law – completely and entirely. They are not binding on us. Our righteousness is an imputed righteousness based on the work of Christ. Therefore, to re-introduce the law in any precept (mandatory Sabbath day observance, circumcision, dietary restrictions such as “no pork”, etc.) is to say to God, “I believe that what Christ did was insufficient to save me.” It is a slap in the face of God.

The doctrine for our lives and conduct comes not from the law then, but from the New Testament epistles, particularly the writings of Paul who was selected to guide us during the church age.

Life application: Have faith in what Christ did, believe that what He did is all-sufficient, and be free from the requirements of the law which could never make you righteous in and of themselves.

Oh God, I am so thankful for Jesus. You gave the law to Israel with so many commands – over 600. And then You told the people, “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them.” Then, after 1500 years of proving that no one could do this, You sent Jesus to do them on our behalf. Now You offer His righteous work in exchange for my failures. I believe… I receive! Thank You for Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Romans 10:2

Paul begins verse 2 with “For” as he so often does. In Greek, “for” or gar will normally follow the thought such as “I bear witness, for to them…” but the conjunction comes first in our translations. “For” then joins verses 1 and 2. What he will explain comes from his direct knowledge of the situation, “I bear them witness.”

What this means is that he can fully testify to the statement he will make; he is qualified to make the case. Being a Jew, Paul had a right to speak on behalf of his people, but a commoner, one lacking knowledge of the law, wouldn’t be able to speak on behalf of a leader who had proper training in the written word. However, Paul could. In Philippians 3, he lists his credentials –

“If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” Philippians 3:4-6

Elsewhere in Acts and in his writings, more of Paul’s proven right to speak on such matters is given. Because of his ability to bear this witness, he now ties his desires for Israel in with his knowledge of Israel. “For… they have a zeal for God.” Zeal for something can be a good thing or a bad thing. Many adherents to Islam have a zeal for their belief in God, going so far as to blow themselves and others up in crowded bus stations. But this zeal is misdirected. The same is true with the Hindu zeal to make a trek to bathe in the Ganges river – “I will go wash and God will be happy with me.” The Jew, likewise, had a zeal for God, but Paul explains, “not according to knowledge.”

The Jew looked at the law as an end in and of itself, and thus set to establish righteousness based on adherence to the law. But even their law, as has been shown in many previous commentaries, reveals that righteousness is not of the law, but of faith. And in the end, that faith must be in the provision of the Lord. Jeremiah 23 gives an explicit rendering of where our righteousness lies –

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Jeremiah 23:5, 6

However, failing to pick up on these Old Testament concepts, Israel looked to adherence of the law as the final goal. But, unfortunately, this type of zeal was “not according to knowledge.” In the coming verses, Paul will explain what he means by “knowledge.” But it should be noted that because of the path they took, it actually set up a division between them and those with the needed knowledge. It became such a point of difference that Jesus explained what the outcome would be –

“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.” John 16:2, 3

Being blinded to their need for Christ, Israel actually thought that their service to God was to kill those who rightly called on Him. This is documented in the book of Acts. There it relates such accounts, including the actions of a man named Saul who would later be known as Paul.

Life application: The Bible says that those who please God do so by placing their faith in the finished work of Christ. Nothing else can satisfy the righteous requirements of the law. Either Jesus is all-sufficient or no person can be saved. Let your zeal for God be found in Christ Jesus.

Heavenly Father, Your word says that it is my sin which separates You and I. Your word says that Jesus died for my sins so that we could be reconciled. What could I add to that? May I boast in nothing, but the cross of my Lord Jesus by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Amen.

Monday, 9 September 2013

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. Romans 10:1

The NU text for this verse, upon which many translations are based, states, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.” (NASB)

The intent is the same either way. It is Israel who was being spoken of in 9:27-33. Whether they were named by Paul specifically or not, this verse either implicitly or explicitly is speaking of Israel and only Israel. It’s important to understand this because, time and again Paul will speak of Israel as a united group of people who are his brethren, the Jews. He never speaks of the church as Israel, nor does he speak of Israel transitioning into the church. Accepting this, verse 10:1 can only mean one thing – Paul’s “heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel (the Jewish people) is that they may be saved.”

Salvation had come to the gentiles and those few Jews who had received their Messiah (the remnant of verse 9:27). Those Jews who had called on Jesus were not the impetus for a great movement of their people and a national salvation, but a small group from the nation. In large part, Israel had rejected their King.

Paul’s “heart’s desire” reflects the seat of his will, mind, and hopes. The word is kardias from which we derive our word cardio (heart). Though they had beaten him, mocked him, chased after him, and intended to kill him, the affection of his heart was for his brethren in the flesh. He had no room in himself to desire anything but their calling on Jesus and being saved; a great national revival.

The salvation he is speaking of is that of individual salvation, but that which would spread to individuals throughout the nation. Someday this will occur as is promised in both the Old Testament and, as we will see, in Chapter 11. But before this occurs, the tribulation period will come and Israel will be refined as a people. When they are so broken that there is no hope left, Christ Jesus will return and rescue them. This is clearly taught in the Bible and it is so spoken by the mouth of the Lord also. And so “all Israel will be saved.”

Life application: Salvation is an individual occurrence. Each person must come to the Lord and call on Him personally. But individual occurrences can translate into national revivals. It has happened in both biblical times and in great movements since then. It is the wise and understanding soul who would pray for his leaders and his nation when they are living contrary to the truth of the gospel. Even today, our leaders are promoting filth and wickedness, but it is right that we should pray for their hearts to turn to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, today I pray for our nation’s wayward leaders. They have promoted wickedness which must reach to the highest heavens, but You would rather that they turn from this and be saved. And so, despite their current policies and direction, I pray for my president and leaders. May their eyes be opened to the truth of the good news of Jesus and His gospel. Should they humble themselves before You, then once again I will pray for the prosperity of my country. Bless God, America. Amen.