Romans Chapter 10

¹ My heart’s desire and prayer to God is for their salvation. ² I admit they have a zeal for God, but they don’t know what they’re doing. ³ They don’t understand the righteousness that comes from God, and they try to establish their righteousness by themselves. They haven’t submitted to the righteousness God gives. ⁴ For everybody that trusts, Christ puts an end to law as a way to achieve righteousness.

Rom 10:1-4

            ⁵ As to righteousness under law, Moses writes, “The one that does them is the one that will have life by them” [Lev 18:5]. ⁶ But goodness that comes from trust says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who’ll go up into the sky? [Deut 30:12]” (that is, to bring Christ down); ⁷ or, ‘Who’ll go down into the ground’? (that is, to raise Christ up from the dead).” ⁸ But what does it say?

                        “The message is near you—

                                    in your mouth and in your heart” [Deut 30:14].

That’s the “message” about trust, the message we preach. ⁹ If you acknowledge Jesus as Lord and trust in your heart that God raised him from the dead, he’ll “save” you. ¹⁰ With your heart you trust to be considered upright; with your mouth you confess to receive salvation. ¹¹ The scripture says, “He won’t disappoint those who trust in him” [Is 28:16]. ¹² There’s no difference between Jew and Greek because the same Lord is Lord of both; he’s rich toward everybody that calls on him. ¹³ “The LORD will save everybody that calls on him” [Joel 2:32].              Rom 10:5-13          

Making Salvation by Trust Available

¹⁴ How will people call on somebody they don’t believe in? How will they believe in somebody they haven’t heard about? How will they hear about him without a messenger? ¹⁵ How will they bring the message if they’re not sent? Like the scripture says, “How welcome they are that bring good news!” [Is 52:7; Nah 1:15] ¹⁶ But not everybody has obeyed the good news. Isaiah says,

“LORD, who’s believed our report?” [Is 53:1]

¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing—hearing the message about Christ. ¹⁸ But I say, the Israelites have heard, haven’t they?

“Their testimony went out all over the world,

            and their words to the ends of the earth” [Ps 19:4].

¹⁹ But I say, Israel surely didn’t know, did they? First, Moses says,

                        “I’ll make you jealous by what’s not a nation;

                                    I’ll anger you by a nation that doesn’t understand” [Deut 32:21].

²⁰ Isaiah is bold,

                        “People found me that weren’t looking for me;

                                    they saw me who weren’t asking about me” [Is 65:1].

²¹ He tells Israel,

                        “All day long I’ve held out my hands

                                    to a disobedient, stubborn people” [Is.65:2 LXX].                       

Rom 10:14-21