Romans 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!”
11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”
14-17 But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people
telling all the good things of God!
But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
18-21 But haven’t there been plenty of opportunities for Israel to listen and understand what’s going on? Plenty, I’d say.
Preachers’ voices have gone ’round the world,
Their message to earth’s seven seas.
So the big question is, Why didn’t Israel understand that she had no corner on this message? Moses had it right when he predicted,
When you see God reach out to those
you consider your inferiors—outsiders!—
you’ll become insanely jealous.
When you see God reach out to people
you think are religiously stupid,
you’ll throw temper tantrums.
Isaiah dared to speak out these words of God:
People found and welcomed me
who never so much as looked for me.
And I found and welcomed people
who had never even asked about me.
Then he capped it with a damning indictment:
Day after day after day,
I beckoned Israel with open arms,
And got nothing for my trouble
but cold shoulders and icy stares.
Romans 10
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]
The Message of Salvation to All
5 For (E)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that (F)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But (G)the righteousness based on faith says, (H)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the (I)abyss?’” (that is, (J)to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? (K)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if (L)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and (M)believe in your heart (N)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, (O)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 (P)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; (Q)for the same Lord is Lord of all, (R)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For (S)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him (T)of whom they have never heard?[c] And how are they to hear (U)without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, (V)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But (W)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, (X)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So (Y)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for
19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,
(AB)“I will (AC)make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a (AD)foolish nation I will make you angry.”
20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
(AE)“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
21 But of Israel he says, (AF)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Footnotes
- Romans 10:1 Or Brothers and sisters
- Romans 10:4 Or end of the law, that everyone who believes may be justified
- Romans 10:14 Or him whom they have never heard
Romans 10
New Life Version
10 Christian brothers, the desire of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jews might be saved from the punishment of sin. 2 I know about them. They have a strong desire for God, but they do not know what they should about Him. 3 They have not known how God makes men right with Himself. Instead, they have tried to make their own way. They have not become right with God because they have not done what God said to do. 4 For Christ has put an end to the Law, so everyone who has put his trust in Christ is made right with God.
5 Moses writes that the man who obeys the Law has to live by it. 6 But when a man puts his trust in Christ, he is made right with God. You do not need to ask yourself, “Who will go up to heaven to bring Christ down?” 7 And you do not need to ask, “Who will go below and bring Christ up from the dead?” 8 This is what it says, “The Good News is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.” (A) This Good News tells about putting your trust in Christ. This is what we preach to you. 9 If you say with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved from the punishment of sin. 10 When we believe in our hearts, we are made right with God. We tell with our mouth how we were saved from the punishment of sin. 11 The Holy Writings say, “No one who puts his trust in Christ will ever be put to shame.” (B) 12 There is no difference between the Jews and the people who are not Jews. They are all the same to the Lord. And He is Lord over all of them. He gives of His greatness to all who call on Him for help. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin.
14 But how can they call on Him if they have not put their trust in Him? And how can they put their trust in Him if they have not heard of Him? And how can they hear of Him unless someone tells them? 15 And how can someone tell them if he is not sent? The Holy Writings say, “The feet of those who bring the Good News are beautiful.” (C)
16 But they have not all listened to the Good News. Isaiah says, “Lord, who believed what we told them?” (D) 17 So then, faith comes to us by hearing the Good News. And the Good News comes by someone preaching it. 18 And so I ask, “Did they not hear?” For sure they did. The Holy Writings say, “Their voice was heard over all the earth. The Good News was told to the ends of the earth.” (E) 19 Again I ask, “Did the Jews not understand?” First of all, Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation. I will make you angry with a foolish nation of people who do not understand.” (F) 20 Isaiah says even stronger words, “I have been found by men who did not look for Me. I have shown Myself to those who were not asking for Me.” (G) 21 This is what God says about the Jews, “All day long I held out my hand to a people who would not obey Me and who worked against Me.” (H)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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