Its simplicity and plainness he proceeds immediately to state. Paul didnt just care, he prayed. What does experience say about believing in Christ! It was his heart's desire; it was not a formal compliment, as good wishes are with many from the teeth outward, but a real desire. That early prophet tells Israel, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. Witness the common joy that grace gives an apostle with saints be had never seen, so that even he should be comforted as well as they by their mutual faith. ROMANS 10:8-17 INTRODUCTION: It is amazing how little people know about the Word of God, especially here in America where virtually everyone has access to the Bible. He saves those who are always confessors of sin, always needy in themselves, and therefore always glad of him. We should not ignore how scandalously simple this is (whoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved) and what an affront this is to every attempt of the flesh to be justified or any attempt to find salvation based on national or ethnic foundation. There was no law there or then; for Abraham died long before God spoke from Sinai. Because for He has revealed Himself to us. Just say it, "Jesus is my Lord," and believe in your heart that God did raise Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. They beat up on him the other day. John MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Book of Romans 2 Volume Set. And what was all this about? i. The figure of the relationship of husband and wife is introduced in order to make the matter plain. It is no longer blood, but death Christ's death and resurrection. The past prepared the way, as it is said here, "which God had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, [here we have the great central object of God's gospel, even the person of Christ, God's Son,] which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (ver. Accordingly we do not hear of salvation as such in Romans 3:1-31. Our Lord Jesus lays a great stress upon this confessing of him before men; see Matthew 10:32; Matthew 10:33. It is not here believing on Jesus, but on God who has proved what He is to us in raisin, from among the dead Him who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification (verses 13-25). 1. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Therefore they are not saved. The gospel states its message as clearly as the law. I have always felt obliged to the Cardinal for that admission; because the best is good enough for me, and since trusting in Jesus is the safest, I intend to stick to it even to the end. You won't get glad tidings of good things. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. We ought therefore to bear in mind, that if a soul be not brought into conscious deliverance as the fruit of divine teaching, and founded on the work of Christ, we are very far from presenting the gospel as the apostle Paul glories in it, and delights that it should go forth. A disobedient and contrary people: This tells Gods assessment of disobedient, Messiah-rejecting Israel. By the cross God has a deeper moral glory than ever a glory that He thus acquired, if I may so say. Hence the depravity of the heathen found little or no cheek from conscience, because it was bound up with all that took the shape of God before their mind. Oh, let's all get our climbing ropes and let's all climb into heaven and let's bring the Messiah down. b. I was found by those who did not seek Me: It is strange that Israel, for the most part, rejected their own Messiah. "Doubts," he said, "what do you mean? The soul of prayer is the heart's desire. When our time comes to depart, we shall just step aside and say, "Good-bye, dear friends, awhile: we will meet again in the home of the blessed." God pronounces against the unrighteousness of such; for if the knowledge, however exact, of God's revealed mind was accompanied by no renewal of the heart, if it was without life towards God, all must be vain. So I believe it. Such moral judgments will, no doubt, be used to leave man without excuse; they can never suit or satisfy God. (324) The righteousness of faith is evidently the it in this question: See Romans 10:6. It must possess this place because the gospel is Gods power to save us (1:16). He shall come, says one Testament, out of Zion. A person cannot believe unless they hear. The end of the law was to bring men to perfect obedience, and so to obtain justification. Verse 19. They did not understand, and believe, and consider, the strict justice of God, in hating and punishing sin, and demanding satisfaction, did not consider what need we have of a righteousness wherein to appear before him; if they had, they would never have stood out against the gospel offer, nor expected justification by their own works, as if they could satisfy God's justice. At the close of that period he rose into the air, ascending high. It must not be, assumed too readily. For Moses described the righteousness which is of the law, [he said,] That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. Be nothing; be nobody; and trust Him. Salvation supposes not this only, but a great deal more. As He has made all, so He is heir of all. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. But by now the gospel had been carried to most parts of the Mediterranean area where Jews were to be found; and that is all the argument requires. (Bruce), b. Paul is attempting neither to quote Moses nor to interpret Moses. Not a pretty toy for Sundays, but food to live upon; a common-sense hope; a blunt man's religion that he can carry into business. No, my dear friend, do not say that even in your thought. Not only God, but also our fellow men, must know what side we are on. It is not in any degree settled as to itself by His blood. To this he refers likewise, Galatians 3:12, The man that doeth them, shall live in them. Thus, the true God being lost, all was lost, and man's downward career becomes the most painful and humiliating object, unless it be, indeed, that which we have to feel where men, without renewal of heart, espouse in pride of mind the truth with nothing but unrighteousness. Alas! This is the first ground. This is further illustrated (Romans 10:10; Romans 10:10), and the order inverted, because there must first be faith in the heart before there can be an acceptable confession with the mouth. It is not here a question of how a man is to be saved, but of God's indispensable moral judgment, which the gospel, instead of weakening asserts according to the holiness and truth of God. A proud conceit of their own righteousness: Going about to establish their own--a righteousness of their own devising, and of their own working out, by the merit of their works, and by their observance of the ceremonial law. He laughs at all our comeliness, he knows that it is a hollow cheat, a vile sham. God has done all that is necessary, and we receive His gift of righteousness by faith" (Vol. So therefore it addressed itself to the obedience of faith; not by this meaning practice, still less according to the measure of a man's duty, but that which is at the root of all practice faith-obedience obedience of heart and will, renewed by divine grace, which accepts the truth of God. Nothing of this is intended in the class that is here brought before us. There is a legal maxim which says that genuine ignorance may be a defence, but neglect of knowledge never is. Although circumcision began with Abraham, manifestly it had nothing to do with his righteousness, and at best was but the seal of the righteousness of faith which he had in an uncircumcised state. . It was laid down exactly how far a man could walk on the Sabbath. You must believe in your heart; and even that belief is not enough without accompanying action: confess with your mouth. They get so extreme in the election predestination and all, they get so extreme that there are some churches that will not put a scripture on the board out in front, lest some sinner who has not been elected might walk by and believe in Jesus Christ and get saved when he wasn't predestined to do so.Don't get extreme. For belief with the heart is the way to a right relationship with God, and confession with the mouth is the way to salvation, For scripture says, "Every one who believes in him will not be put to shame," for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord over all, and he has ample resources for all who call upon him. If I am thus pitied of God, if so truly and completely a justified man, if I am really an object of God's eternal favour, how can I have such a sense of continual evil? But it is quite possible for the unconverted to be tenacious of the truth, yet unrighteous in their ways; and so much the worse for them. If slurred over, as it too often is in souls, it invariably leaves practical obedience lame, and halt, and blind. Where lies the value of belonging to the circumcised people of God? It is God Himself who, infinitely glorified in the Lord that expiated our sins by His one sacrifice, remits them now, not looking for our victory, nor as yet even in leading us on to victory, but by faith in Jesus and His blood. There would be found a stumblingstone there. StudyLght.org. "Always remember to keep your voice down," said another. In verse 11 of that chapter, Moses tells Israel that Gods commands are not beyond their grasp as if they could find them only by ascending to heaven or crossing the sea. As no keeper of the law would have been lost on any ground whatever, so no believer in Christ shall be lost on any ground whatever; as no breaker of the law could escape punishment, so no unbeliever in Christ can he saved. Wuest, quoting Robertson on Jesus Christ is Lord: No Jew would do this who had not really trusted Christ, for Kurios in the LXX is used of God. How is it possible that I can be saved? See ye well to this. To these then he wishes, as was his wont, the fresh flow of that source and stream of divine blessing which Christ has made to be household bread to us: "Grace and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ" (ver. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. He says, "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." a. Isaiah is very bold: Isaiahs bold prophecy was a warning that Israel ignored, making them more accountable. Yet, how many times we take the promises of God and say, "Oh, God, just help me to believe. And he says to Israel: "All the day I have stretched out my hands to a people who are disobedient and contrary.". They grasped the meaning of this offer all right, when it came to them unexpectedly and unsought." c. How beautiful are the feet: No wonder those who preach have beautiful feet they partner with God for the salvation of men. I assure you that I daily find the value of living by faith. ): Paul says it is not necessary for men to descend into the realms of death and Satan to attain salvation. No apostle had ever yet visited Rome. This is what Moses saith: hear it and be humbled. So, then, faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word which comes from Christ and which tells of him. Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . It is part of the honour of Christ that every tongue shall confess, Philippians 2:11. Has He mercy only for guilty Israel? On the contrary, it was the Jew provoked by the Gentiles "By them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you." It is not God having an earthly centre, and the peoples doming up to worship the Lord in Jerusalem. In fact, when Paul wrote the letters to Timothy and Titus, he spoke of the faith several times (see 1 Timothy 1:19 b; 3:9; 4:1, 6; 5:8; 6:10, 12, 21; 2 Timothy 3:8; 2 Timothy 4:7; Titus 1:13; Titus 2:2). Verse 20. Plainly put, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified (Romans 3:20). [2.] 6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? He loved even here at the threshold to show the breadth of God's grace. I do not come to-day with a gospel veiled in mystery and shrouded in doubt; I do not bring a message which you cannot understand or receive; neither do I come with "ifs" and "buts" and "peradventures," but with this, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." In such a condition what has been found in Jesus is too often misused to make a kind of difference, so to speak, between the Saviour on the one hand, and God on the other ruinous always to the enjoyment of the full blessing of the gospel. It is even as close as your mouth. True ministry gives out not merely truth, but suited truth to the saints. This is the substance of the matter Christ saves, and we trust. Do not try to climb the heavens or search the depths, for Christ has already come down from heaven to earth, has been crucified, buried and raised from the dead. Unbelief is a non-submission to the righteousness of God, standing it out against the gospel proclamation of indemnity. Is there no call, no mercy, of God for any besides? The use of the law was to direct people for righteousness to Christ. They give us the basis of the first Christian creed. Well, I can't either, but God didn't call me to reconcile it, He just called me to believe it.I tried to reconcile it for years until I was in such mental gymnastics I was worn out. Read this verse, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (2.) He does not say that if you have broken the law you may still live by some other means. Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah, and Lo-ammi were of awful import for Israel; but, in presence of circumstances so disastrous, there should be not merely a people but sons of the living God, and then should Judah and Israel be gathered as one people under one head. We should say the best we can even of our worst enemies; this is blessing those that curse us. The word is close to you, it is even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth that Jesus is Lord, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved ( Romans 10:8-9 ). One is from Deuteronomy 32:21 where God says that, because of Israel's disobedience and rebellion, he will transfer his favour to another people, and they will be forced to become jealous of a nation which has no nation. Just as I lean all my weight upon this rail so do I lean my soul wholly upon Christ. is the double prophecy. Your father is not offering sacrifices. Though Paul preached against them, yet he prayed for them. I am sure we should not. ** See No. What was to be the stumbling-stone? But I say, [Paul said,] Have they not heard? In both Old and New it is the same substantial testimony. Accordingly, then, he confronts the unquestionable truth, admitted by every Israelite, of the universal havoc by one man everywhere with the One man who has brought in (not pardon only, but, as we shall find) eternal life and liberty liberty now in the free gift of life, but a liberty that will never cease for the soul's enjoyment until it has embraced the very body that still groans, and this because of the Holy Ghost who dwells in it. For "every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.". They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. This is a state of mind, and not the necessary or immediate fruit of Romans 3:1-31, but is based on the truth of Romans 4:1-25 as well as 3. They are merely persons who plume themselves on their orthodoxy, but in a wholly unrenewed condition. What is that righteousness which is of faith, Romans 10:6; Romans 10:6, c. This he describes in the words of Moses, in Deuteronomy, in the second law (so Deuteronomy signifies), where there was a much clearer revelation of Christ and the gospel than there was in the first giving of the law: he quotes it from Deuteronomy 30:11-14, and shows. The law never delivers; it condemns and kills us. If you want to live by the law (find life through the law), you must do the law and do it completely and perfectly. Notice, first, what Moses said. When you and I are no longer sinners, Christ is no longer our Savior; when you and I no more need him, then we shall not have him. He had bought the truth and would not sell it, and so he stuck to. for what follow are manifestly his words, in Deuteronomy 30:14. the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; which is to be understood not of the law, for Moses himself is not speaking of the law only, but either of the whole word of God, both law and Gospel; or particularly of the Gospel, which holds forth those special blessings and promises of grace, pardon of sin, and circumcision of the heart, which are mentioned in the context, as what should be bestowed upon the people of the Jews in the latter days; and so is rightly applied by the apostle to the then dispensation, and is to be understood of the Gospel; which was nigh both in the ministration of it, by the apostles, to Jews and Gentiles, and in the application and experience of it; it was not only "in the mouth" of the preachers, but also of the hearers of it, by a hearty and sincere confession; and "in [their] hearts", being attended with the power of God, and received in the love of it, was truly believed in, and cordially embraced; that is, the word of faith. Take the Sabbath law. b. The doctrine of faith therefore, which reposes on the cross, establishes law, instead of making it void, as every other principle must (verses 27-31). The word for Lord is kurios ( G2962) . It is with that objection Paul deals; and, as he deals with it in its various forms, on each occasion he clinches his answer with a text from scripture. In the first ten verses of Deuteronomy 30:1-20, Moses described the two paths that Israel could take: obedience that would result in great blessings or disobedience that would severely damage the nation. The man who does those things shall live by them, ascend into heaven or descend into the abyss, But what does it say? In doing so, he personifies righteousness based on faith. The apostle is therefore plainly in presence of the broadest possible grounds of comparison, though we shall find more too. How can they hear about Him unless someone preach to them? Hearing is a reflection of first-century life. But now to faith all this is gone not lightly, but truly in the sight of God; so that he may live on a Saviour that is risen from the dead as his new life. You say, "Chuck, that is too narrow. The righteousness of faith lies not in dreams and visions, delusions or depressions: it lies only in reliance upon the work of Jesus finished for you. In light of what Moses said, Pauls teaching (justification by faith) was not a new concept. The truth is not difficult to be understood and embraced. Uttering a wish of evil against somebody or a thing. Saul of Tarsus was a notorious persecutor of Christians before Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20). The meaning is, that the doctrine was already so familiar, and so well understood, that it was actually in their mouth, that is, their language, their common conversation. Our need is our warrant, and if that be gone, all is gone. Paul allegorizes that passage. Beneath it there runs the conviction that there are certain kinds of ignorance which are inexcusable. The consequences spiritually are blessed to the soul; how much more is it to Teach the source from which all flows! From Romans 9 alone we might think that salvation is Gods doing alone, but from Romans 10 we might think that salvation is mans doing alone together we see the matter from each perspective. And I heard Keith giving his testimony on television the other night and he said that living here in southern California, going to UCLA and all, he was twenty-four years old before he ever heard about Jesus Christ. As this was now made known to all, as the apostles preached it everywhere, it could be said to be nigh them; there was no need of searching other lands for it, or regarding it as a hidden mystery, for it was plain and manifest to all. The apostle shows them with astonishing force at the starting-point that he was far from slighting their privileges. Sin is our operating outside of God's grace. Thus, having shown the Gentile in Romans 1:1-32 manifestly wrong, and hopelessly degraded to the last degree having laid bare the moral dilettantism of the philosophers, not one whit better in the sight of God, but rather the reverse having shown the Jew overwhelmed by the condemnation of the divine oracles in which he chiefly boasted, without real righteousness, and so much the more guilty for his special privileges, all now lies clear for bringing in the proper Christian message, the. ". It is the paradox of the human situation that God is in control and yet the human will is free. Now, if it was righteous in God (and who will gainsay it?) By keeping the law? We cannot speak of the state of things before the flood as a dispensation. Just help me to believe." But there is more, which Paul afterwards insisted on. Believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead. 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