Written ~ 07-24-2024
Read Romans Chapter Ten
Romans 10
The opening sentence of chapter 10 pulls at my very heartstrings. Here again Paul pretty much takes the words right out my mouth. He has a heart for the Jewish people in Israel to be saved. I have the deep longing in my own heart that my entire family would know the Lord and serve Him with great enthusiasm.
Romans 10:1…
“Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.”
The longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for my entire family to be saved.
A lot of times, it would seem, people don’t call on the name of Jesus to be saved because they don’t feel they have anything to be saved from. Their life is going good, relationships are healthy and all their needs are provided for through their own means. Decisions are made without any godly consultation, trials and tribulations are trudged through without any thought that there could be a better way. So why would there be a need for a Savior? Many people believe there is a God, they may even thank Him throughout the day when things are going well, but then they curse Him when things aren’t going well. Even if there is a belief in God, that belief has not brought them to Salvation which would cause their sinful hearts to be made right with Him.
Romans 10:2-4…
2 “I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.”
Do you see what Paul said in verse 10:3? “…they refuse to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God…” Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. Trying to live a good life, having good morals and helping others might seem the way to Salvation. But without adding Jesus to that equation, everything that’s done without Him comes up null. We cannot become right with the Almighty God by trying our best to do good deeds or by trying to obey every last written law. Verse 10:4 gives us the answer, “…Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.” The law pointed out our sinful nature, we can read again what Paul wrote in Romans 7 to prove that point. So God did what had to be done for us to have a relationship with Him and that is found only in Jesus Christ, His Son.
Romans 10:5-7…
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”
Ok, so let’s clarify what these verses are talking about. I had questions to their meaning, so I read through some notes in a couple of different commentaries to make sure I understood them before continuing.
The law, which was given to Moses by the Lord was given specifically to show that we are indeed sinners. Before the law there was not a set precedent. So people were living sinful lives but were not aware of their sin. The law was given, which exposed their sin, and it required complete obedience. But with a sinful nature as a driving force in the heart of the people, it was impossible for them to obey the law in order to be made right with God. There needed to be a much better solution. What is that solution? Faith.
Let’s break down verse 10:6… “But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth).”
Having faith in God and in Jesus Christ does not mean we have to climb to the heights of Heaven to find the Lord. No, Christ came down to earth in human form and walked among us. Besides being impossible to climb to Heaven, Jesus has already made that trip for us. Verse 10:6 is quoting Deuteronomy 30:12, let’s look at this verse in the New King James Version…
12 “…Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?…”
The message of Salvation has already been brought to us by Christ Himself, there is no reason for us to climb beyond the reaches of Heaven to find Him. He’s already been here and now He sits at the right hand of God.
Now let’s look closer at verse 10:7… “And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”
Paul again is quoting Deuteronomy, this time verse 30:13, this is what it says in the New King James Version…
13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’
The “sea” in this verse is also translated the “abyss.” So, for clarity, this means there is no reason to go looking for Christ in the abyss or the depths of Hell, because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and you will not find Him waiting in the place where only death is found.
Romans 10:8a…
8a In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”
For this verse I chose to use a quote from “The Believer’s Bible Commentary” for better understanding:
- If the gospel doesn’t tell us to do the humanly impossible, or to do what has already been done by the Lord, what then does it say?Again Paul adapts a verse from Deuteronomy 30 to say that the gospel is near, accessible, intelligible, and easily obtained; it can be expressed in familiar conversation (in your mouth; onyour lips); and it can be readily understood in the mind (in your heart). It is the good news of salvation by faith which Paul and the other apostles preached.
We already have the entire message of Salvation. It is found in our Bibles, whether we read it from front to back ourselves or we listen verse by verse to sermons being preached or we take a deep dive into an endless supply of Bible Commentaries, or we pull up a Bible app on our phones, we have the message of Salvation at our fingertips. It is only by our refusal to look and to listen that we would miss the Gospel message being poured out.
Let’s pay attention to what Paul is saying next, whether you are a believer or not, the next passage is vitally important for us to know and understand where our Salvation comes from.
Romans 10:8b-13…
8b “…And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” (Isaiah 28:16) 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32a)
So, it is not by simply doing good deeds, it is not by being obedient to the law, and it is certainly not by looking within ourselves that we find salvation. It is Jesus. The main points in just these few verses give no room for our own assumptions, they are direct, and they are the only way to become right with God…
- Believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and He was raised from the dead
- Openly declare your faith in the Lord alone
- Trust in the Lord and you will not be disgraced
- Call on the Name of the Lord and you will be saved
Romans 10:14-15…
14 But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
This is quite the conundrum… one of the excuses to unbelief is that the message of Salvation was never presented. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38… “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” Jesus also said in Matthew 28:19, “…go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” In Romans 10:15, Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 … “How beautiful are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Zion reigns!”
It is our responsibility as believers to get the word out! That doesn’t mean all of us must stand on street corners yelling out the Gospel message. But for some, that is their passion! God can use each and every one of us, right where we’re at, to spread the Gospel message. Whether that means you are spending time in the Word of God with a family member or a close friend, or you are teaching a room full of eager students yearning for the wisdom and knowledge found only in Scripture. Maybe you are a born speaker and God has placed the calling on your heart to evangelize to thousands at a time. There are writers of books and of songs who proclaim the Gospel message in the words they pen. God can use us to further the Gospel message with the talents He has bestowed on us. And guess what? It is up to us to explore our God given talents and use them for His Glory.
Romans 10:16-18…
16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel (or the people of the world) actually heard the message? Yes, they have:
“The message has gone throughout the earth,
and the words to all the world.”
It may very well be that the Message of Jesus Christ will not be welcomed by everyone we talk to. But the important thing to remember is if we are speaking the Name of Jesus wherever we go, those who don’t like the message or refuse the message or don’t understand the message can never say they didn’t hear the message.
Romans 10:19-21…
19 But I ask, did the people of Israel (or the people of the world) really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,
“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.
I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”
20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,
“I was found by people who were not looking for Me.
I showed Myself to those who were not asking for Me.”
21 But regarding Israel, God said,
“All day long I opened My arms to them,
but they were disobedient and rebellious.”
One of the common themes throughout the Scriptures is the disobedience and the rebelliousness of God’s chosen people, the Israelites. They may have been angry and jealous of the Gentiles because they were finding God and having a deep relationship with Him, but even in their jealousy, they did not reach for the outstretched arms of the Lord.
So what is Paul’s message to believers from this tenth chapter of Romans? How can we summarize it?
Salvation is for everyone and the way to Salvation is by calling on the name of Jesus. This is done through faith and belief in who Jesus Christ is… nowhere else can we find Salvation. And it is the responsibility of the believer to get the Word out.
If you are reading these Bible Study notes, you can no longer say you have not heard the Message of Jesus Christ. So now the decision is yours, will you call on the Name of Jesus and be saved? If you are already a believer, will you have the “beautiful feet of a messenger” who gets the Good News out to all nations?
No longer can we sit around idly and expect the Good News message to get out on its own… No, we must be the deliverers.
Go back to verse one of today’s chapter…
“…the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for all people… to be saved…”
~AMEN~
- Salvation is near to anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord. If you haven’t put your trust in the Lord as of yet, why not do it now, today… Pray this Prayer of Salvation and start a New Life in Jesus…
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, everything I have done and said. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse my heart white as snow. Breathe life into me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Shine Your light through me. And use me for Your Glory. Amen.
- If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you!
- It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.