Romans 10:1–4, 8–18, 21

Explore the Bible
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile

CALL TO FAITH
Romans 10:1–4, 8–18, 21

We Cannot Save Ourselves (1–4)
Once again, Paul makes clear how deeply he feels about the failure of Israel to embrace the salvation God offers in Jesus. Paul continues to pray for the people of Israel’s salvation because they have zeal for God, but they do not have knowledge. He sees their zeal as a good thing. The problem, however, is that — like the pre-Christian Paul (Acts 22:3; Phil. 3:6) — their zeal is not directed by knowledge. 

Paul makes clear in 10:3–4 that God is now offering a right relationship with Himself through faith in Jesus Christ. But instead of submitting to God’s righteousness, the Jews seek to establish their own. They are faulted for failing to recognize Christ as the culmination of God’s plan and the rock on which the new people of God is to be built (Rom. 9:33). In failing to submit to God’s righteousness, the Jews are guilty of missing the decisive turn in salvation history that had come with Christ, for God’s righteousness is bound up with Christ. But in seeking to establish their own righteousness, they are also guilty of relying on their own works. 

Christ opens a new phase in salvation history in which God offers a right relationship with Himself to Gentiles, as well as to Jews. Faith, apart from ethnic origin or works, is the sole basis for receiving the gift of righteousness God offers to the world.

We Can Be Saved by Faith (8–13)
In verses 6–8, Paul makes it clear that through Christ’s being brought down to earth — His incarnation — and brought up from the dead, God has made righteousness readily available. All one must do to attain righteousness is respond in faith to the gospel as it is preached.

Deuteronomy 30:14, which Paul cites in verse 8, refers to the “mouth” and “heart.”  In verse 9, he elaborates on each of these. With the mouth, one confesses “Jesus is Lord.”  The confession that Jesus is Lord is one of the basic distinguishing marks of being a Christian. With the heart, one believes that God raised Jesus from the dead. Paul elaborates further, only now in reverse order, with the heart coming first, then the mouth. The central thesis propounded in verses 9–10 is that the one who believes and confesses Jesus as the resurrected Lord will be saved. 

Verse 11 is transitional. It grounds verse 10 by showing from the Old Testament that putting one’s trust in Christ will bring vindication in the judgment. The quotation is from Isaiah 28:16, which Paul has already quoted in Romans 9:33, where he identifies the “stone” as Christ. The quotation in verse 11 also stresses that the faith that leads to vindication in the judgment is open to “anyone.”

Paul expounds this truth in verse 12, returning to his central claim that the gospel opens the doors to salvation to all peoples on the same basis. Paul’s “no difference” principle among the various peoples is to be applied especially to the key divide created by the Old Testament between Jew and Gentile. The confession Jesus is Lord unites both in the same faith and the same hope, for “the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him.” 

Paul then uses another Old Testament verse that underscores the universality of God’s offer of salvation (Joel 2:32): “Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.” Yahweh is the covenant name of God. But Paul identifies this “Yahweh” with Jesus, the “stone” of Isaiah 28:16. Verse 13 is important evidence that the early Christians identified Jesus with God.

We Can Encourage Others (14–18, 21)
Here Paul presents the biblical rationale for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. God promises to save all who will call on the name of the Lord, but how will people know about Jesus if no one ever tells them? As Christians, we are commanded to share the gospel with unbelievers. Believers must lovingly share the gospel with the unsaved and plead for them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20). May God help us as Southern Baptists rise up to be faithful witnesses for Christ.