ROMANS
CHAPTER 10
Salvation comes through righteousness to those who believe in Christ—Faith comes by hearing the gospel taught by legal administrators sent of God.
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.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
[ Or everthing comes down to this. The church has to be built upon Christ, it all rests upon Christ and his atonement. See Matt 16:15-18. In Chapter 7 Paul started out by saying that he wanted to talk to those who knew the law, Now here Paul is saying here is what the law is all about - it is about Christ. ]
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:)
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;
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. [ Can One Achieve Salvation Simply by Confessing with the Mouth? These two verses of scripture have been quoted very often by those who believe that salvation comes by grace alone and is not dependent in any way upon man’s good works. some groups even go so far as to say that if a man should confess Jesus before he is killed in an accident he will be saved in the kingdom of God, even if he had lived a wicked life prior to that time. Not only does this idea go contrary to the vast weight of Paul’s own teachings (some within the Roman epistle itself—for example, 2:5–13; 6:13, 16; all of chapters 12–14), but it is also a gross misinterpretation of what Paul is really saying.
The passage in question comes in the section where Paul is talking about Israel’s rejection of the gospel. He begins by pointing out that while the Jews are zealous for God (that is, eagerly trying to be obedient to his commandments), they have missed a vital point of the gospel by trying to rely on their own righteousness alone. Paul then quotes rather freely from the Old Testament to show that no man could accomplish what Christ did in coming down from heaven and in coming out of the great pit of death, no matter how hard they tried. What men must do in order to qualify for Christ’s blessings is to confess their Lord openly before the world. This they can do only with a heart that “believeth unto righteousness” (vs. 10).
The heart (in Greek kardia) was seen as the seat of man’s inner self. “Believing with the heart” implies much more than intellectual assent. It implies commitment, behavioral evidence of that commitment, and an inner change. Obviously, if one truly believes things, he will live accordingly. Confession with the mouth is not sufficient.]
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; [ Men follow their hearts or what they really believe. So it is if he is saying - If men believe they will follow the commands of God - they will be obedient to his will - they will do good work. So there is more than simple confession - that is the pont that Paul is trying to make here. ] and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
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.
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? [ Acceptance of Christ Requires Acceptance of His Prophets
“Now it is not possible, in my judgment, for people in the world to accept Christ and come to salvation, unless at one and the same time they accept the prophets whom Christ has sent and receive the administration of holy ordinances under their hands.
“Christ and his prophets are one. We could not believe in Christ if there were not prophets to declare Christ and his saving truths unto us. The Apostle Paul reasoned on this subject, and he said: ‘… how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
“‘And how shall they preach, except they be sent?’ (Romans 10:14–15.)
“Except for Christ, there would be no salvation. Except for the prophets of God, sent in the various ages of the earth’s history, the testimony of Christ would not be borne, the message of salvation would not be taught, and there would be no legal administrators who could perform the ordinances of salvation for men, that is, perform them so they will be binding on earth and sealed eternally in the heavens.
“so it is that the Lord has sent prophets. No one would suppose that he could believe in Christ and reject Peter, James, and John. The Lord and his prophets go hand in hand. Christ said, ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman’; then he said to his Apostles, ‘Ye are the branches.’ (John 15:1, 5.) The branches and the vine are connected. He taught also that if the branches were torn away from him, they would wither and die and be cast into the fire. If people in the world would pick the fruit of eternal life off the branches, they have to accept the prophets, for the branches are the prophets.” (Bruce R. McConkie in CR, Oct. 1951, p. 147.) ]
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!
17 so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [ How Does Faith Come? “Faith comes by hearing the word of God, through the testimony of the servants of God; that testimony is always attended by the Spirit of prophecy and revelation.” (Smith, Teachings, p. 148.) ]
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.
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.