Romans Chapter 10 "Israel's Failure Under the Law [1-13]." "Israel's Failure Under the Gospel [14-21]." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/ location is provided by http://www.theseason.org Romans 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." Paul the Benjamite was anxious that all of his brethren of all of the tribes of Israel would come to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. Paul's concern was that his brethren would have the faith and come to believe on Christ. Especially now that salvation had been open to all peoples. Romans 10:2 "For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Paul desires that all Israel would have this zeal to know God, but they do not have Paul's zeal to know God according to the Word of God. In other words, they overlooked the prophecy of Jesus Christ's first coming, and only look for His return as a King and the ruling authority over all the earth. 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" [Paul's brethren] are trying to ignore the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. That is "they" refuse to submit themselves to Christ in repentance, and accept their salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. Instead they try to establish their own righteous through the law, and by their own works. "They" were trying to take the law, and use it to forgive themselves of their sins. You just can't do that, you can't work our your own salvation by the law. The way we work out our salvation is by our faith in Jesus Christ, and His shed blood on the cross. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but He did fulfill the law in part, that deals with blood sacrifices. When we break one of the laws, and repent in Jesus name, the Father counts us a perfect. Why? That sin is not held against us when we place it under the blood of Christ. Romans 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." There is no qualification to be met for anyone to accept the forgiveness of our sins by the righteousness of Christ. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done, the only requirement is that you believe on Jesus Christ, and when you do, you repent for your sins in Jesus' name. It means that you understand that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the true only Begotten Son of God. You would believe that He died and rose from the dead, and that He now sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Romans 10:5 "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that "The man which doeth those things shall live by them." There is just one problem with that law, you had to be perfect under that law to be righteous. Even Moses could not keep that law, and God would not allow him to enter into the land. Romans 10:6 "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:" Though you cannot live by the righteousness of the law, you can live by the righteousness which is of faith, if you are a believer. "Thine heart" has to do with your intellect, which is controlled by your mind. Those that believe will question, How is the Messiah going to get here from heaven. Paul is quoting here from Deuteronomy 30:12: "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?' " Romans 10:7 "Or, Who shall descend into the deep?" (that is, to bring Christ again from the dead.) This is to say, How will Christ bring up those from the dead, or defeat death? Paul is telling us to check it out in the Old Testament, of it is all prophesied their by the prophets. It was written in detail how following Jesus crucifixion and His death, He would ascend into heaven to be on the right hand of the Father. The Scriptures also recorded how Jesus would be in the heart of the earth for three days, as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish. Again Paul is quoting from Deuteronomy 30:13; "Neither is it beyond the sea, 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.' " It is important that we know and understand the prophecies, and the order that the events will occur from both the Old and New Testament so that we will not be deceived by the Antichrist, and the religious order that will come upon the earth. Every part of Jesus' coming at both the first and second advents were well recorded, and as is recorded in both the scriptures and history, the Jews traditions of that day caught the people completely off guard. Romans 10:8 "But what saith it? "The word is night thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:" that is, the word of faith, which we preach;" Paul is telling us that Israel can't say that this wasn't told to them, for Moses detailed it out in Deuteronomy 32, that chapter we call the "Song of Moses". 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." Notice that it takes a confession with the mouth, as well as the belief within your heart, or intellect [mind] that the heavenly Father did raise Jesus Christ from the dead, to be saved. Salvation requires your faith, that God did send his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Faith in that knowledge becomes your credentials in approaching the throne of God. Our prayers are heard when we are praying in the name of Jesus, with our confidence to back up those prayers with our actions. Why would you ever pray to the Father in Jesus name if you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God? That is like praying to a statue or a tree, and it is praying to a dead god. This isn't just a New Testament thing, but it was written in the Old Testament. Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." With your mind [heart] man believeth unto the justification of righteousness. When you believe that Jesus defeated death, and you see your need for repentance, your confession is then made unto salvation with your mouth. When we confess our sins to the Father then salvation comes to us. Romans 10:11 "For the Scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." This comes from Isaiah 28:16; "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, "Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste." In the original text "shall not make haste" reads "shall not put on confusion and shame". In other texts it reads "Shall not have need for hurried flight". If you believe in the Word, and have the patience to wait on the Christ's return at the seventh trumpet, then you will know the events leading to the "day of the Lord" [the day Jesus returns], and you will not be lost in the confusion that the Antichrist [Satan] will bring first. You can believe the entire Word of God. Romans 10:12 "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." Our heavenly Father has enough salvation to give to all that call upon Him in Jesus name. The Father is fair and just, and He will treat all equally that repent of their sins and seek forgiveness under the blood of Christ. Romans 10:13 "For "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." It just doesn't work to have someone else call for you, it just doesn't work. Whosoever, that means you personally must call on "the name of the Lord" [Jesus Christ] for yourself. The initiative must come from within the mind, or intellect [heart] of the one that shall be saved. Paul was was quoting from the book of Joel here. Joel 2:28; " And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." Keep in mind that this "pouring out of God's spirit on all flesh" happens just prior to the return of the Lord, during the time that that locust army of Satan's fallen will be on the earth, and then shall the Spirit of God flow through your sons and daughters, and they shall speak in the same cloven tongue that was spoken on Pentecost day. There was no confusion in that tongue, and every person from all over the world heard the Spirit speak in their own tongue and even dialect. There was no need for any interpreter. Joel 2:29 "And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit." Joel 2:30 "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke." These pillars of smoke are the same smoke spoken of in Revelation 9:1-3, they are the signs of the times to warn God's elect that the time of Christ's coming is near. The blood and the fire also are those supernatural things and wonders that will be happening just prior, and during the religious rule of Satan, the Antichrist. Joel 2:31 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Verses 31, and 32 are double witnesses to the two prior verses. Remember that the time of the Antichrist, and the great tribulation is a spiritual warfare that will claim souls, and not physical bodies. The battlefield takes place in your mind, and not on a field in some foreign land. It is fought with traditions, concepts, ideas, and even the word of God. When Jesus was in the wilderness tempted by Satan, Satan used the Scriptures to try and trip Jesus up. Satan is a master of the Bible, only he uses the Word of God by twisting it, and distorting it into a lie. The "terrible day of the Lord" is the final day of this earth age of the flesh. On that day all flesh [corruptible bodies] will be changed into incorruptible bodies, when Christ Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. That day will be terrible for many Christians because they simply did not know God's Word enough to know that the Antichrist would come before the true Christ, and they will worship the false messiah. They will stand as an unfaithful bride naked in her pregnancy at the coming of her husband, and be found unworthy in their sin. Joel 2:32; "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." This is the event that Peter talked about on Pentecost day. That time when the Spirit of God will enter into the sons and daughters in the last days, and speak through them, and deliver them from the Antichrist. This is recorded in Acts 2:16-21 also. This is that same message, and Joel 2:28-32 is what those Christians spoke of that their tongues will be saying on that day. Here again is the Lord's called and chosen of the remnant, and God is saying that all of them shall be delivered. The remnant understand that there is also a stumbling block that will be in Jerusalem, and he is Satan, the false messiah, also called the Antichrist. What happens if you call on the name of this first supernatural messiah? You have just worshipped the Antichrist, even in ignorance. If this supernatural false messiah calls on you to repent of your sins, who then have you repented to? If your excuse is that you did not know that the Antichrist is coming first, as is plainly stated in such a fashion that a small child can understand in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, II Thessalonians 2, and in detail in the Book of Revelation, What are you going to do and say at the coming of Christ? It means that your traditions about Christ has become a stumbling block for you, because you went off on traditions and simply did not pay attention to God's Word. It also shows the condition of your faith, because Jesus told them who love Him, to study and learn the truths of His Word that they would not be deceived. The thing that brings deliverance and salvation is what the Scriptures say, and not the traditions of men. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22, 23; "Many will say to Me in that day [the day of the Lord], Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?" [22] "And then will I profess unto them, `I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.' " [23] What shame that will be for those that spent their entire lives teaching traditions, and putting their entire lives at risk for the sake of their traditions. Paul is saying in Romans 10:13 that "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." It isn't difficult to do, you call on the name of the Lord, when you do, you shall be saved. Romans 10:14 "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?" How can you call on Jesus name, when you are deceived by Satan, the Antichrist. It wouldn't even enter you mind, for you would believe that the Antichrist is Christ. Throughout most of the centuries past, not everyone could read for themselves, nor were Bibles in every home. In most cases there would be one in the community, and one authority to give that word. Today we have Bibles in most every home, and a church and preacher on most corners of the community. It is like shopping for one that will give the Word in the way that you like to hear it, and what is taught in most cases is traditions, and storytelling, and not the Word of God. To teach the word of God you must teach the entire Word of God, Chapter by chapter, line upon line. We are living in a unique time, because many of the prophesies dealing with the latter days, and just prior to the coming of the Antichrist are now history to us. Yet, as these prophesies happen right before our eyes, they pass unnoticed, because these preachers, "the watchmen on the wall" as Ezekiel calls them, have left their watchtowers and are playing church games to making people feel good as they collect their money. You judge any preacher by how he is teaching and what you retain and understand from that teaching. In most cases, when difficult words are used that most just don't understand, the preacher is not teaching but using some of that smoke that comes in the end times, as recorded in Revelation 9:1-4, or in Joel, as was stated earlier. Romans 10:15 "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!" "One sent" is an apostle, sent by God on a Divine mission. The apostle is not the disciple, for the apostle is one that has already been disciplined and schooled in the Word of God. He is one that not only knows the plan and Word of God, but also has the gift of teaching the Word so that others will learn from him, or her. For those that are teaching God's Word, they are bringing the good tidings and good things to the people. When we see the prophesies come to pass, when in many cases some people get hurt or even die, it is still good tidings because we can see that God does keep His Word, and He will keep all those promises written in His Word that we can count on. This flesh age is a temporary period of time given for testing the souls, and it will pass away at God's appointed time. When preachers that preach God's Word, the flock becomes prepared to not only live our lives in this flesh age, but also gains the knowledge of the life to come. Romans 10:16 "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, "Lord, who hath believed our report?" Paul is quoting here from Isaiah 52:7; "How beautiful upon the mountains [nations] are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; the bringeth hood tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, "Thy God reigneth!" Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This tells us exactly how to increase our faith. We strengthen our faith by hearing and studying the Word of God. In the Greek, it doesn't mean that you just sit and listen to words spoken, but "hear" means to hear with understanding. When the Word of God is taught is it explained so you understand it, and have it taught in the right context, with supporting witness form other parts of the Scripture, then that strengthens your faith. When you hear with understanding then it becomes part of your life, your actions and words. It molds the way you look at life, and treat others. There is no other Word that is so precious with your sake in mind, then the Word of God, written by those many prophets and apostles of God. Romans 10:18 "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." Paul is saying, let me ask you a question? What happened to the Word when it was given? When the Word of God was given and written down by the prophets and the apostles, that Word went out to every corner of the earth, to all parts of the world. That Word of God went to all mankind. Romans 10:19 "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." Here again Paul is quoting from the "song of Moses" in Deuteronomy 32:21; "They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God: They have provoked me to anger with their vanities: And I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a People; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation [one world system]." God will use this the Kenites and their one world system to bring about the conditions for testing the souls that are living on the earth. This time of God's provoking them to anger is at the time of the end. We are living in that day. God is jealous when Satan and his people mess around with His children, and God's anger will come down on that entire system. It will come to pass because God given us that promise through Moses and Paul, and many other prophets of the Scriptures. Deuteronomy 32:22 "For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, And shall burn unto the lowest hell, And shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains [nations]." Friend, this is part of that Song that will be sung upon the return of Christ at the seventh trumpet when the consuming takes place, as told by Jesus in Revelation 14:3. It is part of the song of the victors, those that lived and stood against Satan, the Antichrist in the great tribulation, or deception that is coming upon us shortly. Romans 10:20 "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." Isaiah was very bold in what he said in Isaiah 65:1; "I am sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, "Behold me, behold me," unto a nation that was not called by my name". In other words, the rebellious people of Israel never even sought after God, even when God placed His name upon them. Israel in the Hebrew means "he will rule as God". Romans 10:21 "But to Israel He saith, "All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people." We will find out why God allowed this, even in His love, in the next chapter. There was a reason for it, and Paul wanted us to know that reason. There is a reason for every move that God makes, and those ways are always fair because He is just.
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