Chapter 10
It would not be a balanced presentation of this subject if Paul were to close his discussion at this point. In chapter 9, he has insisted on God's sovereignty in salvation; now in chapter 10, he speaks of the other side of the subject—man's responsibility. These two lines of truth run through Scripture side by side. They may appear to coalesce somewhere “out there” in the ways of God, but they never do. They are like the two rails on a long, straight piece of train track. Looking down the track, the rails appear to join far in the distance, but of course, they don't. Such is the case with the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. God would have us to understand and enjoy these two distinct lines of truth as they are found in Scripture, without trying to reconcile them.
The Responsibility of Israel—to Believe
Paul ended the previous chapter stating that “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed” (chap. 9:33). This brings in man's responsibility. To receive salvation we must believe God's testimony in the gospel concerning the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul now continues this theme in chapter 10. Again and again through this chapter, he emphasizes the fact that men must believe God's testimony to be blessed of God.
Chap. 10:1—Knowing that the Jews saw him as a traitor and an enemy of the nation of Israel, Paul restates his love and concern for Israel. His great “desire and prayer to God” was that Israel might be “saved.” The fact that they were not saved (apart from some individuals like himself) shows that being the natural descendants of Abraham had not saved them! If it had, he wouldn't have been praying to that end. As mentioned, man's responsibility is to believe God's testimony in the gospel concerning His Son. But this was the very thing the Jews failed to do. Instead of receiving Christ, they stumbled at that “stumbling-stone!” (chap. 9:32)
Vs. 2—Paul states two reasons for their failure: Firstly, they had “a zeal” for their national religion that caused them to cling to its forms and ceremonies, and not see that those things actually pointed to Christ. (See the epistle to the Hebrews.) Clinging to the forms of Judaism cast a veil over their hearts, and “unto this day when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their heart” and they are not able to “look to the end of that which is abolished [annulled]” (2 Cor. 3:13-15). The “end” of the legal covenant is Christ and His finished work on the cross. The types and shadows in the Law all pointed to Him, but they didn’t see it. This shows that while “it is good to be zealously affected,” our zeal must be “in a good thing” and in a right way (Gal. 4:18). In the case of the Jews, their zeal was not “according to knowledge.” They didn't know that their Scriptures pointed to Christ.
Vs. 3—Secondly, the Jews were “ignorant of God's righteousness.” They did not understand the meaning of the cross, and consequently, they rejected the gospel. As mentioned in our comments on chapter 3:21-31, the righteousness of God has to do with how He has taken up the question of sin at the cross and has settled it for His own glory and for the blessing of all who would believe. The Jews, sad to say, did not see this in Christ's death. They believed (and still believe) that His death on the cross was God's just dealing with Him for His blasphemy of imagining that He was the Messiah—whom they insist was an impostor (Isa. 53:4). In their ignorance, the Jews have gone about to “establish their own righteousness”—thinking that it could be accomplished through keeping the Law. Thus, they have not “submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God,” and this has caused them to miss the blessing of salvation.
Vs. 4a—To clear away the false notion that righteousness can be achieved by man's performance, Paul states emphatically: “Christ is the end of law for righteousness.” The article "the" is not in the text before “law.” This indicates that he is not referring to the Law of Moses specifically, but to the principle of man's performance being a way in which one attains to righteousness. Paul is alluding to God’s testing of man in the flesh being brought to a close in Christ’s death. From the fall of man to the death of Christ, God has had man in the flesh under probation. For 40 centuries of man’s history leading up to the cross, God tested the flesh in man in every possible way (forty being the number of testing in Scripture), and the flesh has proved to be bad on all counts (chap. 3:12; 7:18). Every attempt of man in the flesh attaining to righteousness on the basis of human merit and performance has failed. God has, therefore, brought the testing to a close, and has “condemned sin in the flesh” in the death of Christ (chap. 6:6; 8:3). The word "end" here is "teles" in the Greek, which means "completion" (J. N. Darby, Collected Writings, vol. 10, p. 22).
By saying, “For righteousness,” Paul did not mean that righteousness in Old Testament times was attained through law-keeping, but now since Christ has come, it is found in Him. The Law was never given for that purpose! (Gal. 3:21) If it had been the means of righteousness in Old Testament times, then no one who lived in those times would ever get to heaven, because no one was able to keep it! Any hope of attaining to righteousness on that line is doomed from the outset. By adding “to everyone that believeth,” Paul is indicating that the only way in which one can be reckoned righteous is through believing.
The Blessing of the Gospel is Within The Reach of All
Chap. 10:5-10—Paul then contrasts "the righteousness which is of the Law" with "the righteousness which is of faith." He shows that the Mosaic Law was a performance-driven thing, and quotes Leviticus 18:5 to prove this: "The man which doeth those things shall live by them." The emphasis here is on doing—that is, on human performance. "The righteousness which is by faith," on the other hand, does not require that a person do anything, but simply to believe "the word of faith."
Vss. 6-7—Paul then derives a principle from the Law to show that the blessing of God is really only had on the basis of faith. He quotes from Deuteronomy 30:10-14, which has to do with when Israel would fail in their responsibility to keep the Law, and all possibility of gaining merit with God on the grounds of human performance would be lost. Moses told the people that even then, if they would turn to the Lord in faith ("with all thine heart, and with all thy soul"), He would still bless them in the context of that legal system. They wouldn't have to do anything to merit this favour. They wouldn't have to go up to heaven or across the sea, because the legal commandments were right there before them—in their mouth and in their heart—waiting to be obeyed. All they would have to do is turn to the Lord in faith, and He would begin afresh with them.
Even though Deuteronomy 30 has to do with the Law, Paul takes this principle of grace working for those who acknowledge their failure and turn to the Lord in faith, and adapts it to the gospel. His point is that God blesses on the principle of faith, regardless of whether it is in the context of the legal covenant or in the gospel that he preached. Paul then takes the liberty to interpret the passage in Deuteronomy by parenthetically inserting the two great facts of the gospel—the incarnation of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. He says that a person does not need to concern himself with who will "ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above)," or who will "descend into the deep (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)," because it has already been done. Christ has already come down and has become the supreme sacrifice for sin, and He has risen from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God.
Vs. 8—Thus, the gospel doesn't ask us to do something humanly impossible, but to just simply believe. Just as the Law was "very nigh" to the Israelite (in his heart and mouth), Paul says so also is "the word of faith, which we preach" in the gospel. The difference is that the old commandment was a word that had to do with what man was to do, but now the word in the gospel is about what Christ has done! The gospel tells of a work that has been accomplished (John 19:30; Heb. 10:12). Since the word of truth is "nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart" (the Jews heard the Word of God on a daily basis in their homes and in their synagogues), salvation was within the reach of every one of them. No Jew, therefore, could say, "God has made salvation too difficult for me."
Vss. 9-10—Paul goes on to show that since all has been done for us in Christ's coming and His death and resurrection, all a person has to do is "confess Jesus as Lord" and "believe" in his heart "that God has raised Him from the dead," and he will be "saved." To believe "in thine heart," which Paul speaks of here, means to believe sincerely; it is not a mere intellectual thing. This shows that God wants reality (Psa. 51:6). There are three "shalls" in this verse that go together that give the believer the assurance of salvation: if we "shall" confess and "shall" believe in our hearts, we "shall" be saved. It is as simple as that! This is the great promise of God in the gospel. God has never disappointed anyone who has trusted in Christ for salvation.
Many evangelical Christians believe that these verses are saying that in order for a person to be truly saved, he must make a public confession of his faith in Christ. Consequently, preachers urge public confessions at their meetings and gospel rallies. They issue an "altar call" to their audiences to any who want to be saved to come forward and make a public declaration of their faith. However, if we make confession before men a necessary condition of the soul's eternal salvation from the penalty of his sins, then the blessing of the gospel is not solely on the principle of faith; it becomes faith and works! This is contrary to the fundamentals of the gospel (chap. 3:26-31). Moreover, it would mean that a person couldn't get saved if he were alone somewhere—because he has no one to make his confession to! What if he dies before he has a chance to tell someone of his faith in Christ? Surely we cannot think that such a person is not really saved and that he is not in heaven?
"Confess" in this verse means "assent" (Strong's) or "to express agreement." The question is, to express agreement with whom? A. Roach said that in the light of Philippians 2:11 which says, "Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" and Romans 14:11 which says, "Every tongue shall confess to God," this is confession is to be made to God, not to men. The believer acknowledges to God that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” H. A. Ironside said, "The confession here is not, of course, necessarily the same thing as where our Lord says, 'Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in heaven.' This is, rather, the soul's confession to God Himself, that he takes Jesus as Lord" (Lectures on Romans, pp. 130-131).
In verse 9, Paul mentions the "mouth" before the "heart," which is the order found in Deuteronomy 30, but in verse 10, he reverses the order. Verse 9 is emphasizing the facts, and verse 10 emphasizes the order which occurs in the soul of the believer. Faith in the heart produces the confession of the mouth; it is a proof of what is true in the heart. Thus, the inward reception of the word by faith precedes the outward expression of confession. These are not two separate steps to salvation, but two sides of the same thing.
In the normal course of Christian growth and development, confession before men will follow a person's faith in Christ. The person who truly believes on the Lord Jesus will confess his belief to his fellow men. This should happen quite naturally, for the gospel is news that is too good to keep to ourselves! (Compare 2 Kings 7:9.) Scripture encourages us to speak out about it: "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psa. 107:2). Confession before men is good, but it is not a condition whereupon a person is saved eternally from the penalty of his sins. The new believer may be hesitant to confess Christ at first, but his eternal welfare does not depend on it. Paul has already taught that the blessing of salvation is on "the principle of faith" alone (chap. 1:17; 3:30; 4:16; 5:1); he would be contradicting himself here if he put the condition of confession before men on it.
The Blessing of the Gospel is Offered to All
Chap. 10:11-13—Paul proceeds to show from the Scriptures that God's blessing is not limited to the Jews. He quotes Isaiah: "Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Isa. 28:16). "Whosoever" is a very large word encompassing not only Jews but also Gentiles. God's use of this word in connection with salvation proves that He intends blessing to go out to Gentiles. Hence, Gentiles who believe the message of the gospel are also blessed on the same principle of faith as the Jews, because, as Paul says, "There is no difference between the Jew and Greek" when it comes to getting saved (Acts 15:11). He has shown in chapter 3 that there is "no difference" between the Jew and the Gentile as to their ruin and need of a Saviour. Now in this chapter, he shows that there is "no difference" between the Jew and the Gentile in God's grace being shown toward them. He quotes the prophet Joel for further proof of this: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Joel 2:32).
Chap. 10:14-15—Paul then asks how it could be possible for anyone among the Gentiles to call upon the name of the Lord if they have never heard of Him. He shows that there is a need to proclaim Christ among the Gentiles so that they could call upon Him and be saved. He says, "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? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?" He quotes Isaiah 52:7 to support the principle of proclaiming the truth in the gospel: "It is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Thus, the Jewish Scriptures actually encourage the preaching of the gospel concerning Christ the Messiah. This was exactly what Paul was doing among the Gentiles! And by stating this, he justifies himself in going to the Gentiles with the good news.
The Gospel Has Not Been Believed By All
Chap. 10:16-21—Sad to say, apart from a remnant, the Jews have failed in their responsibility to believe the gospel. Not only have they refused to receive it, they have also resisted the good news going out to the Gentiles. Paul reported to the Thessalonians: "The Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway" (1 Thess. 2:14-16). The book of the Acts also attests to this fact.
Paul quotes Isaiah again to show that the prophetic Scriptures in the Old Testament foretold that the nation would reject their Messiah. He says, "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, 'Lord, who hath believed our report?'" In saying, "our report," Isaiah was speaking on behalf of his prophetic colleagues, the other Old Testament prophets who had prophecied of the Messiah. He lamented that the report about the Messiah had not been believed by the nation of Israel, even though it entailed everything they needed to know about Him. The report announced:
• The time of His coming (Dan. 9:26 with Psa. 102:24).
• His birth place (Micah 5:2).
• His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14).
• His Sonship (Psa. 2:6-7).
• His Kingship as a direct descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Jer. 23:5).
• His heralding by a forerunner (Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1).
• The manner of His life (Isa. 42:1-3).
• His power to bring in the kingdom blessings (Isa. 33:24; 35:5-6; 61:1-3; Psa. 65:6-7; Psa. 89:9; Psa. 132:15; Psa. 146:7-8, etc.).
• His presentation to the nation of Israel (Zech. 9:9).
• His betrayal (Psa. 35:8, 14; Psa. 41:9; Psa. 55:12-14; Psa. 69:25; Psa. 109:6-8).
• The Jews' rejection of Him (Psa. 35:11; Psa. 69:4; Psa. 109:4-5; Isa. 49:4; 50:5-6; 53:2-4; Dan. 9:26; Micah 5:1-2).
• His death (Psa. 16:10; Psa. 22:1-21a; Psa. 31:1-5a; Psa. 102:24; Dan. 9:26a).
• His resurrection (Psa. 16:11; Psa. 22:21b; Psa. 102:24b-28).
• His present place at the right hand of God (Psa. 110:1).
• The hope of Israel that God would send Him for their deliverance (Psa. 80:17).
• His coming again—the Appearing (Psa. 72:6; Psa. 96:13; Psa. 98:9; Isa. 30:27-33; Mal. 3:1; 4:2-3).
• His public reign in righteousness as King over all the earth (Isa. 32:1; Isa. 61:11; Psa. 47:7; Zech. 14:9).
• His being sought after and worshipped by the Gentiles (Psa. 47:9; 72:11; 86:9; Isa. 11:10; Zech. 2:11).
Thus, the "report" of the prophets concerning the life and times of the Messiah had been foretold in the Holy Scriptures. The Jews prided themselves in knowing the Scriptures, but they were "slow of heart" to actually "believe" those things (Luke 24:25-26). The Old Testament prophets spoke of the Messiah—first suffering, and then, entering into His kingdom glory (1 Peter 1:11). This testimony was not only given to the Jews, but the Gentiles were hearing it as well, for the gospel has been preached to both Jews and Gentiles (chap. 1:16).
Vs. 17—Paul then speaks of how the blessing of the gospel is made good in souls. He says, “So then faith cometh by hearing [a report], and hearing [the report] by the Word of God.” Thus, “faith” in a person is a result of his spiritual faculties of hearing being opened, and this occurs by the power of “the Word of God” working in his soul. The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and applies it to the soul, and thereby communicates spiritual life to the person. This action is called new birth or quickening (John 3:3-5; Eph. 2:1, 5). In receiving divine life, the person's spiritual faculties begin to operate, he is able to hear and receive divine communications—i.e. the truth of the gospel. This is why we need to "preach the Word" to the lost (2 Tim. 4:2). "The Word of God is living and operative," and directed by the Spirit of God when we preach it, it imparts divine life to men (Heb. 4:12).
Vs. 18—Paul then cites Psalm 19, which has to do with the witness of creation, to show that God intends that a testimony would reach to "all the earth." This, of course, would include Gentiles, for they are all over the earth. The testimony in creation does not announce the Gospel of the Grace of God. Paul does not quote it for that reason, but to show that God wants all men to receive a testimony of Himself. This, then, supports an effort to announce the glad tidings in the regions beyond.
Vss. 19-21—Paul says, "Did not Israel know?" How could they have not known that God desired blessing to be offered to the Gentiles, when their own Scriptures bore witness to this fact? He quotes Moses to prove this: "I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you" (Deut. 32:21). The implication here is that God would put Israel to shame because they were slow to believe—by His blessing going to the Gentiles. Paul adds another statement from Isaiah to this end: "I was found of them that sought Me not: I was made manifest unto them that asked not after Me" (Isaiah 65:1; Rom. 3:11). But concerning Israel, Isaiah said, "All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Isa. 65:2). Thus, from their own Scriptures, Paul shows that there would be this incredible reversal of blessing. When Israel would reject the blessing, by not receiving their Messiah, God would send blessing to the Gentiles! The Lord also taught this in many of His parables (Matt. 21:42-44; 22:8-10; Luke 13:28-30; 14:16-24). The result has been that many Gentiles have come into blessing through faith in Christ, and Israel (apart from a remnant) have missed it!
Thus, Paul has shown in this chapter that there is a moral responsibility on the part of man to believe the testimony of God in the gospel. God has made ample provision for Israel to believe, but the principle applies to all mankind. And, if Israel as a nation has been set aside, it is through no fault of God; it is clearly their own fault. They have not only broken the Law, but they have also rejected their Messiah and the gospel of God's grace.
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In the course of this chapter (10), Paul has touched on three main reasons why the Jews have missed God's blessing:
• Zeal for their national religion (vs. 2).
• Ignorance of God’s righteousness (vs. 3).
• Stubborn unbelief (vs. 16).