Romans 10

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Continuing on with Romans. All the previous chapter studies can be found by searching on "Romans" and my member name and check the titles only box. This is NKJV, comments in >>blue.
1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
>>Simple enough. Paul wants the people of Israel to be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
>>He knows they have a zeal or eager desire for God. But they seem to lack the 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.
>>Paul is concisely explaining that since Israel has had over a thousand years of caretaking of the Law. So naturally, they would consider themselves as an authority of God's plan, thinking that following the law would (doing good works) would keep you holy lead to righteousness and save your soul. Over the years they had many prophets that they ignored and made righteousness in their own image. They were not submitting to God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
>>This can be seen two ways. Christ is the end of looking to the law for righteousness. Or, Christ is the outcome of the law for righteousness. Nevertheless, trusting and believing in Christ as your Savior is what covers you with righteousness, not law following.

 

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5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them."
>>The NLT translation does a good job with this verse:
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.
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).
>>These 2 verses are odd to me when I read them. What it seems to say is that, righteousness of faith (as opposed to righteousness of the law) does not ask, "Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ to us?" or, "Who will descend into the abyss to bring Christ up to us from the dead?". As if we need the body of Christ to be in our presence.
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):
>>Instead, what does it say? Faith is in your mouth and heart, the words you utter, the word of faith which we, Paul and his helpers like Barnabas or Timothy, the other apostles, have taught you.
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.
>>This is the word of faith to the righteousness of faith, the heart of the Gospel. Confess to others that Jesus is your Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
>>Belief is in your heart and produces righteousness, and the confession with your mouth makes your salvation. Saying it makes it your word, speaks it into existence. In essence, it is choosing which side you are on, God's or the devil's.
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
>>Possibly Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Not act hastily can also be translated as: not be shaken, not be disturbed, not be in a panic, or not be put to shame. You might be ashamed to speak out in front of others, but we should be bold since in the presence of God, we will not be put to shame if we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Who do you fear? God or man?

 

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12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
>>Before, there was a distinction because the law was given to the Jews. Now Grace reigns through Christ and Jews and Greeks, Gentiles, all have the same standing when in Christ.
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
>>This can be found many places in the New Testament, but Paul is quoting it from Joel 2:
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.
>>This passage is referring to the last days when God's wrath and judgement comes. This gets quoted a lot in prophetic teachings and is poetic as it is comforting and disturbing all at the same time. Note that verses 26 and 27 has the quote "My people shall never be put to shame " similar to the earlier verse in Romans 10:11.

 

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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?
>>Now Paul lists some rhetorical questions to be pondered by the reader/listener. By logic and reasoning, if one does not believe, they will not call on Him. How can they believe in Him if they have not heard? And they cannot hear the Gospel if there is no preacher, someone conveying the Message.
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?"
>>This raises a question. Are these previous verses speaking about people who have NOT been called by the Holy Spirit, i.e. not the Elect? Earlier in this study of Romans we learned that there are those of us who have been called, known by God before our birth, God's elect. How do we reconcile these truths which somewhat conflict? My view is that these previous verses are speaking about those who are not the predestined believers, spoken of in Romans 8:
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
>>The other view I see is that all who become believers are predestined to be called, and therefore, Paul is describing the way we play a part of God's plan of how He calls His elect to believe. The problem with this view is that if we fail, as we often do, to do the preaching or spreading the Gospel, then the plan fails, and this cannot happen. So this is why I hold to the previous viewpoint.
This really gets to the heart of God's irresistible grace vs. man's freewill choosing. Many times through Romans there are references to God's calling us, AND our calling on the name of the Lord. One way I have seen it put is like what we call friendship. I may want to be friends with you, but you may not want to be friends with me. Are we then friends? No, of course not. We may be on friendly terms, but it would not be considered friendship. This has to do with trust going both ways and faith in each other, even if it is only a small or limited amount. God may have a predestined path for everyone. He even calls us to that path. If we never answer that call or never get on that path, do we get to the destination? No, we don't. We may have a predestination, like a preplanned trip to Hawaii, but if we go our own way to someplace else, we won't ever get to Hawaii. Or, we take the LONG way around to get to the destination. The question is, do all who are called, answer the call?

 

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17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
>>Paul concludes that faith comes by hearing the word of God. Paul knew from experience that faith did not come by seeing miracles. So seeing is not believing, opposite of the old adage. Reading the word of God may also work, since you are hearing it in your head. But hearing it from others, hearing their conviction of the truth, really gets the message to the heart of the individual.
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."
>>Have they, (mankind), not heard? Yes they have, using Psalm 19:4 as proof.
Psalm 19:
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.....
>>Paul quotes this to show how God shows his existence in all that He has created. This echos chapter 1 in this same book of Romans, declaring all can see the proof of God in creation. "Line" in verse 4 can be translated as sound or voice, also.

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."
>>Israel should have known. They were the keepers of the word of God, as it was given. Moses even warns them in this quotation from Moses' Song in Deuteronomy 32:
20And He said: 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith.
21They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
>>We often do not think about faith as a concept in the Old Testament. Faith has always been what connects us to the grace of God. Verse 20 of Deut. shows how important faith was to God. God has clearly rewarded the faith of the Christian world with great wealth, power and responsibility. Paul didn't quote verse 20 here in Romans, but it dovetails beautifully with the subject at hand.

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."
>>Truly, the quote here comes from a very bold chapter of Isaiah 65:
1 "I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' To a nation that was not called by My name.
2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts;
3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick;
4 Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the tombs; Who eat swine's flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Who say, 'Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!' These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.
>>I recommend you read that whole chapter. I posted the first 5 verses to show the context, and to show verse 5, a prophetic commentary which was true then and in Jesus' day, when the Pharisees cared about their holiness more than helping the sinners of their time. All 5 verses speak to a people who did not have faith in God. These actions caused smoke in God's nostrils and a fire that burns all the day. Strong language right there.

21 But to Israel he says: "All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people."
>>From that same section of Isaiah 65, verse 2, Paul uses this quote to show how God has continued to call to His people of Israel, though they don't listen as a whole. Verse 1 is speaking of the Gentiles, a subsection of them and referring to them as a "nation". Paul became the apostle of this new "nation".
This whole chapter speaks of God's striving with Israel and speaks of the history of the nation and the importance of faith. It also indicates that by faith, a "nation" of the Gentiles would become God's people also. As Isaiah puts it in chapter 65:
15You shall leave your name as a curse to My chosen; For the Lord God will slay you, And call His servants by another name;