By Michael Morrison
By Michael Morrison
In Romans 9 to 11, Paul deals with Israel’s role in God’s plan. Does the new covenant mean that God no longer has a special interest in the Jewish people? Since salvation is by faith, is there a role left for Israel? In chapter 10, Paul develops but does not answer the question.
Israel’s failure
Paul begins by expressing his hope that the Jews would accept the gospel: “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved” (Rom. 10:1, TNIV throughout). Paul wants his own people to be saved.
Humanly speaking, we would expect the Jews to do quite well: “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God …” (v. 2). But the problem is that “their zeal is not based on knowledge.”
What knowledge did they lack? “They did not know the righteousness of God.” They knew that God is righteous, but they did not know how he would count humans as righteous. They therefore “sought to establish their own.”
This verse contrasts a righteousness based on the law, and a divine righteousness that comes through faith (9:30-31; 10:5-6). The Jews aimed at righteousness through their covenant with God, a relationship the Gentiles did not have. The Jews, focusing on the law, could not see a different means of righteousness, and could not see God working with other people.
As a result of looking to their works, “they did not submit to God’s righteousness” (10:3). God’s righteousness must come by grace, not works, and as long as people look to what they do, they fail to accept the gift of righteousness the gospel reveals.
So Paul concludes: “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (v. 4). Some translations say the “end” of the law; others say the “goal” of the law. If Christ is the end of the law, the law has come to an end. If Christ is the goal of the law, then the law points to Christ.
Both goal and end can be supported by other verses, but which emphasis did Paul intend here? Perhaps he meant both meanings. In a race, for example, the goal is also the end. When we reach the goal or purpose of some endeavor, the project is finished. The TNIV uses a different word: culmination or climax. Christ is the supreme expression of what the law was. Now that we have him, we do not need the preliminary, for he is the means of our righteousness.
Paul’s conclusion is clear: Righteousness cannot be obtained through the law. Rather, it must be 1) given through Christ, 2) received by faith rather than works and 3) available to Gentiles as well as Jews. When it comes to salvation, Jews do not have special privileges. The law, which was unique to Israel, is not the means of salvation.
In verses 5 to 10, Paul will elaborate on faith, and in verses 11 to 13, he will emphasize that it is available to everyone.
Contrast between law and gospel
Paul supports his point by quoting Leviticus 18:5: “Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The one who does these things will live by them’ ” (v. 5). The old covenant included faith, but it emphasized obedience. Since no one could do everything the law required, it could never be a means of righteousness. The new covenant, however, is based on faith, so it succeeds where the old covenant could not.
“But the righteousness that is by 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 deep?” ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)” (vv. 6-7, quoting parts of Deut. 30:4, 12-13). Moses told the Israelites that God did not choose them because they were righteous, so they should have known that God could reveal himself to sinners, including Gentiles.
Moses told the Israelites that the commandments are revealed rather than hidden. God’s word for them was readily available. Paul applied this principle to Christ and the gospel—the word of God in the gospel is easy to obtain.
“But what does it say?” Paul asks in v. 8, and then he quotes Deut. 30:14: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” Deuteronomy goes on to say “so you may obey it,” but Paul does not quote that, for he is applying the principle to the gospel, not the law. He says instead, “… that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim.” The message about righteousness through faith is not hard to get.
Paul shows how accessible true righteousness is: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (v. 9). Paul is not giving a new formula for salvation—he is showing how the words mouth and heart apply to the gospel. It is Christ (not the law) that should be in the heart and mind.
“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (v. 10). Here, Paul puts faith and confession as parallel ideas, not distinctly different, and he puts justification and salvation as roughly equivalent terms. The law required obedience, but the gospel requires acceptance.
Everyone is invited
“As Scripture says,” Paul notes in v. 11, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” This is quoted from Isa. 28:16, which says that God will lay a cornerstone in Zion for a sure foundation, and people who have faith in this cornerstone will not be found short on the day of judgment. Paul quoted the entire verse in 9:33; here he just repeats the part about believing in Christ as the key to salvation.
Paul then repeats a favorite theme: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ ” (vv. 12-13, quoting Joel 2:32). Salvation comes by calling on the Lord, looking to him for salvation. In Joel, the Lord was Yahweh, but Paul uses the verse for Christ, showing that he accepted Jesus Christ as God.
Salvation comes by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord. The problem is that Paul’s own people are rejecting the message. He highlights this in verse 14: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?” They have to call on the Lord to be saved, but if people think he is a crucified criminal instead of the Messiah, they won’t call on him.
“How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?” (vv. 14-15). This is a general sequence of preaching and salvation. But the problem can’t be solved simply by sending more preachers—preachers have already been sent, and most of the Jews still haven’t believed. So where in the sequence is the problem for the Jews?
Israel hears but does not believe
In verse 15 Paul shows that messengers were sent: “As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ ” This is quoted from the Greek version of Isaiah 52:7, which uses the common New Testament verb for preaching the gospel. In Isaiah’s day, the good news was the prophecy of the people being restored to their land.
Paul says in verse 16: “But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah [53:1] says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ ” People didn’t accept the message back then, either—it is an old problem.
Isaiah says that the message has to be believed—it’s a matter of faith, one of Paul’s favorite topics. He says in verse 17: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Here, Paul seems to be completing the evangelistic sequence of verse 15. People need to hear the message before they can believe it—but simply hearing the message does not always lead to faith.
In verse 18, Paul asks: “Did they not hear? Of course they did: ‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’ ” This is quoted from Psalm 19:4, which says the heavens declare the glory of God. So if the whole world has heard the message, the Jews have also heard.
“Again,” Paul asks in verse 19, “Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says [in Deut. 32:21], ‘I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.’ ” Yes, Israel understood, but they failed, and God told them in advance that he would work with other peoples. And this key verse revealed to Paul what God was doing in Paul’s ministry: He wanted the salvation of Gentiles to make Israel envious, so the Jews would then accept the gospel.
“And Isaiah boldly says, I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me” (v. 20, quoting Isaiah 65:1). Isaiah is talking about wayward Israelites, but Paul applies it here to Gentiles. If God can reveal himself to disinherited Jews, then he can do it to anyone. So God turned away from the zealous, and blessed people who didn’t even know to ask.
Paul concludes the chapter by saying, “But concerning Israel he says, ‘All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people’ ” (v. 21, quoting Isa. 65:2). God did not want the Jewish people to go astray, but they would not listen. Israel had an opportunity for salvation, but most were refusing it.
But does that mean that God has given up on them? Certainly not, Paul says. But that is in chapter 11, and we’ll see his conclusion in our next issue.
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Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2004