Romans 10:1-13 From principles of the Law to the Lordship of Christ

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘ Who will ascend into heaven? ’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘ Who will descend into the abyss? ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “ The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “ Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:1-13

Background

It is possible to be fixated on the right thing but totally missing the point in the process. The Jews have a zeal for God, but not in truth and love but they are self-righteous and prideful. True spirituality is not fixated on religious practices but in freedom of the heart and in gratitude towards God, in humility and open to the feedback of others. He is at peace, not being anxious about the cares of life. Knowledge and religious practices have a purpose in connecting us with God’s Spirit and in the process freeing our hearts to live life; not to bind us to its regiments. God is not favorably disposed towards churchgoers, but He sees and judges according to each person’s heart regardless of his religion. This passage teaches us that we should understand the wisdom of the word through the Lordship of Christ.

Observation

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 

Paul raises a key issue that costs the Jews their salvation; they approach religion without the intention of transforming their hearts in truth and love: For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own. In other words, they covet God’s salvation and blessings, but without agreeing to a total transformation of their hearts in humility, mercy and justice. They did not want to forsake their love for money, pride, lust of the flesh and hatred: they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God refers to a changed heart that is filled with mercy, justice and humility. Hence, they appear religious and zealous for the things of the Law and its rituals: they have a zeal for God. But their belief system is based on false teachings and not according to the Law of Moses: not in accordance with knowledge. Their false belief system does not involve the change of heart towards mercy, justice, humility but a conformance to their standard of the works of the Law.

The purpose of the Law as given by Moses, is to provide knowledge and guidance so that people could live in harmony and peace with one another. The Law is never meant to save but to keep one’s mind trained towards the revelation of the Savior, which is Jesus Christ. Without the Law, man would have become so corrupted such that they could never recognize Christ when He comes. However, the limitation of the Law is its weakness in removing the bondage of evil from man’s heart. Nevertheless, the Law is not the answer to society’s problems; it can only restrain the rise and expression of evil, but can never cure society’s ills. It is here that Christ is effective in removing the inability of man to do good, by transforming his heart according to love and truth. The Law provides direction and keeps man trained towards the revelation of Christ who alone is able to transform and save: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.

The man who is committed to righteousness or the values system of God lives a principled life. Although the Law comes from God, his allegiance is nevertheless towards the Law. Paul makes the point that a man could endeavor to live according to the principles of the Law with a clear conscience but is still very much in control of his own life, his goals and passions. For the man who practices righteousness based on the Law is still not able to live a life of freedom and love.

 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows:“ Do not say in your heart, ‘ Who will ascend into heaven? ’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘ Who will descend into the abyss? ’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 

Paul contrasts the futility of a life that is based on righteousness of the Law to bring freedom and love to the soul, but only righteousness based on faith will suffice. Humanity has been looking for righteousness based on faith, which is the formula to live life overflowing with abundance and freedom from bondages, but it seemed out of reach: Who will ascend into heaven?… Who will descend into the abyss? 

8 But what does it say? “ The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “ Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

The formula or the “word” to living a life overflowing with abundance and freedom from bondage of sin is immediately available to us: The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This “word” is so imminent that it can be realised by the act of believing and confessing. What does it mean to believe? It is to wholly commit our heart to making Jesus as the Lord and Master of our entire life. That would mean agreeing to His values system and goals concerning our future. Hence, we no longer have authority over our life’s destiny, but He does! The focus here is the state of the heart: for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness. It is not how much one knows, but how much he has surrendered his heart to Jesus. As our heart believe, our mouth confesses sealing our salvation. Salvation refers to a life overflowing with abundance, love and freedom from the bondages of the flesh. This freedom brings peace and joy to the heart, wisdom and clarity to the mind, health and strength to the body, and prosperity to our environment.

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “ Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Regardless of one’s religious heritage, moral condition, status in society, capabilities, appearance, gender or age, He will save and bless richly all who come to him without reservation. The Jews are learned in the things of God, they know how to recite bible verses and could explain the Law to the tee. They are also familiar with religious rituals, worship traditions and prayers. Whereas a Greek (a non Jew) may seem raw to the things of God and have deep seated addictions, habits that are considered unspiritual or unclean. Naturally, people may draw a distinction between a Jew and a Greek supposing that the Jew is more blessed as he seemed more “advanced” in the things of God. In the eyes of God, the Jew has absolutely no advantage over a Greek. God sees each person stripped of his knowledge and religious heritage, He only recognizes each person’s faith which is: his honor for God as Lord, and dependence on Him.

Truth

1.    Religious practices and knowledge do not lead us to salvation, but only a transformation of the heart under the Lordship of Christ can save us. Hence, we must understand that all spiritual disciplines or religious practices and knowledge can only benefit us when we sincerely turn back from self-centered living, not selectively opening up sections of our life to the scrutiny of His truth. Man’s righteousness focuses on the appearance, whereas God’s righteousness looks at the heart. In our daily reading of the word and worship, do you ask the hard questions: Have I surrendered my work life and family life to God? Or do I allow others to influence my focus and actions? Do I hide behind a false facet of spirituality in my participation in church activities and bible knowledge? When Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

2.   Our allegiance is not just to the Law to obey it, but more so towards Christ the Lord in love and repentance. One who lives according to the Law and not to God is one who draws fixed boundaries as to how much he is prepared to give to God. For example, one may be faithful in his monthly tithes and offerings, but he is not generous towards those who need help. He may participate in the outreach ministry of the church, but would not actively reach out to others at his work place. Therefore, it is the substance of our heart, no just the form of it. One could appear to worship God passionately on a weekly basis, but rarely communes with Him on a daily basis. Allegiance to Christ as Lord is about the transformation of heart, it frees us to live life overflowing with love and breaks the bondages of sin.

Application

1.    When reading the word, we must not only to understand godly principles therein, we must endeavor to feel the Spirit’s presence and communicate with Him. The word comes alive and His grace will flow when we commune with His Spirit.

2.    We must talk to God concerning the specific tasks that we need to do for the day. Knowing the principles is one thing, but divine direction and wisdom is another. How do we deal with certain people in our work place? How do we go about in a difficult and changing business environment? What is the strategy and direction for our organization in next few year?

Dear Lord, as I read your word, help me understand your mindset and your passion for the world. Help me hear your voice so that I could do your will. Give me specific directions as to what I should do in my particular situation. As I acknowledge you as Lord of my life, lead me towards breakthrough in my work and ministry. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.