Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Paul had a desire to see the people of Israel saved. In chapter nine and verse three, Paul wishes that he himself would be accursed for the sake of his kinsmen after the flesh (even though he knew nothing could separate him from the love of God). For he was also a Jew, “of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:5-6).” Israel was God’s chosen nation. The had the adoption, the glory, the covenants, etc. (Rom. 9:4-5; 3:2). God had promised them a land and a kingdom. Those promises will be fulfilled in the future.

Romans 11:26-27 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

So God will save the nation, Israel, in the future. But, for now God has set the nation aside and is working among both individual Jews and Gentiles. He isn’t dealing with people today on a national level, but an individual level.

In chapter nine, we saw how God can use whom He would like to carry out His purpose. He used the nation in time past, as well as even a couple of unsaved Gentiles (Pharaoh and Cyrus) to carry out His will. During this Dispensation of Grace (Eph. 3:2), He is now using individual Jews and Gentiles in order to “make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory (Rom. 9:23).”

Israel tried to obtain righteousness by the works of the law, instead of by faith (9:32). This is why Israel stumbled and continues to stumble every time we preach “Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 1:23).” They needed faith, as do all believers of every dispensation (Heb. 11). They simply tried to get righteousness only by doing the works of the law. What do we know about the law? “For by the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20).” Israel had a zeal for God, as do many religious people today do, “but not according to knowledge (10:2).” The word knowledge means a “full knowledge.”

What did they not know? They were ignorant of God’s righteousness, the righteousness of faith (10:6). They lacked faith. They tried to “establish their own righteousness (10:3)”, instead of submitting to the righteousness of God.

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

How is it that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness?

1. He fulfilled the law.
   • Christ was born or made “under the law (Gal. 4:4).” Christ said in, Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
2. He is the goal of the law.
   • The goal of the law was to bring them, Israel, (as well as us) to Christ. Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
   • Christ fulfilled all of the ordinances of the law for us. He was circumcised, baptized, and kept the feast days. And when we believe the gospel, we are spiritually circumcised and baptized into Christ (Col. 2:11,12).
3. He has blotted out the handwriting of ordinances by nailing it to His cross.
   • Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
   • Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
4. He is the end of the law as a method of righteousness.
   • The law never in itself saved anyone, but it still was the only way to approach God.
   • Deuteronomy 6:24-25 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
   • That method is the righteousness which is of the law.
   • For today, there is the righteousness of faith. Anyone that believes is made righteous.

Romans 10:5-6 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. 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:)

Paul then goes on to contrast the two methods of obtaining righteousness. The first is “the righteousness which is of the law.” The second is “the righteousness of faith.”

In verses 6-8, Paul is referencing Deuteronomy 30:12-14. First, let’s look at that passage and the righteousness which is of the law.

Deuteronomy 30:11-13 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?

Moses is instructing the nation that they do not have to go far to receive God’s Word to them, which is the law. It isn’t in heaven that someone needs to go there and bring it back to them so that they can do it, nor do they have to go across the sea to get it. The point is that the word (the law) is already near them. They already had the law. They just needed to do it or keep it.

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

Now, back to Romans 10. Paul will now be addressing the righteousness of faith or the “word of faith which we preach (10:8).”

Romans 10:6-8 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:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 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;

Paul isn’t talking about the law, but now He is talking about Christ. What is Paul’s point? Just like the law was already near Israel but they just needed to do it, the word of faith, which we preach, is already near us. We just need to believe it! We don’t need to go to heaven to receive it, which would mean to bring Christ back down to die again. He died once for all sins! We also don’t need to go into the abyss or deep to bring Christ up from the dead. Christ has already come, died for the sins of world, was buried, and rose again the third day! Christ is near us! After we believe the gospel, we too should preach it.

What is the word of faith, which we preach?

• 1 Cor. 1:18 – “The preaching of the cross”
• 1 Cor. 1:23 – “we preach Christ crucified.”
• 1 Cor. 2:2 – “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
• Rom. 1:16 – “gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.”
• Gal. 6:14 – glory only in “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• and many more…

Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Confession here is not about you needing to confess all of your sins as a requirement to be saved. That was true back under the law. When a Jew sinned, they were to bring a sin-offering, or sin-offering and a burnt offering, to the priest (Lev. 5:5-7). That sacrifice would atone for the sin of that person. Also, you would have the scape goat that the priest would lay his hands on the head of the goat and the sins of the nation would be imputed to the goat (Lev. 16:21). Both, of course, were a type of Christ. Then, there was also the requirement of water baptism. In Mark, it says the multitude came to be baptized of John, confessing their sins.

Mark 1:5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.

But, what have we learned in this chapter. That “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.” Christ fulfilled the law. Christ’s death on the cross atoned for the sins of the world. He paid for it all. It is not just a temporary sacrifice like the ones Israel performed, but it is permanent. He died once for all! Not only that, but He also nailed the law to His cross. He nailed the law, that is contained in ordinances, to the cross. That would include water baptism. There is only one baptism today, which is the Holy Spirit baptism that baptizes us into the one Body, the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12,13).

Romans 6:9-10 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once [for all (NKJV)]: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Salvation comes when you simply acknowledge that you are a sinner, have sinned against God, and you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried (your sins were taken away), and rose again the third day! Here is the gospel, now believe it! That’s it! You don’t have to go far to get the gospel. It’s right here being preached to you in God’s Word.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 4:25 Who [Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

After we are saved by believing the gospel, it is our responsibility to preach the word! Specifically, the word of faith or the gospel! As verses 14 and 15 point out of chapter 10, people need to hear the gospel and “how shall they hear without a preacher? And shall they preach unless they are sent?” We are all to tell others about this glorious gospel, so that they too can believe it and have eternal life same as us! And we are also to make known what is the fellowship of the mystery (Eph. 3:9). As believers (Jew or Gentile), we are all joined to the Body of Christ. We are all heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) as members of one Body!