Romans 10
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Righteousness by Faith Alone
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[a] is for their salvation! 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(A) but not according to knowledge. 3 Because they disregarded the righteousness from God(B) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end[b] of the law for righteousness(C) to everyone who believes.(D) 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.(E)[c] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith(F) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”(G)[d] that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”(H)[e] that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.(I) 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.(J)[f] This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(K) and believe in your heart(L) that God raised Him from the dead,(M) you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame,(N)[g] 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,(O) since the same Lord(P) of all(Q) is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(R)[h]
Israel’s Rejection of the Message
14 But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him?(S) And how can they hear without a preacher?(T) 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful[i] are the feet of those[j] who announce the gospel of good things!(U)[k] 16 But all did not obey the gospel.(V) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?(W)[l] 17 So faith comes from what is heard,(X) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[m](Y) 18 But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:
19 But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said:
I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;(AA)
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.(AB)[o]
20 And Isaiah says boldly:
I was found
by those who were not looking for Me;
I revealed Myself
to those who were not asking for Me.(AC)[p]
21 But to Israel he says: All day long I have spread out My hands to a disobedient and defiant people.(AD)[q]
Footnotes
- Romans 10:1 Other mss read God for Israel
- Romans 10:4 Or goal
- Romans 10:5 Lv 18:5
- Romans 10:6 Dt 9:4; 30:12
- Romans 10:7 Dt 30:13
- Romans 10:8 Dt 30:14
- Romans 10:11 Is 28:16
- Romans 10:13 Jl 2:32
- Romans 10:15 Or welcome, or timely
- Romans 10:15 Other mss read feet of those who announce the gospel of peace, of those
- Romans 10:15 Is 52:7; Nah 1:15
- Romans 10:16 Is 53:1
- Romans 10:17 Other mss read God
- Romans 10:18 Ps 19:4
- Romans 10:19 Dt 32:21
- Romans 10:20 Is 65:1
- Romans 10:21 Is 65:2
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.
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson