ROMANS: RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH FROM START TO FINISH

VIII. Explaining Israel’s Ignorance Of Salvation By Faith

(Romans 10:1-21)

I. Introduction

A. The theme of the epistle to the Romans is that God’s righteousness is available to man by faith from start to finish (Romans 1:16-17; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 441).

B. This belief is often not accepted in Christendom: Some claim that one must have faith plus works to be justified, and others say that though we are justified by faith, we cannot righteously live a godly life by faith.

C. Having taught that God sovereignly administers His righteousness in Romans 9, Paul in Romans 10 explained how Israel was ignorant of God’s salvation by faith, a problem that even many religious people today have!

D. We thus view Romans 10:1-21 for our insight, application, and edification (as follows):

II. Explaining Israel’s Ignorance Of Salvation By Faith, Romans 10:1-21.

A. Paul expressed his personal deep desire and prayer that his countrymen in Israel might be saved, Romans 10:1.

B. However, he noted that though they had a zeal for God, they were ignorant of God’s righteousness, so in trying to establish their own righteousness, they had not submitted to God’s righteousness, Romans 10:2-3.

C. Paul then told how his countrymen were missing God’s righteousness in trying to gain their own, v. 4-21:

1. Paul stated that Christ is the end of the Mosaic Law as for attaining righteousness to everyone who believes in Christ as Savior, Romans 10:4.

2. To explain this statement, he asserted that Moses described the righteousness which was of the keeping of the Law, that the man who obeyed the Law would live by it, Romans 10:5 with Leviticus 18:5.

3. Conversely, to describe the righteousness which is by faith, Paul referred to Deuteronomy 30:12-14 “which emphasize the initiative of divine grace and humble reception of God’s word” in Romans 10:6-8, and Paul applied this truth to the Gospel which is near and thus ready for a man to take on his lips and into his heart unto salvation, Romans 10:9-10; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Romans 10:6-8.

4. Going further to validate the righteousness of God which is available by faith, Paul alluded to Isaiah 28:16; 49:23 and Joel 2:32 as Old Testament validation for this route to salvation in Romans 10:11-13.

5. Paul then described the program God uses to invite unsaved men to obtain God’s righteousness by faith, the program of sending His messengers to preach the Gospel of Christ to the lost that they might hear it and believe it to be saved, Romans 10:14-15 in referring to Isaiah 52:7.

6. However, in Israel’s case, Paul’s countrymen had not all obeyed the Gospel of Christ, just as Isaiah 53:1 predicted that not everyone in Israel would believe the Gospel even though Jesus had performed many divine miracles with the “arm of the Lord” in His earthly ministry, Romans 10:16.

7. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God that is proclaimed (Romans 10:17), but even though Israel had God’s revelation through nature given to her (Romans 10:18 that refers to Psalm 19:4) in addition to Scripture, she still had not responded to accepting God’s righteousness which is by faith.

8. In Romans 10:19-21, Paul anticipated that one might object to his theology by admitting that Israel had heard but not understood that God intended to offer righteousness by faith to all men, Jews, and Gentiles alike, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 482. In response, Paul referred to two Old Testament Hebrew passages, one by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:21 and another by Isaiah in Isaiah 65:1: “Both Old Testament leaders wrote about God’s turning to the Gentiles, whom the Jews thought had no understanding” while Israel in her “continuing rebellious and unbelieving disobedience was judged by God’s turning to the Gentiles (Rom. 10:20; cf. Acts 8:1-8, 10. At the same time God has not withheld salvation from Jews. He has held out His hands, imploring them to return to Him,” Ibid.; Romans 10:19-21.

Lesson: Israel failed to realize that though the Mosaic Law stated that one who kept it would live, that no one could successfully keep the Law due to sin in the human heart. God had thus graciously opened the door for man, Jew and Gentile alike, to be given God’s righteousness as a gift by faith in Christ. The people of Israel had not heeded this message though it had been presented to them with ample Old Testament verification.

Application: (1) May we realize that the plight of many religious people today is their belief that they can actually attain righteousness unto salvation by their well-meaning good works when that method is unattainable due to man’s inherent sin and sin nature. (2) We must thus rely on the Holy Spirit to convict the lost of the futility of their gaining salvation by works that they might believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be saved.