Romans 10

Romans 9–11 is a section addressing the salvation of Israel, and chapter 10 is the middle chapter of that section. It picks up where Romans 9 ends, with the statement that Israel pursued righteousness not by faith but by works and so stumbled at the "stumblingstone."

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Paul states that he prays for Israel's salvation. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; being ignorant of God's righteousness, they sought to establish their own righteousness. He then declares that Christ is the end of the law for everyone who believes.
• Verses 5–13 Paul contrasts the righteousness which is of the law, as described by Moses, with the righteousness which is of faith. The word is not in heaven or in the deep but near, in the mouth and in the heart. Whoever confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead will be saved; there is no difference between Jew and Greek, and whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
• Verses 14–17 Paul poses a chain of questions moving through calling, believing, hearing, preaching, and being sent. After quoting the verse that celebrates the feet of those who bring good tidings, along with Isaiah's lament, he concludes that faith comes by hearing.
• Verses 18–21 Paul states that Israel did not fail to hear or to understand. Quoting in turn the Psalms, Moses, and Isaiah, he says that God was made manifest to those who did not ask after him, while to a disobedient people he stretched forth his hands all day long.

Key Verses

• Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." Because this verse sums up the relationship between the law and Christ in a single sentence, it has generated extensive interpretive discussion.
• Romans 10:9 "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." This verse is often identified as containing "Jesus is Lord," a brief confession of faith from the early church.
• Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This verse is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between the proclamation of the word and faith.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who wrote this letter. He expresses his longing for the salvation of his fellow Israelites.
• Moses: Leviticus 18:5 is quoted in verse 5, and Deuteronomy 32:21 in verse 19, as the words of Moses.
• Isaiah the prophet: He is named in verses 16 and 20, where Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 65:1–2 are quoted. Isaiah 28:16 (in verse 11) and Isaiah 52:7 (in verse 15) are also quoted without his being named.
• Jews and Greeks: "Greek" refers to a person of Greek nationality; here the term represents all non-Jews, the Gentiles, as a whole.

Points for Reflection

• The word "end" in verse 4 translates the Greek telos, which can mean both "end, termination" and "goal, fulfillment." Accordingly, some interpret the verse to mean that the law has come to an end as a way of attaining righteousness; others, that the purpose to which the law pointed has been fulfilled in Christ; and still others hold both meanings together. This difference is bound up with how one understands the relationship between law and gospel.
• In the understanding of justification (God's declaring sinners righteous) that has prevailed since the Reformation, "their own righteousness" in verse 3 is read as an attempt to gain righteousness by works. The so-called "New Perspective on Paul" of the late twentieth century sometimes reads it instead as an insistence on a covenant status peculiar to Jews, that is, on ethnic boundaries.
• Verses 6–8 apply what Deuteronomy 30:11–14 says about the law to Christ and the word of faith. Verse 18 likewise applies Psalm 19:4, which originally speaks of the heavens declaring the glory of God, to the preaching of the gospel. Both passages are treated as examples of Paul's method of citing the Old Testament.
• "Whosoever" in verse 13 is frequently raised in discussions of predestination and free will. Calvinism reads this verse together with the doctrine of election in chapter 9, explaining that the universal invitation of the gospel does not contradict God's election. Arminianism and Wesleyan theology emphasize this verse as grounds for holding that anyone can respond to the gospel.
• Joel 2:32, quoted in verse 13, is also quoted by Peter in Acts 2:16–21. The confession "Jesus is Lord" also connects with 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Philippians 2:9–11.

In the Korean Church

Verses 9–10 and 13 are frequently used in evangelism sermons and evangelism training as passages inviting people to salvation. Verses 14–15 are often used as texts for sermons on missions and for services commissioning missionaries, and verse 17 is commonly cited to emphasize the importance of hearing the word.