I could have some lunch right now, but I suppose we can practice some restraint… that is, I could do a little bit of writing before I feed my gut.
I guess I couldn’t resist or avoid it now. I’m, oh, at least two or three chapters in writing what I’m assuming is my own commentary on each chapter of the book of Romans. It wasn’t something that came to mind the minute I began reading the opening verses of Chapter 1…. if I remember it was more of me wanting to collect my own observations as I was in the middle of Chapter 7 – the one chapter where we read Paul opening up with his own struggles with sin and the flesh.
That’s been done, and now I’m here, about to begin Chapter 10.
Dear reader, I just want to fill you in on what’s going on. I’m at a point, the middle of diminishing resources and increasing difficulties; that is, I’m realizing the danger of putting trust in certain things just as I’m losing them, while at the same time being vulnerable – that is, my name and my skin haven’t been exposed to difficulty like what I’m currently facing, for the longest time.
I suppose part of me insists I continue to write, in spite of all this, in the name of self-preservation. As I’ve said quite a bit, I’m doing all this writing primarily for myself, but… well, if you’ve been blessed through all of this, give all the glory to our Savior.
Let’s go.
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.
By ‘them’, Paul is referring once again to his people, those of the nation of Israel. If you recall, he started off Chapter 9, lamenting that if he could be the one subject to damnation and rejection, he would, if it meant the salvation of his people.
Here, Paul reiterates his desire, and his prayer… However, he appends an acknowledgement – that they actually do have a zeal for God – or, I assume, a willingness to seek Him, to follow and obey Him.. but it is not a zeal established by, in Paul’s words, ‘knowledge’.
What’s there to know? The true righteousness of God through Christ, who is the end of the Law to everyone who believes.
Take note that Paul mentions that his people were ‘seeking to establish their own’ righteousness; and, when you think about it, this doesn’t just seem to be the mindset of just the Israelites, but I propose that the rest of the world has the same way of thinking.
We all seek to establish our own righteousness. We are all trying to make out our own path, or we follow other paths, religions or belief systems to righteousness – that is, having right-standing with God, virtue, and/or ‘the Universe’… and if it’s not the actual righteousness we’re trying to work for, we seem to have the propensity to be satisfied with what gives us the feeling of right-standing: success defined by money, power, and sex, ‘inner peace’, and so on.
Here we see another aspect to the salvation we have in Jesus Christ – for when we believe in Him, we do not just find out that His finished work ‘ends’ our own efforts and works to attain and maintain salvation, or absolute right-standing with the Creator… we also behold that righteousness ITSELF is what satisfies us, more than anything that this world insists are ‘blessings’ or indications of right-standing.
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 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. 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.”
Take note that the ESV precedes that last, heavy section of heavy verses with the heading, ‘The Message of Salvation to All’.
Let’s go in reverse here, and do some consolidation… starting off with Paul referring from other parts of Scripture – Isaiah 28:16 and Joel 2:32:
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
Paul is saying, through these words of the prophets, that everyone who believes will not be ‘in haste’ or put to shame, and that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. We see that he also emphasizes that there is no believing without the heart, and their is no calling without the mouth.
Note that these were verses from the Old Testament, but I believe it is the Holy Spirit who works through Paul’s words as he mentions also that it’s Christ whom we believe in with our hearts – specifically, we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead; consequently, it’s Christ who is the LORD whose Name we call on with our mouths.
I suppose that if you wanted to know the faith which Christ authors into us, it’s one that has our hearts believing in His resurrection, and one that has our mouths calling upon Him, as our Lord… and to this faith, there is no requisite – Christ is LORD for both the Jew and the Greek, responsible for our righteousness, and our right-standing with God.
Now let’s jump back to the beginning of the set, where Paul mentions Moses and the righteousness that is based on the Law. Keep in mind that this is a righteousness that is based on a perfect standard, and is therefore one that we, as imperfect as we are, could not possibly reach, much less attain – which is why I believe Paul mentioned ‘the person who does the commandments shall LIVE by them’, and not ‘shall BE SAVED’ or ‘BE RIGHTEOUS’ by the Law.
Since we know that we are saved through Christ (that is, by allowing our being to heed the conviction of the Holy Spirit, so we confess with our mouth that Christ is Lord, and we believe in our heart that He rose from the dead), we proclaim, and we enjoy the Truth of this Salvation: That is,“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”.
We no longer see any need or pleasure in discussing who gets to go to heaven, and who goes to hell, because it’s Christ who is the end of the whole rating system. Imagine, we were imperfect creations trying, in vain, to attain a perfect standard… and when we realize the hopelessness of our situation, repentance is only one option to take – most of us, apparently, lean in more to the bitterness involving rating others, knowing deep inside we’re nowhere near perfect ourselves.
We also recognize how we are equally hopeless in our own schemes to get to heaven, or to get out of the abyss; It was Christ who died, and we had no part in raising Him from the dead – through the Scripture and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we realize that it was our Father who raised Christ from the dead, AND thereby giving Him the name above every name; He is therefore the only One fit to be called King of Kings, and more importantly, not just Lord, but Lord of Lords.
Through Christ we have been brought into a salvation through faith, made available to both Jew and Gentile… a salvation that would bring us to believe in our hearts that Christ rose from the dead, confessing with our mouths that He is Lord.
It’s a salvation for all, Christ for all; believing in Christ that leads to salvation, and/or our being led to salvation by believing in Christ.
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?” 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.”
But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
To this final set of verses that makes up Romans 10, I’m led to recall one or a couple of Jack Chick tracts, where the antagonist who is sent to the lake of fire claims that nobody ever told him or her about Jesus Christ.
To that I also bring to mind the work of the Holy Spirit, as we always like to point out, from Christ’s words in John 16:
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.John 16:7-11
Indeed, the world is convicted by the Holy Spirit – even the ruler of the world is constantly being reminded of judgment. This gives me reason to believe that the Holy Spirit is constantly being exposed to each and every one of us.
Oh, and I’d like to also point out an earlier part of Romans, while we’re at it: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.Romans 1:18-20
The Holy Spirit is constantly convicting us, and the glory of the Lord is CLEARLY perceived ‘in the things that have been made’ – or in all creation.
Now we finally go to what Paul shares, and we’re told that Israel, of all people and AMONG other nations, HAVE heard the Gospel of Christ – By the Holy Spirit, in all creation, and now, through ‘those who preach the good news’…
…and lest we assume that this means ‘just the missionaries’, I have further reason to believe that ALL of us who have received the Gospel of Christ, PREACH the Gospel of Christ: (1) through intentional testifying, or (2) through our very lives (whether spoken or not) as a testimony, living having found Him, provoking all (not just Israel) to jealousy, in the hopes of repentance.
Through Christ we who have not looked have found Him, that those who have tried to seek Him in vain, would know that they are found by Him.
Personally, it gives me comfort to know that it’s through Christ and His finished work, and not by who I am or what I do, that I am absolutely in right-standing with God, enjoying His presence – even in my failures, and even in the midst of all anxiety and danger.
It is my prayer that we continually heed the conviction of the Holy Spirit, as we marvel at the glory of God in all His creation, and as we enjoy the manifest presence of God, discovering more of His good news in fellowship with the body of Christ.
Note to self: Let us keep hearing, let us keep believing.
Until the next post, God bless us all.
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#Romans #Bible #BibleStudy #BibleInOneYear #Salvation #RighteousnessByFaith #ConfessingChrist #Gospel #Preaching #GoodNews #HolySpirit #JesusChrist #Reflections #Revelations #PracticalChristianity #BenefitsOfSalvation
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