Romans 10:1-4
New International Version
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(A) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous(B) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(C) 4 Christ is the culmination of the law(D) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.(E)
Romans 10:1-4
English Standard Version
10 Brothers,[a] my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that (A)they have a zeal for God, (B)but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of (C)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. 4 For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.[b]
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- Romans 10:1 Or Brothers and sisters
- Romans 10:4 Or end of the law, that everyone who believes may be justified
Romans 10:1-4
New American Standard Bible
The Word of Faith Brings Salvation
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have (A)a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about (B)God’s righteousness and (C)seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For (D)Christ is the [a]end of the Law for righteousness to (E)everyone who believes.
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- Romans 10:4 Or goal
Romans 10:1-4
New King James Version
Israel Needs the Gospel
10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [a]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness (A)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of (B)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own (C)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For (D)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
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- Romans 10:1 NU them
Romans 10:1-10
The Message
Israel Reduced to Religion
10 1-3 Believe me, friends, all I want for Israel is what’s best for Israel: salvation, nothing less. I want it with all my heart and pray to God for it all the time. I readily admit that the Jews are impressively energetic regarding God—but they are doing everything exactly backward. They don’t seem to realize that this comprehensive setting-things-right that is salvation is God’s business, and a most flourishing business it is. Right across the street they set up their own salvation shops and noisily peddle their knockoffs. After all these years of refusing to really deal with God on his terms, insisting instead on making their own deals, they have nothing to show for it.
4-10 The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying?
The word that saves is right here,
as near as the tongue in your mouth,
as close as the heart in your chest.
It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson