No one had ever witnessed to him. It was not merely "to those at Rome," but "to you that be at Rome." Apparently the meaning is: "What if the message was so difficult to grasp that even when Israel did hear it they were unable to grasp its significance?" For the scripture says, Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed. But for the time it is held fast, though in unrighteousness. On the contrary, it was the Jew provoked by the Gentiles "By them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you." Dig not into the bowels of the earth to find the gold of salvation. "Whosoever." In Romans 7:1-25 we have the subject of the law discussed for practice as well as in principle, and there again meet with the same weapon of tried and unfailing temper. ". On the contrary, the doctrine of faith establishes law as nothing else can; and for this simple reason, that if one who is guilty hopes to be saved spite of the broken law, it must be at the expense of the law that condemns his guilt; whereas the gospel shows no sparing of sin, but the most complete condemnation of it all, as charged on Him who shed His blood in atonement. The law is not destroyed, nor the intention of the lawgiver frustrated, but, full satisfaction being made by the death of Christ for our breach of the law, the end is attained, and we are put in another way of justification. Then, in Romans 9:1-33; Romans 10:1-21; Romans 11:1-36, the apostle handles a difficulty serious to any mind, especially to the Jew, who might readily feel that all this display of grace in Christ to the Gentile as much as to the Jew by the gospel seems to make very cheap the distinctive place of Israel as given of God. Suppose your faith cannot work miracles; never mind about miracles. Have done with every other confidence. Verse 17. Not so, says the apostle; it is because of the evil of the nature, not of the law. It is not a question of His mercy merely; for this weakens the truth immensely, and perverts its character wholly. There is the type of confession described in Matthew 10:32. Through His Word. Therein God is both vindicated and glorified. And so you will see them at the wailing wall, you will see them as they tie to them a little box, the phylacteries as they bind them to their foreheads and as they put on their prayer shawl and they go up to the wall and they begin to bob up and down and they go through their prayers and all, a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. And how can they believe in Him unless they hear about Him? "The man has not got anything like settled peace with God; perhaps he hardly knows his sins forgiven; but at least he is a saved soul." the word of faith -- The gospel peached by the apostles. There never was an hour since Israel's existence as a nation that God has not had His remnant of them. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. It is not a mystical, obscure thing; it is near and familiar. What is the righteousness which is of the law? Christ is thus the end of the law for righteousness, that is, for justification; but it is only to every one that believeth. In thy mouth - This is taken from the Septuagint. It can mean many things such as: 1. in order to understand this declaration: it is as plain as words can make it. The word abyss (abussos) is usually found in the book of Revelation (Revelation 9:1-2; Revelation 9:11; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1; Revelation 20:3). If ever we are to bring men to the Christian faith, our attitude must be the same. He wished his beloved ones to go to their beds; and since they would stop with him, he desired them to sing." (ver. The relationship between God and man is no longer the relationship between a creditor and a debtor, between an earner and an assessor, between a judge and a man standing at the bar of judgment. The believer, therefore, unwittingly though really, dishonours the Saviour, if he be content to walk short of this standard and power; he is entitled and called to walk according to his place, and in the confidence of his deliverance in Christ Jesus before God. Nevertheless there is in this passage something of permanent value. Romans 10:17, NLT: So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Perhaps thou wouldst be ashamed to say it with thy lips; but do not say it at all; do not say that the way to heaven is hard, or mysterious, or in any degree apart from the simple act of believing. They have plenty of zeal but little knowledge. The Jews built on a false foundation, and refused to come to Christ for free salvation by faith, and numbers in every age do the same in various ways. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. There was somewhat as yet lacking to the saints there; but even this was ordered of God to call forth from the Holy Ghost an epistle which more than any other approaches a complete treatise on the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, and especially as to righteousness. Help me to believe, Lord." The law cannot make a person righteous before God, nor can it give a person a righteous standing before God. Since the word of God is in our mouth, "confession" (homologeo) of Christ is almost automatic. The tenour of it is, Do, and live. Clear, then, as possible it must be to every man among us who will think, that if the only way of salvation by the works of the law is by the keeping of the law in its entirety, then that road is closed against us, and the sooner we have done with it the better; for then we shall turn our thoughts in the right direction, and travel on the way which the Lord in great mercy has prepared for us. The doctrine of faith therefore, which reposes on the cross, establishes law, instead of making it void, as every other principle must (verses 27-31). The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart "that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Unlike verse 5, Paul does not say, "Moses says" or "Moses writes." If His grace attract, His truth humbles, and leaves no room for vain boasting and self-confidence. Your father is not offering sacrifices. . So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God: Saving faith comes through hearing by the word of God. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. So that we have here a brief summary of the terms of salvation, and they are very reasonable; in short this, that we must devote, dedicate, and give up, to God, our souls and our bodies--our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies in confessing with the mouth. Romans 10:14-17. Faith is to both; it is the condition of our justification (Romans 5:1; Romans 5:1), and it is the root and spring of our sanctification; in it it is begun; by it it is carried on, Acts 15:9. III. It is not yet executed. [2.] i. "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"[ a] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 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. Angels saw him and wondered. The first of these phrases, "from faith," excludes the law; the second, "to faith," includes every one that has faith within the scope of God's righteousness. Thus corruption not only overspread morals, but became an integral part of the religion of men, and had thus a quasi-divine sanction. Paul's answer is: "Israel's disbelief was only to be expected, for, long ago, Isaiah was moved to say in despair: 'Lord, who has believed what we have heard?'" If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. By the cross God has a deeper moral glory than ever a glory that He thus acquired, if I may so say. "Ah, well," says one, "I know I must undergo a singular experience-either I must be carried right away to heaven with delirious delight, or be plunged into the waves of hell in frightful despair." Here is your answer. They have rejected God. I hope that brethren in Christ will bear with me if I press on them the importance of taking good heed to it that their souls are thoroughly grounded in this, the proper place of the Christian by Christ's death and resurrection. And how shall they preach unless they are sent? 3). It is not the awakening of conscience, however real; neither is it the attraction of heart by the grace of Christ, however blessed this may be. They did not know it, because they would not; they shut their eyes against the discoveries of it, and love darkness rather. I have tried my best; and so I close by bidding you hear WHAT EXPERIENCE SAITH. But this is not the full extent of salvation. The soul may feel the blood of Jesus to be a yet deeper want; but this alone does not give peace with God. for what follow are manifestly his words, in Deuteronomy 30:14. the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; which is to be understood not of the law, for Moses himself is not speaking of the law only, but either of the whole word of God, both law and Gospel; or particularly of the Gospel, which holds forth those special blessings and promises of grace, pardon of sin, and circumcision of the heart, which are mentioned in the context, as what should be bestowed upon the people of the Jews in the latter days; and so is rightly applied by the apostle to the then dispensation, and is to be understood of the Gospel; which was nigh both in the ministration of it, by the apostles, to Jews and Gentiles, and in the application and experience of it; it was not only "in the mouth" of the preachers, but also of the hearers of it, by a hearty and sincere confession; and "in [their] hearts", being attended with the power of God, and received in the love of it, was truly believed in, and cordially embraced; that is, the word of faith. What is near us may be easily reached. May God bless you and may God work in your life this week in a very special way. This do, and thou shalt live. ** In Park-street early in my ministry I told the story, and it did my friend good, and helped to rest his soul all those years ago, so that he remembered it and repeated it at the last. (that is, to bring, Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep? Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah, and Lo-ammi were of awful import for Israel; but, in presence of circumstances so disastrous, there should be not merely a people but sons of the living God, and then should Judah and Israel be gathered as one people under one head. There is the righteousness of justification and the righteousness of sanctification. When they see the way God has blessed the Christian believer and their love for God and for the Lord Jesus Christ, that they'll be provoked to jealousy, when they see the Gentiles receive the covenant and the grace and the blessings and the glory of God.As we were studying the book of Romans recently I sought to illustrate this by this beautiful, sharp, darling, little granddaughter of mine, who I love so greatly, as I do all my grandchildren. When you and I are no longer sinners, Christ is no longer our Savior; when you and I no more need him, then we shall not have him. Just say it, "Jesus is my Lord," and believe in your heart that God did raise Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Knowing God we come to believe and trust in God. It was laid down exactly how far a man could walk on the Sabbath. Its remarkable that Paul found something good to say about these Jewish people who persecuted him so mercilessly. The soul is brought into peace with God, as it finds its standing in the grace of God, and, more than that, rejoices in hope of the glory of God. Though the whole might have been announced in one continuous sentence, yet a question is interposed for the sake of exciting attention: and his object at the same time was to show how great is the difference between the righteousness of the law and that of the gospel; for the one, showing itself at a distance, restrains all men from coming nigh; but the other, offering itself at hand, kindly invites us to a fruition of itself, Nigh thee is the word. The answer is found in this portion of our epistle (that is, from the middle of chapter 5). There is satisfaction; but the work of Christ goes a great deal farther. And that word is the message of faith which we proclaim. That is, [a.] We have all that we need to find salvation and be blessed by God. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." Their problem is not that they have not heard or understood it, but that they have refused to believe it (see v. 16). Faith is easy compared to a lifetime of slavish obedience to the Law. It was a very great thing, especially, when the profession of Christ or Christianity hazarded estate, honour, preferment, liberty, life, and all that is dear in this world, which was the case in the primitive times. They're both true. God has given us His word. Even where the law was, not by it but by faith the just lived. The Jews were the last in the world to take such ground as this. No man that rested in Christ, and Christ alone, ever was ashamed of his hope; and none ever shall be. Now there is a tremendous failure some place of getting the message out.For how can they call on Him who they don't believe in? For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. By the preaching of the Gospel the doctrine of salvation is nigh thee, and the saving influence is at hand: it is in thy mouth, easy to be understood, easy to be professed: and in thy heart, if thou art upright before God, sincerely desiring to be saved on his own terms, not striving to establish thy own method of justification by the law, which must for ever be ineffectual, but submitting to the method of justification which God has devised. The believer is not put under law, you will observe, but under grace, which is the precise reverse of law. Moreover, He gave up the knowledge of God that had been handed down from father to son (ver. As He is the spring of our joy, He is the power of sympathy in our sorrows, and the believer knows both. 8 But what saith it? There is really no other hope, for if you get a little bit of your own works put into the building, of your hope, you have just so much rotten timber in the fabric, and that rot will plague the whole house, and turn it into dust at the last. Thus the introduction opened with Christ's person, and closes with God's righteousness. Does this sort of faith enable men to face death with courage? There is the vindication of God in His ways with the Old Testament believers. He can meet the sinner, but He justifies the believer; and in this, instead of trenching on His glory, there is a deeper revelation and maintenance of it than if there never had been sin or a sinner. There are some that find a difficulty here, because the expression "to hold" means holding firmly. We all know where it is and must be for the Christian. Upon our believing, that is, our humble consent to the terms of the gospel, we become interested in Christ's satisfaction, and so are justified through the redemption that is in Jesus. 6 But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? As positively as the law utters its promise and threat, so positively and unalterably doth the gospel deliver its decree. Here I shall be very brief. And she gives me the worst time because she knows how totally she has me wrapped around her little finger. You need not "bring up Christ again from the dead," for the Lord has risen indeed. They will not accept that the way of salvation for them is the same as for the Gentiles - through faith in Christ (30-33). "This wail of despair takes many forms: one man puts it thus: "What doings can I perform by which I can be saved? Why, next, it forbids the questions of despair. Romans 10:9-10 are of prime importance. Because they were sons of Abraham. But such thoughts altogether vanish now, because, as the Gentile was unquestionably wicked and abominable, so from the law's express denunciation the Jew was universally guilty before God. Their crowning glory was precisely what they would not hear of. I believe that whoever you are, chosen or not, predestined or not, if you will call upon the name of the Lord you will be saved. It say's this. Justification by faith lays the foundation of our title to salvation; but by confession we build upon that foundation, and come at last to the full possession of that to which we were entitled. It will not suffice for you to learn those commands by heart, or to write them up in your churches, or to read them over and say, "Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law": all that may be well enough, but it is not to the point. They thought they needed not to be beholden to the merit of Christ, and therefore depended upon their own performances as sufficient to make up a righteousness wherein to appear before God. Sin had left its crimson stain, but He washed me white as snow." Nevertheless the apostle does not expressly mention heaven here. Thither He shall come, and thence, go forth. Last of all, the apostle links up this fundamental treatise of divine righteousness in its doctrine, its dispensational bearings, and its exhortations to the walk of Christians, with higher truth, which it would not have been suitable then to bring out; for grace considers the state and the need of the saints. Jack answered, "I never get lower than I am, for I am down at the bottom. Hence the action of the Spirit of God in a double point of view comes before us. But still, all day long His hand stretched out to the Jew who refused to come God's way through Jesus Christ. Zion shall yet behold her mighty, divine, but once despised Deliverer; and when He thus comes, there will be a deliverance suited to His glory. Thirdly, let us consider, WHAT THE SCRIPTURE SAITH; "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." The righteousness of God, then, could now go forth in virtue of His blood. For the truth is that God has in Christ condemned sin, and this for sin definitely; so that He has nothing more to do in condemnation of that root of evil. Oh, my bearer, our salvation lies in this! What glory so rich as that of the Christ Himself duly appreciated? Next, what the gospel says: "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise," and so on. It seems incredible that a man should die like that for a law like that. The Bible describes confessing Christ in two ways. If a man called Jesus kurios he was ranking him with the Emperor and with God; he was giving him the supreme place in his life; he was pledging him implicit obedience and reverent worship. (Barclay), ii. He "will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: to them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile.". Seventh day adventist Bible Commentary reference series volumes 1-10. 16). There is evil at work, and grace does not close the eye to danger; at the same time it is never under the pressure of the enemy, and there is the fullest confidence that the God of peace will break the power of Satan under the feet of the saints shortly. Paul was well aware of that; at this very time he was planning the evangelization of Spain, a province where the name of Christ was not yet known (c.f. Moses spoke a word that had to be obeyed, but Paul proclaims a word that must be believed. The righteousness which is of faith, what does it say to us? ( Romans 10:14-15 ). If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved: We do not gain God's righteousness by works. It is in your mouth and in your heart." A proud conceit of their own righteousness: Going about to establish their own--a righteousness of their own devising, and of their own working out, by the merit of their works, and by their observance of the ceremonial law. Abraham is the proof of the value of faith in justification before God. If he had to die, his fathers would receive him "holy and pure." Tonight whoever you might be salvation is so close to you, all you have to do is call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved. and how can they believe in him in whom they have not heard? The answer is, that this will not do one whit better; for when we come down to the next generation, it is apparent that the two sons of Isaac were sons of the same mother; nay, they were twins. Romans 4:1-8,13-17. When our time comes to depart, we shall just step aside and say, "Good-bye, dear friends, awhile: we will meet again in the home of the blessed." Yet deeper want ; but the righteousness of sanctification find the gold of salvation Do, and by! Glory than ever a glory that He thus acquired, if I may so say son!, which is of faith in justification before romans 10:8 17 commentary. Spirit of God, then could! Of confession described in Matthew 10:32 SAITH ; `` Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. its and. 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