Lonang Commentary on Romans 10

Rom. 10:1-5 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

Christ – End of the Law for Righteousness

Paul regards the Jews as being ignorant of the righteousness of God, which seems to me to be a bit charitable. After all, they had the Law and the Prophets, and they knew or should have known all of the scriptures telling of Christ’s coming. They knew (not ignorant!) exactly where the Christ child was to be born (Mat. 2:5-6), but instead of looking for Him themselves, waited for the wise men to find Him, and then Herod tried to kill him. So if they were truly ignorant, it was because they suppressed the truth. See, Rom. 1:18. Therefore, not excused. Rom. 1:20. Or, as Paul says, they did not submit.

Paul, true to form, never puts the blame for the Jews’ predicament on the Mosaic law itself. He refers to Moses saying, in Deu. 30:16 and elsewhere, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. In other words, if the Jews followed God’s laws, it would lead to a blessed and fulfilled life here on earth. Neither Paul nor Moses are here talking about eternal life, or that keeping the commandments would lead to redemption, salvation or righteousness.

If you look at the specific wording of Deu. 30:16, the promise is that obedience meant the Jews “shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.” In other words, keeping God’s laws was never about attaining individual righteousness. It was about Israel as a nation occupying its homeland, in which God would be dwelling among them with a physical presence. Disobedience would taint the land where God was to maintain His presence, and this would be odious to God.

Consequently, when we get to the statement that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, it does not mean, nor could it possibly mean, that the coming of Christ was the termination or abolition of the Mosaic law. For Jesus explicitly denied He came to do this. Mat. 5:17. This word end in verse 4 is not so much a termination as a fulfillment, just as the word fulfill in Mat. 5:17 does not mean a termination. Think of the phrase ends and means, which refers to goals and methods. Here, the word end means a goal or purpose. Christ is the goal or purpose of the law.

Christ, fulfilling (keeping, or obeying) the law, also fulfilled its purpose. If the law was a tutor to lead to Christ, then the coming of Christ fulfilled that purpose. If the law was designed to point towards righteousness, but could not actually deliver it, then the coming of Christ finally delivered on the promise.

Which means that the original national purpose of the Mosaic law, to allow Israel as a nation to occupy its homeland, in which God would be dwelling among them with a physical presence, has not changed. For God still very much intends that Israel will regain a full possession and control of its homeland, and that Christ, upon His return, will visibly and physically dwell among them as the living God. Then the Jews will be the Lord’s people, and He will be their God. And the Jews, through an unprecedented obedience to the Law, will no longer defile the land, but will make it an environment compatible with the very presence of God, to the delight of both God and all Israel.

Rom. 10:6-10 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven?'” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or Who will descend into the abyss?'” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

To Be Like Christ, But Not Like God

I said in the Introduction to this commentary that it is not my intention to cover the ground trampled on by other commentators. So I will not devote any attention to verses 9 and 10 in connection with devising a creed, statement of faith, test for salvation, or any similar thing. I think Paul is merely taking the pattern of Moses, that the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, and explaining how faith in Christ involves both the mouth and the heart. And that is all I will say on that topic.

But I have more to say concerning the context, which Paul quotes from Deu. 30:11-14, with some embellishment. For the descend into the abyss language is not used in Deu. 30 at all. Nevertheless, the greater context here is clear. Paul has urged us many times, as in Rom. 8:29, to be like Christ, that is to be conformed to the image of Christ, particular in the area of obedience to God’s laws. Yet, the things he speaks of here, to ascend into heaven to bring Christ down, or to descend into the abyss to bring Christ up from death, smack of something else entirely. Not conformity to the image of Christ or to be like Him, but to be like God in the sense of Gen. 3:5. That is, to think of ourselves as gods.

Paul is raising a cautionary flag, as it were. Yes, salvation in Christ makes us part of God’s family as adopted sons of God, fellow-heirs of Christ. But don’t get overly ambitious here – don’t think that elevated status, or privileged position, makes us actually divine or equal with God. He is still the uncreated Creator, and we will never be more than one of His creatures, made to serve Him for His pleasure, not ours. We, by our mere belief and confession, are not capable of doing the things that Christ did to obtain our salvation. We can only accept or reject his offer of redemption – we cannot in any way alter it or duplicate it.

The parallel scripture is Isa. 14:13-14, speaking of the Devil’s ambitions: “You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'” So when Paul says we should not aspire to ascend into heaven, what he’s really saying is that we should be careful not to follow the example of the Devil. For ascending into heaven (by our own efforts) is tantamount to wanting to make ourselves like the Most High God. That has always been the Devil’s game plan, and it still is – so we should stay away as far as possible from it.

And in the broader context of describing the condition of the Jews, Paul is here linking salvation in Christ to a specific provision in the Torah. His probable intention is to give his Jewish readers something they can hold onto from their own Law, that gives them a possible grasp on the gospel. Again, spoken from a deep desire for the hearts of the Jews, but also deep down knowing they are bound for a long road of darkness ahead.

Rom. 10:11-16 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”

The Importance of Words

Verses 11-12 cover ground that has already been extensively commented on – no need to expand on them. Beginning in verse 13, Paul begins with the premise that the Lord saves those who call on Him, and then asks a series of rhetorical questions leading inevitably to the conclusion that the gospel needs to be preached in order for people to hear it and believe in Christ. He then partially quotes Isa. 52:7: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” Then he closes this set of verses with a caveat: not everyone who hears the gospel will obey it and believe.

Thus emphasizing that the gospel is transmitted by words, and not so much by “the witness of our example,” or lifestyle evangelism. People may see a believer’s life exemplify goodness, or righteousness, or perhaps the fruit of the Spirit. But this will communicate to observers nothing more than so-and-so is a good person – it will communicate nothing about the actual content of the gospel.

Words are important. Many things require transmission in words. As we have seen from the law of promulgation, all positive laws must be communicated in words to become binding on people. Scripture would be nothing, if it had not been written down and transmitted in words. The covenants between God and man throughout history, including the new covenant in Christ, all required (and were expressed in) words of covenant and never left to mere implication or inference. Covenants in general, and the divine covenants specifically, cannot be amended by mere circumstances – there must be words of amendment between the original parties. Thus, the mere circumstances of Christ’s birth, death or resurrection do not amend any prior covenant. It takes words of amendment to amend the words of a covenant, and nothing else will suffice.

This text is often viewed as an encouragement of evangelism, but in fact nothing here even remotely suggests that all believers are to practice evangelism, or even promote and support it. It only says that those who preach the gospel are blessed. Not that everyone should be a mini-preacher and/or evangelist as an unpaid volunteer to help out your pastor who can’t do it all himself. In fact, there are two key arguments against a universal conscription of all believers by the Church for evangelistic purposes.

First, Eph. 4:11 (“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers”) clearly implies that each of these offices in the Church only apply to a small minority of people. Which is precisely why the KJV renders this verse as, “he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” Not all believers are apostles, are they? Nor a majority, or a substantial minority either, truth be told. Precious few of those, in fact. Is everyone a prophet in your church? Mine neither. Same for teachers and pastors – I mean, what is the pastor to member ratio in your church, or any church? 100:1, maybe? Teacher to student ratio of 20:1 or higher, probably? What makes anyone think evangelists are more numerous?

“Oh, but there are those who are called to be full-time (professional, paid, support-raising) evangelists, and then there’s everyone else who is simply called to be a witness.” Really? Says who? Do you think just because Jesus told the apostles to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” that is automatically the job of every Christian? He only said that to people who were apostles, whose calling was to be an apostle.

All believers have their distinct callings. As noted in 1 Cor. 12:4-11, there are a variety of spiritual gifts, ministries and effects distributed among the members of Christ’s body, all flowing from the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. Get that? No one chooses their own calling within the body of Christ. Only God decides. Some of us, Lord help me, are even called to be lawyers. I am the way I am because God made me this way. Same goes for you.

And the second key argument is . . . the next set of verses. In short, God’s already got it covered.

Rom. 10:17-20 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

Jesus, The Voice of God

Paul makes a remarkable claim here. After making the case that the word of Christ (or the gospel) must be preached, that people (some people, anyway) should be sent out into the world to preach it, and this is the way others will be led to believe in Christ, he makes a strong caveat. “But I ask, have they not heard?” Or in other words, haven’t the people of the world already heard the gospel before the preachers have reached them? Another rhetorical question with an all too obvious answer. And the answer is an emphatic, “Yes.”

I shudder to remember how many times I’ve heard someone teach from Rom. 10, and they stop reading at verse 17, as if to say, “OK, you’ve got your marching orders, now everyone get out there and proclaim the gospel of salvation to all people.” When clearly, that is not what Paul is saying here.

John 1:1-3 tells us, ” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” This is confirmed in Col. 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth.” What makes this all terribly significant is that Gen. 1 repeatedly tells us when God created the heavens and the earth, He did so by speaking them into existence. Another example of the importance of words – the world wouldn’t exist without them.

But the point is, when God spoke the creation into existence, it was Jesus speaking. Yet this was not a one-time special occasion. John 1 cannot be read as though Jesus was only the Word of God back at the time of creation and never again thereafter. For as John 1:14 states, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” So when Jesus was born, millennia after creation, He was still the Word of God. He was still the Word of God when He was crucified, buried and raised from the dead. He is still the Word of God now, as He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, waiting to receive His kingdom. And He was the Word of God during the entire Old Testament period.

Which means, logically, that Jesus isn’t just the Word of God, He is the Voice of God. Every time God speaks, it is Jesus speaking. All of the conversations between God and Adam and Eve in Eden were with Jesus. When God spoke to Noah before and after the flood, it was Jesus speaking. When God talked with Moses at the burning bush, it was Jesus speaking. We know this beyond any doubt, for it was at this encounter that God revealed His name to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. Exo. 3:14. Jesus made it quite clear in John 8:58 that it was He who was and is Jehovah, in claiming that “before Abraham was, I am.” When God later delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses – the Words of God – it was Jesus doing it.

Thus, when Paul in Rom. 10 quotes Ps. 19:4, “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world,” whose voice and whose words are they? Indeed, who are they? Why, the Godhead, of course – the same God who said in Gen. 1:26, “Let us make man in our image.” And in both instances, when the Godhead speaks, it is Christ speaking. This is confirmed grammatically, in that the voice of God in Rom. 10:18 is directly linked to the word of Christ in verse 17. And it could not possibly be any other way.

For when God spoke the creation into existence, that is also when the laws of nature (God’s will impressed upon the creation) came into existence. Which means that the laws of nature, or the laws of creation – all of them, to the fullest extent – are the laws of Christ, without exception. Recall again Col. 1:16, “For by [Jesus Christ] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.” Or in other words, the laws of nature and the laws of government ( authorities’).

And since the words God spoke to Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses (among others) are also the words of Christ who is Jehovah, that means all the laws of nature’s God (i.e., all of God’s verbal laws revealed in the scriptures, including the divine covenants) are also the words of Christ. Thus making Jesus the Author of both the laws of nature and the laws of nature’s God. And making all the commands and commandments of God in the Old and New Testaments also the commands and commandments of Christ. It’s kind of staggering to recall that the Declaration of Independence, in founding America on the laws of nature and of nature’s God, actually founded this nation on the words of Christ.

Oh, if only the people of God would take this truth to heart when looking at the Great Commission in Mat. 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Not just the small sliver of truth we call the gospel of salvation, but the entirety of the laws of God. Not just how to be saved, but how to live in accordance with the totality of God’s will. Of course, you can’t teach what you don’t know, so the question needs to be asked how much training in God’s laws the Church is providing, really? How well are the saints being equipped for this good work? How well are churchgoers trained in the laws of nature, or the divine covenants?

When Jesus returns, the question won’t be, “Why didn’t you lead more people to Christ?” Insufficient evangelism never has been, and never will be, the problem. For Jesus promised that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.” Mat. 24:14. That’s a guarantee, which will only be fulfilled at the time of the Tribulation and not before. Rather, the question will be, “Why didn’t you teach the nations – and yourselves – to be more obedient to all of my laws?”

You think I jest? This is no small matter. “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecc. 12:13. Did you think this was superseded by the inauguration of the Church? It wasn’t. “By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” 1 Jn 2:3. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 Jn 5:2-3.

The Gospel in Creation

Yet Paul would have us know much more from his quotation of Ps. 19:4, than merely that the voice of creation (the law of nature) is the voice of Christ. He would also have us understand, especially after his lengthy explanation back in chapter 1, that the creation shows all people more than the nature of God, our sin, and our universal deserving of punishment and death. Namely, that the creation (the voice of Christ) also clearly reveals the gospel of salvation itself. And it is plainly visible to everyone in the world, if they only take the time to observe it. But, if they do not, they have no excuse, for no one is truly ignorant of it.

Most likely you have never been taught this, and if you have had any exposure to standard Christian training, it has probably never even come up as a possibility. Yet, it is right there in Rom. 10, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. See, Mk. 4:21-23. I especially get incensed over so-called Christian ministries which claim that people are inherently ignorant of Christ, and the main reason they have not accepted Jesus is that they don’t know about Him, for “no one has told them.” This is a bald-faced lie and a pernicious evil that is plainly contradicted by Rom. 10, as well as the inherent knowledge of God that is placed into each person’s conscience.

Clearly not everyone has obeyed the gospel. Yet the gospel, according to scripture here, is delivered by the word of Christ, which has gone out to all the earth, and to the ends of the world. So then Paul quotes from Isa. 65:1, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” And if you are tempted to view this scripture as pertaining mainly, or exclusively, to the Jews, it is plainly contradicted by the rest of Isa. 65:1 not quoted in Romans: “I said, Here I am, here I am,’ to a nation that was not called by my name.” In other words, God says that He has revealed Himself and the gospel to nations other than Israel.

The problem, going back to chapter 1, is not that people are ignorant, but that they purposely suppress a knowledge of the truth. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but worldwide evangelism is big business, with several missions organizations having revenues exceeding $500,000,000 annually, and assets in excess of a billion dollars. They have a vested and very personal financial interest at stake in continuing the Church’s evangelistic fervor. But how exactly, you may ask, is the gospel revealed in the creation, that evangelists and missionary organizations never talk about?

It is not for nothing that the scripture proclaims, “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” Ps. 97:6. “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” Ps. 119:89. “And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.'” Gen. 1:14. Do you think it merely coincidence that this phrase, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens, if indeed Christ is the Word of God, literally means that Christ is firmly fixed and revealed in the heavens, and therefore the gospel is firmly fixed and revealed in the heavens?

The twelve Zodiac constellations have been observed and recognized by every human civilization in history. Isn’t it possible that they are part of God’s design in the heavens, and not merely the invention of men?

1.   Virgo, the Virgin – Promised Seed of the Woman
2.   Libra, the Balances – Scales of divine justice
3.   Scorpio, the Scorpion – Sting to be inflicted on the promised Seed
4.   Sagittarius, the Archer – Corruption of the human race
5.   Capricornus; the Goat-Fish – Utter wickedness of mankind
6.   Aquarius, the Water Pourer – Destruction of the world by water
7.   Pisces, the Fishes – Emergence of the true people of God
8.   Aries, the Ram – Sacrifice of an innocent Substitute for sins
9.   Taurus, the Bull – Resurrection of the slain Ram as the mighty Bull
10. Gemini, the Twins – The dual nature of the reigning King/Priest
11. Cancer, the Crab – Ingathering of the redeemed from all ages
12. Leo, the Lion – Destruction of the fleeing serpent by the great King
[As suggested by Henry M Morris in The Biblical Basis for Modern Science (1984).]

God is not dependent on us to get His message out. After all, He is the All Sufficient One. We depend on his word, His Word does not depend on us. Meanwhile, the laws of Christ go uninvestigated and untaught, and people wonder why Christians are as disobedient as the general culture. So much for being a witness to the world. In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded the Church to make disciples, but instead the Church has settled for making mere converts. Hear me: disciples and converts are not the same thing. God can gain converts on His own. What He wants the Church to do is to make disciples by teaching the world His laws – using words. Yet, we aren’t.

Rom. 10:21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

I will consider this verse along with Rom. 11:1-6.