Sermon Tone Analysis

Israels Stumbling Explained

Having stated the fact of Israel’s stumbling in the preceding verses, Paul now explained the reason for that stumbling.

The apostle expressed his deep personal spiritual burden for the salvation of the people of Israel.

What was the reason for Israel’s stumbling?

Israel was called “the God-intoxicated people.”

However Paul affirmed, “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God” but that their zeal was not from a full knowledge of knowing God but instead stumbled over Christ by seeking to gain righteousness on the basis of works.

Paul continued his explanation of Israel’s failure and their misguided zeal.

Since they did not know (“being ignorant,” here in the sense of not understanding) the righteousness that comes from God.

That may be true, even though they should have known from their own Scriptures.

What did God require of them, but they overlooked?

The righteousness spoken of by Paul is the righteousness God requires for people to be accepted by Him, which is God’s own infinite righteousness.

The Jews did not really understand God’s own infinite righteousness, which is why they were continuing to seek to establish their own (cf.

Isa.

64:6 “6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”).

Little wonder then that they did not submit to (“place themselves under”) God’s righteousness, that is, the righteousness God provides through Christ by faith.

The Greek in Romans 10:4 includes the coordinating particle gar, “for”.

It introduces a statement that is crucial to Paul’s explanation of Israel’s stumbling—Christ is the end of the Law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

The word translated “end” emphasizes that Christ is the designed end (termination) or Purpose-Goal of the Law (cf.

Gal.

3:24 “24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”), the Object to which the Law pointed.

Who did the Law point to?

The Law did not and could not of itself provide righteousness before God for individuals.

But Christ fulfilled the Law by keeping it perfectly during His sinless life

and then gave His life in payment for the penalty of sin and the broken Law.

The Law then pointed to Him as the Source of the God-provided righteousness it (the Law) could not supply.

A godly Jew who trusted Yahweh and followed the Levitical system, including the sin offering and the trespass offering, would most likely be inclined to respond to Christ by faith and would receive God’s righteousness (be justified by faith).

Conversely, a Jew who sought by works to establish his own righteousness would not recognize Christ as “the end of the Law” and would stumble over Him.

God’s Gracious Offer

In presenting God’s gracious offer of salvation in Christ and the provision of righteousness by faith, Paul first stated the contrast of the by-works approach to achieving righteousness.

He wrote, Moses describes (lit., “writes”) the righteousness that is by the Law.

Then Paul quoted Leviticus 18:5, “The man who does these things will live by them”.

What is the fault with receiving righteousness by keeping the Law only?

If a Jew were to receive righteousness by keeping the demands of the Law, that would be human achievement; it would not be from God.

However, a Jew would need to keep the entire Law perfectly all his life—an impossible task.

What is the flaw in keeping the Law only for righteousness?

But then Paul also quoted Moses in support of his righteousness-by-faith position centered in Christ as “the end of the Law” and the means by which righteousness is available for everyone who believes.

It does not seem appropriate that Paul was merely borrowing Moses’ words and applying them to something foreign in Moses’ thought.

This suggests, then, that righteousness … by faith is not a new concept, but had been proclaimed to Israel by Moses.

The material Paul quoted in Romans 10:6–8 is taken somewhat freely from Deuteronomy 30:12–14 with clauses quoted here and there.

The material in Deuteronomy was part of Moses’ charge to the generation of Israel about to enter the land of Canaan.

This emphasis was the conclusion of Moses’ prophetic description of God’s dealing with Israel.

Blessing was promised for faith and obedience, and chastisement would result from rejection and disobedience.

If Israel forsook God, Moses said, she would face worldwide dispersion and affliction.

When the people then finally do turn to God in faith, He will restore them to blessing, prosperity, and prominence among the nations (Deut.

30:1–10).

The point of Moses’ exhortation (Deut.

30:11) is that the generation to whom he was speaking had the message (it was very near you and in your mouth, Deut.

30:14) and could respond by faith (in your heart, Deut.

30:14) and walk with God in obedience.

Since the Israelites in Moses’ day had the message, they did not need to ask that it be brought down from heaven or that someone “cross the sea to get it” (Deut.

30:13).

Instead, the word (Moses’ instructions) was “near” them (Deut.

30:14).

How did the “message” change?

It became a work of man instead of faith.

In effect, Paul indicated that the same truth applied to his generation, with the added fact that Christ had come in the flesh (John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”)

and had been resurrected.

Therefore there was no need for anyone to ask to bring Christ down (in His Incarnation) or to bring Christ up from the dead; He had already come and had been resurrected.

The message of righteousness by faith in Paul’s day was “near” his readers (available to them) and this was “the word” (rhēma, “saying”) of faith he was proclaiming.

Thus the gospel, “the word of faith,” is available and accessible.

In verses 9-13, Paul stated the content of that message concerning faith.

How does Paul describe the process of righteousness by faith?

Believe in your heart.

Confessing with the mouth that Jesus is Lord is mentioned first to conform to the order of the quotation from Deuteronomy 30:14 in Romans 10:8.

The confession is an acknowledgement that God has been incarnated in Jesus (cf.

v. 6), that Jesus Christ is God.

Also essential is heart-faith that God raised Him from the dead (cf.

v. 7).

The result is salvation.

The true order is given in verse 10: For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified (lit., “it is believed unto righteousness”), and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (lit., “it is confessed unto salvation”).

Yet these are not two separate steps to salvation.

They are chronologically together.

Salvation comes through acknowledging to God that Christ is God and believing in Him.

Who, now can receive righteousness by faith?

Paul then (v.

11) supported his position by re-quoting part of Isaiah 28:16, adding the Greek word translated everyone.

God responds with the gift of provided righteousness to each individual who believes.

Then Paul reminded his readers of God’s impartiality, as he did when discussing human sinfulness (3:22).

Just as all who sin will be judged, so all who believe will be saved and richly blessed.

This conclusion also is supported by a quotation from Joel 2:32: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

To call on the Lord means to pray in faith for salvation.

(On the significance of the “name,” see comments on Acts 3:16.)

What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?

After proclaiming God’s gracious offer in Christ, Paul confronted the natural questions that arise, each additional question building on the key verb from the preceding question.

God’s promise of salvation to “everyone who calls” on Him (v.

13) begins the process.

How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in?

Previously, to call on the Lord was equated with trusting Him or believing in Him (cf.

vv.

11 and 13), but here it follows the believing.

When one believes in Christ, he “calls” on Him.

Believing, in turn, is based on hearing, and hearing is based on someone preaching … and how can they preach unless they are sent?

(Since the Gr.

word kēryssō, “preach,” means “to be a herald, to announce,” it is not limited to proclamation from a pulpit.)

Carrying God’s gracious offer involves human beings whom God has brought to Himself and then uses as His heralds.

They share God’s message of salvation because He will save everyone who calls on His name.

Paul quoted from Isaiah 52:7 concerning the eagerness of the bearers of good news.

Those who bear it have beautiful … feet, that is, their message is welcome.

In Isaiah 52:7 the messenger announced to Judah that God had ended their Exile in Babylon (cf.

Isa.

40:9–11).

But Paul applied Isaiah 52:7 to the Jews of his day to whom the gospel was being given.

Israel’s Rejection