Book Of Romans

Words of Jesus Christ in "Red"
Romans 10:1-21
Romans 10:1-2
"^[1] Brethren, [alelphoi] my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ^[2] For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. [epignosis] "
     "Brethren" is the Greek "ADELPHOI", the root of which is the Greek "delphus" which means "from the womb". The word conveys deep affection, the most literal rendering possibly being "my beloved from the womb, my beloved brothers". Paul states that he deeply desires (EUDOKIA) that Israel would be saved. Based upon his past experience as a religious Jew, Paul witnesses that they have a zeal for God, but "not according to knowledge". "Knowledge" is the Greek "EPIGNOSIS", which means "Full, correct, and vital experiential knowledge". The unbelieving Jews only have a "partial knowledge" of the truth, for they rely on the Law as opposed to Christ.

Matthew 5:17-18 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

     Israel as a nation neglected the fulfillment of the Law (Jesus Christ), though they had a zeal for God. Without the fulfillment of the Law (Jesus Christ), their zeal had no value in God's eyes. Israel neglected the most important aspects of that which was taught by the Law and Prophets, deciding rather to worship the Law as a teacher rather then be fulfilled truth in Christ. Because of this Israel had only a partial (not experiential) knowledge of God: because of this Israel as a nation remained in an unsaved state.

Romans 10:3-4
"^[3] For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish [histemi] their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. ^[4] For Christ is the end [telos] of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
     "to establish" is the Greek "HISTEMI", which means "to set up". The nation Israel, in it's carnality, refused to accept the righteousness of God given by Christ. "They set up their own religious system completely divorced from God's Plan." The end goal of Christianity is to glorify God while de-glorifying the self. We see this amply illustrated here:

I Corinthians 1:25-31 "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. "

     Israel began in the will of God by obeying the Law of God, yet they soon modified the Law so as to glorify themselves as righteous. "This is the inherent danger in legalism, for the legalist eventually reaches a state of spiritual pride that overshadows God's glory." For a good reference to this, look at the Scribes and Pharisees. The Scribes and Pharisees persecuted Christ, setting their own righteousness far above the righteousness of the Son. The parable of the Pharisee and the publican emphasizes this improper spiritual state:

Luke 18:9-13 "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

     This was the nature of the majority of the nation Israel (and all legalists), "to emphasize and glorify themselves while excluding God." This in turn led to a hardness of the heart toward true righteousness, toward Jesus Christ. "Christ is the end of the law" to all who believe. The word "end" is the Greek "TELOS", which means "the termination or limit at which a law ceases to be". When Christ came the Law "died" as a means of righteousness, being fully superseded by faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:5-8
"^[5] For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. ^[6] But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) ^[7] Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) ^[8] But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;"
The quotation at the beginning of the verse is from:

Leviticus 18:5 "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. "

     The Israelites interpreted this passage as meaning that they could earn their salvation. They felt that by keeping the statutes of God they could be righteous, staying God's hand of wrath. Yet God never intended salvation to be "an earned thing", in neither the Old nor the New Testaments. This is evident in:

Galatians 3:10-12 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."

     Salvation has always been a Gift of God unto men, not an "earned" thing. Salvation through obedience to the Law was "never intended nor permitted": The Law set such perfect standards that perfect righteousness through it was humanly impossible (Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them). Christianity itself was never designed by the Father to be a faith of works, though the true believer "does show" the evidence of salvation in his life. Christianity hinges on "what do I believe?".
     We can not descend into the grave and resurrect our Christ; He was resurrected by the Father. We cannot ascend into Heaven to take Christ's place, for only He can bear the brunt of sin for us.
     "By our works we can not be saved, it is an impossibility. The death and resurrection of Christ is that which gave us life. We can neither add to nor take away from His finished work."

Romans 10:9-10
"^[9] That if thou shalt confess [homologeo] with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ^[10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
     The word "confess" is the Greek "HOMOLOGEO", which means "to speak the same thing, to agree with". To be saved we must "agree with God" that the Biblical Jesus died and rose again for our sins. We must believe that He was more than "mere man", but that He was the God-Man who came to the earth for us. The divine character of Christ is established in this passage through the phrase "the Lord Jesus". Wuess states:
     "The name Jesus is the transliteration of the Greek iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of the Hebrew name we know as Jehoshua, the latter meaning, "Jehovah saves". The name Lord is kurios, which in the Greek version of the Old Testament is used for the August name the "Jehovah", and by it's use implies Deity. Thus to confess Jesus as Lord includes a heart belief in His Deity, incarnation, vicarious atonement, and bodily resurrection."
Robertson states:
"No Jew would do this who had not really trusted Christ, for KURIOS in the LXX (Septuagint, Greek version of the Old Testament) is used of God. No Gentile would do this who had not ceased worshipping the emperor as KURIOS."

     Those who would have us believe that the use of "Kurios" in connection to the name of Christ is but and illustration of his human lordship, as in the case of a noble, are severely deluded. "To state that Jesus is Lord is the the same as saying that He is God".

Luke 6:5 "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath."

     God alone established the Sabbath as Law, "not as an option". To overrule or modify a Law of God, or to place yourself in a position of superiority to the Law, you "must be at least equal" to the One who established that Law. Christ proclaimed His equality with God the Father, and as such is either equal in Deity to the Father, or else this was the ravings of a mentally imbalanced man. You cannot have it both ways: either Jesus was and is God, or He was a megalomaniac. The Scripture testifies that Christ "is eternal God".

I Corinthians 8:6 "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. "

     Creativity, the ability to create something out of nothing, is solely an attribute of Deity. The Scripture by the statement "Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things" declares that Jesus is Creator God.

I Corinthians 12:3 "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

     The true test of spirituality as to whether one is a Christian or not is evidenced by his proclamation of the Deity of Christ. The ability to proclaim this truth is an ability given "by the Holy Ghost". Note that Jesus is called "the Lord", a title used many times in the Old Testament exclusively for the Father. Those who deny Deity of Christ are either:

In a state of carnality, or
In a lost or unsaved state.

     Note also that our Romans text also emphasizes that we must believe in the resurrection of Jesus (God hath raised him from the dead). To believe in a dead Christ is a dead faith: Christ is our salvation "not only in death but also in life". Paul places a great deal of emphasis on the resurrection because:

Many of his day, particularly the Saducees, believed that, when Christ died "He remained dead". Some Israelites who attempted to convert to the Christian faith held some of these Saducean beliefs, and because of this became a stumbling block to the Church.
True and full acceptance of Christ as Savior also means acceptance of His resurrection. To say that he remains dead is "to make Christ a liar", as He repeatedly testified that He would be resurrected.

Matthew 12:39-41 "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."
Luke 11:29-32 "And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

The personal salvation of the Christian "demands" the resurrected Christ. Our communion is not with a corpse, but with the living God. Otherwise Christ is dead in vain, and we have no hope of tomorrow.

     The Romans text also "emphasizes the two-part nature of belief". Belief is not just a "feeling", and it is not just "intellectual". Saving belief is both an exercise of the emotion and the intellectual nature of man:
".. with the heart man believeth unto righteousness ..."
     The "heart" in Greek culture was recognized as "both" the emotional as well as the intellectual seat of the human spirit.

Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Luke 6:45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."

     To believe Christ from the "heart" is to make an emotional and intellectual choice of Jesus over Satan, the Christ over the world. Though I do not believe that conversion "must" be accompanied with tears and mourning, I do believe that an emotional change comes about in the believer at the point of salvation. Without this emotional change, that is, if there is only an intellectual agreement that He is the Christ, then there is no real salvation unto eternal life.
".. with the mouth confession is made unto salvation .."
     On the other side of the coin, the truly seeking soul "must have an intellectual belief" in the power of Jesus Christ. Do not get me wrong: no Christian is an immediate theologian at the point of salvation. Yet there must be a basic understanding, an intellectual understanding, of who Christ is.
     To say "I believe" and to not know what you believe in is utterly useless. Humans are creatures of both emotion and intellect, and salvation effects all of those whom it converts.

Romans 10:11-13
"^[11] For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. [kataischuno] ^[12] For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. ^[13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
     In these verses Paul establishes the certainty of salvation to those who call upon Christ in faith. The phrase "shall not be ashamed" is the Greek "KATAISCHUNO", which means, "to make ashamed by repulsion or casting away, to be disappointed in". Those who call on Christ in true belief will not be cast away, but will be welcomed into the very arms of God.
     "But God is just", you might say, "therefore He might cast me away". No, God will not cast the seeker away, for His justice was completely satisfied by the blood atonement of Christ. "Does not God choose between those for salvation based on their nationality? Won't He reject me because of my ancestry?" "Absolutely not!" God does not choose us to salvation based on the nationality. "There is no racism at the Cross, praise God!"

Acts 10:34-35 "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."

     The scripture teaches that God, though He "does" predestinate unto salvation, He does not do so from the perspective of racism (there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek). His predestination is based upon His plan of salvation. This is the mystery of salvation: The scripture teaches "on the one hand" the predestination of God, and on the other hand the "responsibility of the individual to come to salvation". This is a act of God which we may not truly understand unto we stand before the throne. Predestination aside, if we in true belief accept Jesus Christ as Savior, then "we will not be rejected".

Romans 10:14-15
" ^[14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ^[15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"
     Paul now emphasizes the majestic importance of the office and gift of the preacher, of all who are called to spread the Gospel of Christ. Paul has just established the need in intellectually accepting Christ to be saved. The preacher, God's man in the pulpit, provides that "head knowledge" so necessary for salvation.

I Corinthians 9:13-14 "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."

     The importance of the preacher is emphasized by his "God given right" to obtain the support of his assembly. The Church must financially support the Pastor while he concentrates on doing as God has called him to do (the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel). Why is the minister so important to God's Plan?

Hebrews 13:17 "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."
Jeremiah 23:4 "And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD."

     The the minister of the Gospel (called in Scripture both the Pastor/Teacher and the Preacher) is designated by God to "shepherd" the Church. This office has been established by God to be the "physical head" of the local Church on earth, though Christ is still the "spiritual Shepherd" of the Church. It is profitable for the Body to obey the Pastor. The Pastor spends his time studying the Word, preparing encouraging messages, and provides each believer direction when we lose our way.

I Timothy 3:2 "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach"

     He is called "Pastor/Teacher" because he must be "apt (able) to teach". As a teacher of the Word he must be ever vigilant against false doctrines and creeds that creep into the Body, and he himself is "accountable to God" if he fails in this duty. He must preach the "whole Word":

Acts 20:25-28 "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

     The Pastor may not "pick and choose" what he will teach, but must preach "all the counsel of God", all that the Word has to say. Many of the problems resident in the Church today are a result of Pastors who fail to preach the full counsel of God, who conform their message to satisfy the desires of the world. To the Pastor who fails God's calling, the Father warns:

Ezekiel 33:6 "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
James 3:1 "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation."

     The Pastor, as the Shepherd of the Flock, is also a teacher of truth. Guided by the Spirit of God he leads the flock from falsehood and into the the pure truth of the Word of God. Ever vigilant against Satan, he must act as an anchor in the hands of God. Paul writes:

".. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace .."

Where "beautiful", the Greek "HORA" (meaning in full bloom of beauty) aptly describes one of God's greatest Gifts to the Bride of Christ, and one of our "greatest curses" if the Pastor is unfaithful to his calling.

Romans 10:16-17
"^[16] But they have not all obeyed [hupakouo] the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? ^[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, [akoe] and hearing by the word of God."
     "Obeyed" is the Greek "HUPAKOUO", which means "to hear under the authority of or be in submission to". Though God has placed the preacher on the earth to spread the Gospel, many refuse to "submit themselves" to the preaching of the Gospel. "Hearing" is "AKOE" in Greek, which means "the sense of the thing heard". To merely listened to the message as random noise is useless. You must actually "hear the message", to listen and seek to understand it, in order to reach the faith that leads to salvation.

Hebrews 5:11-14 "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

     "Failure to hear the Word of God while you are dead in your sins leads to eternal damnation. Failure to hear the Scripture as a carnal Christian leads to spiritual ruin". Paul emphasizes that the spiritual knowledge by which light comes to us is through application of the Word of God in our lives. We protect and guard the integrity of the Scripture against all attempts to pervert it. We must not foolishly puncture the only life raft that we have in this world. Even if we are condemned as fanatics we must guard and defend the Holy Bible from all the perversions which the world might attempt to place on it.

Romans 10:18
"But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."
     Paul emphasizes that all within his "known world" had heard the Gospel preached, but many had not actually submitted to the Word of the truth. Though all had ample proof and preaching of the Scripture, the Jews still refused to hear the evidence at hand.

Colossians 1:5-6, 21-23 "For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth ... And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister .."

     Though the power on the Gospel of truth was sown, the Jew continued in his unbelief because he refused to obey. He refused to hear, though he listened as if listening to only random noise.

Romans 10:19-21
"^[19] But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. ^[20] But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. ^[21] But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient [apeitheo] and gainsaying [antilego] people."
     Paul's beginning statement (Did not Israel know?) in this text is a sarcastic plea for hearing. The statement could be read with incredulity: "Do you mean to tell me that Israel did not hear?" Or, "What do you mean Israel did not understand?" Israel had no excuse as to why she rejected the Messiah, other than the excuse of her own stiff necked attitude. Wuess states:
     "The question in the Greek includes the negative ME, which calls for a negative answer. Israel in its bigotry claimed it had a monopoly on salvation in spite of the fact that Moses and Isaiah had predicted the salvation of the Gentiles, and Isaiah, Israel's opposition to the same. Moses predicts that God will provoke Israel, rejecting His salvation, to jealousy of the Gentiles by giving salvation to the latter, thus arousing in Israel a desire for the same."

Proverbs 1:24-25 "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:"
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. "
Micah 6:3-8 "O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD. Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

     The statement "All day long I have stretched forth my hands", is a statement emphasizing God's long suffering compassion toward His chosen Israel. The "outstretched arms" symbolize an earnest desire on the part of God to forgive and receive into the fold the disobedient Israel. We see in our passage that, though God stooped to receive wicked man, the hand of fellowship was rejected. God reached while man ignored.
     The punishment of "loss of stewardship" as prophesied by Isaiah was fulfilled as God attempted to shock these disobedient people into obedience. Yet Israel remained a disobedient people, refusing the light of salvation. "Gainsaying" is the Greek "ANTILEGO", which means "to oppose oneself to one, to refuse to have anything to do with". The word "disobedient" is the Greek "APEITHEO", which means "not to allow oneself to be persuaded".

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