出于信的义

10 弟兄们,我心里热切盼望,并替以色列[a]向神祈求,是为了他们的救恩。 我见证他们对神有热心,但不是按着真正的认识。 就是说,他们不明白神的义,想要确立自己的义,就不服从神的义了。 事实上,基督是律法的终结,使所有相信的人都以致称义。 原来,有关出于律法的义,摩西写道:“遵行这些事的人,将因此而活”[b] 而有关本于信的义,却这样吩咐:“你心里不用说:谁要升到天上去?”[c]——这意思是要把基督带下来; “也不用说:谁要下到无底坑去?[d]”——这意思是将基督从死人中领上来。 然而,这是怎么说呢?“这话就在你身边,在你口中,在你心里。”[e]这就是我们所传的有关信仰的话语: 你如果口里承认耶稣是主,心里相信神使他从死人中复活,就将得救。 10 就是说,人心里相信以致称义,口里承认以致救恩, 11 因为经上说:“所有信靠他的人将不至于蒙羞。”[f] 12 犹太人和外邦人[g]并没有分别,原来,万人共同的主,使所有求告他的人都富足。 13 的确,“无论谁求告主名,都将得救。”[h]

以色列人拒绝福音

14 既然如此,人没有相信他,怎么能求告他呢?没有听说过他,怎么能相信他呢?没有人传讲,怎么能听到呢? 15 如果没有奉差派,又怎么能去传讲呢?正如经上所记:“[i]传讲美好福音的人,他们的脚踪多么美丽!”[j] 16 但是,并不是所有的人都顺从了福音,就如以赛亚所说:“主啊,我们所传的,有谁信了呢?”[k] 17 因此,信是由听而来,听是藉着基督[l]的话而来。 18 那么我要说,他们难道没有听过吗?当然听过——

“那声音传遍了天下,
那话语传到了地极。”[m]

19 我再说“以色列人难道不明白吗?”首先,摩西说:

“我要用不是子民的,激起你们的嫉妒之心,
用无知的民族激起你们的怒气。”[n]

20 后来,以赛亚大胆地说:

“没有寻找我的,我让他们寻见;
没有求问我的,我向他们显现。”[o]

21 但是关于以色列人,他却说:“我整天向那悖逆、顶嘴的子民伸出双手。”[p]

Footnotes

  1. 罗马书 10:1 以色列人——有古抄本作“他们”。
  2. 罗马书 10:5 《利未记》18:5。
  3. 罗马书 10:6 《申命记》30:12。
  4. 罗马书 10:7 《申命记》30:13。
  5. 罗马书 10:8 《申命记》30:14。
  6. 罗马书 10:11 《以赛亚书》28:16。
  7. 罗马书 10:12 外邦人——原文直译“希腊人”;指“希腊文化区的非犹太人”。
  8. 罗马书 10:13 《约珥书》2:32。
  9. 罗马书 10:15 有古抄本附“传讲和平福音的人、”。
  10. 罗马书 10:15 《以赛亚书》52:7;《那鸿书》1:15。
  11. 罗马书 10:16 《以赛亚书》53:1。
  12. 罗马书 10:17 基督——有古抄本作“神”。
  13. 罗马书 10:18 《诗篇》19:4。
  14. 罗马书 10:19 《申命记》32:21。
  15. 罗马书 10:20 《以赛亚书》65:1。
  16. 罗马书 10:21 《以赛亚书》65:2。

10 My Christian friends, I want God to save Israel's people. I want that very much. I pray to God that he will save them. I can say this about them: They really want to serve God well. But they do not understand the right way to do this. They have not understood the way that God accepts people. Instead, they tried to make their own way to become right with God. They refused to accept God's way that would make them right with him. God gave his Law to Israel's people for a purpose. But Christ has finished that purpose. So now, every person who believes in Christ becomes right with God.

God wants to save everyone

Moses wrote about how God's Law could help people to be right with God. He said, ‘If a person obeys the rules in God's Law, then he will live by them.’[a] But the Bible speaks also about another way. It shows how to become right with God because you trust him. It says: ‘Do not say to yourself, “Someone will have to go up into heaven.” ’ (That means: ‘Someone will have to bring Christ down from up there.’) ‘Do not say to yourself either, “Someone will have to go down into the world below.” ’ (That means: ‘Someone will have to bring Christ up from the place where dead people are.’) But the Bible says: ‘God's message is near you. You can talk about it, and you can think about it.’[b] That is the same message that we are teaching to people. We tell people to believe in Jesus Christ.

The message is this: You must say clearly that Jesus is the Lord. Also, you must believe deep inside yourself that God raised him to life again after his death. Then God will save you. 10 God accepts people as right with him when they believe like that, deep inside themselves. And when people say clearly that Jesus is Lord, God saves them. 11 It says in the Bible:

‘Everyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.’[c]

12 It says ‘everyone’. There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. There is the same Lord for all of them. He helps everyone who asks him with many good things. 13 As it says in the Bible: ‘The Lord God will save everyone who asks him for help.’[d]

14 But people will never ask Christ to help them if they have not believed in him. And they will never believe in him if they have not heard about him. And they will not hear about him unless somebody tells God's message to them. 15 And nobody can go to tell God's message to people unless God sends them. This is written in the Bible: ‘When people arrive to tell us good news, we say “welcome!” ’[e]

16 But not every person who hears the good news obeys its message. Isaiah said this: ‘Lord God, it seems that nobody has believed our message.’[f] 17 So then, people must hear the message before they can trust God. And people hear that message when someone tells them about Christ.

18 Let me ask you this: ‘Did Israel's people hear that message?’ They certainly did! The Bible says:

‘People have spoken God's message everywhere.
People have heard his message in every part of the world.’[g]

19 So I ask this too: ‘When Israel's people heard God's message, did they understand it?’ First, think about what Moses wrote. God said to Israel's people:

‘I will make you jealous because of people who are not my people.
I will make you angry because of people who know nothing about me.’[h]

20 Also, this is what Isaiah said very bravely:

‘God says: Those people who were not looking for me have found me.
I showed myself to people who were not even asking about me.’[i]

21 But Isaiah says this about Israel's people:

‘God says: For a very long time,
I have been asking my people to return to me.
But they refused to obey me.
They turned against me.’[j]

Footnotes

  1. 10:5 See Leviticus 18:5.
  2. 10:8 See Deuteronomy 30:12-14.
  3. 10:11 See Isaiah 28:16.
  4. 10:13 See Joel 2:32.
  5. 10:15 See Isaiah 52:7.
  6. 10:16 See Isaiah 53:1.
  7. 10:18 See Psalms 19:4.
  8. 10:19 See Deuteronomy 32:21.
  9. 10:20 See Isaiah 65:1. Isaiah is speaking about the Gentiles. They were not waiting for Christ, God's Messiah, to come. They did not know anything about him. But because God is kind, he sent his good news to them.
  10. 10:21 See Isaiah 65:2. The Jews should have been waiting for Christ. The Old Testament told them that he would come. But when he came, they did not recognize him. See John 1:11.

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(A) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous(B) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(C) Christ is the culmination of the law(D) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.(E)

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[a](F) But the righteousness that is by faith(G) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b](H) (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[c](I) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).(J) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[d](K) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare(L) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(M) and believe(N) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(O) you will be saved.(P) 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[e](Q) 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile(R)—the same Lord is Lord of all(S) and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord(T) will be saved.”[f](U)

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[g](V)

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.(W) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[h](X) 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,(Y) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.(Z) 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.”[i](AA)

19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious(AB) by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[j](AC)

20 And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[k](AD)

21 But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[l](AE)

Footnotes

  1. Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
  2. Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
  3. Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
  4. Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
  5. Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
  6. Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
  7. Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
  8. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
  9. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
  10. Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
  11. Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
  12. Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2

10 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

That 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.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

20 But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.

21 But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.