Romans 10:1. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
They had hunted Paul from city to city, but the only feeling for them that he had was a wish that they might be saved. Such a wish as that should be in the heart of every Christian; his desire for his bitterest enemy should be that he may be saved.
Romans 10:2. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
We should always give people credit for every good thing that there is in them: it will often enable us all the better to point out other matters in which they are deficient. So Paul put it on record, concerning the Jews of his time, that they had a zeal for God, though it was not a zeal «according to knowledge.»
Romans 10:3. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
They were so busy trying to work out a righteousness of their own that they had never accepted the righteousness as which God is prepared freely to give to all those who will receive it at his hands.
Romans 10:4. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
This is the very essence of the gospel, that believing in Christ brings to sinners a righteousness which they can never obtain in any other way.
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-
Is of quite another sort, for it
Romans 10:6-9. 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; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Oh, what a blessedly simple plan of salvation is here revealed! «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.» The apostle says this plan of salvation is so near to men that it is in their mouth. When anything is in your mouth, how can you make it your own? Why, by swallowing it; and so near is the gospel to every man that he has, as it were, but to drink it down, to make it his very own. It is not up there on the lofty heights, nor down there in the deeps of the abyss, but it is here and wherever else Christ is preached, and wherever his Word is read. Oh, sinner, the Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, then, put it not away from thee, but hold it fast for ever!
Romans 10:10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
After believing in Christ, the man must confess that he does believe in him. It would be a shame for any believer to try to sneak into heaven without owning that Christ has saved him. If any man is ashamed of his religion, you may depend upon it that it is one of which has cause to be ashamed, but he who has true saving faith in his heart should never blush to own it. What is there to blush about in being a Christian? Let those blush who are not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:11-12. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 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.
Whoever they may be, Jews or Gentiles, rich or poor, learned or illiterate, black or white, if they will but call upon God in prayer, he will not be miserly towards them, but he will be generous towards them in the abundance of the blessings which he will give them in answer to their cry.
Romans 10:13-14. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
They cannot rightly pray without faith, «for he that cometh to God must believe «that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.»
Romans 10:14. And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
Those who do not hear the gospel are not likely to believe it, and there are many unbelievers who never seek to hear it, and it is always wrong for a man to refuse to believe any truth before he knows what it really is. There should at least be a sincere searching of the Holy Scriptures, and a candid listening to the preaching of the Word, before it is rejected.
Romans 10:14-15. And how shall they hear without a preacher? 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 tiding of good things!
The gospel brings gladness wherever it comes. The Word which we preach tells of joys that will last for ever. The gospel shall make the whole world sing with new music when it is received by all; and it shall roll away the mists that now swathe this poor dusky planet, and make it shine out like its sister stars in all the glory of God when once Christ is fully acknowledged here as Lord and Saviour.
Romans 10:16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel.
All who have heard the gospel have not obeyed it.
Romans 10:16. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
And what Isaiah said is what we also have to say today, «Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?»
Romans 10:17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Salvation comes by faith, and faith comes by hearing, but that hearing must be the hearing of the Word of God. Surely there is no great difficulty in understanding the gospel. This is no maze in which a man may lose himself. Here are no puzzling directions which only the learned can comprehend; oh, no! but here stand the plain, simple, soul-quickening words, «Believe and live.»
Romans 10:18 ; Romans 10:20 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. 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. 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.
Is not that a wonderful text? There are some who have heard the gospel year after year, and who have refused it, and perished; and there are, on the other hand, scattered up and down this world, thousands of people who have never yet heard it, but the very first time they do hear it, they will accept it, and be eternally saved.
Romans 10:21. But to Israel
To God's ancient people, to whom the gospel had been preached when Paul wrote this Epistle: «to Israel»
Romans 10:21. He saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
It is strange that many, who first hear the Word, and oftenest hear it, turn away from it, while others, to whom it comes as a complete novelty, are blessed the first time they hear it. I sometimes say that there are some hearers, who regularly occupy these seats, who are just like pieces of india rubber. They are easily impressed, they yield ascent to every truth that is uttered, but they soon get back into their old shape again, and they are exactly the same, after twenty years of hearing the gospel, as they were before, only that they are still more hardened. On the other hand, there will sometimes drop into this house of prayer a thoroughly irreligious man, with a heart as hard as a flint, but the very first tap of the hammer of the gospel breaks the flint so effectually that it is never a flint again, and God's grace renews his heart there and then. It is our earnest desire, on all occasions whatever hearers are gathered here, that God's saving power may be manifested to all present. So, may it be now, for Christ's sake, and to God's glory! Amen.