Daily Thoughts from Romans: Everyone Can Do It (10:1-13)

Daily Thoughts from Romans: Everyone Can Do It

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:1-13 ESV)

Paul really yearns for his people to come to faith, but as long as they continue to try to be righteous through the Law instead of submitting to Messiah they’ll miss it.  He affirms their zeal but it is turned toward a lie.  For all their knowledge they are ignorant, much like Nicodemus, whom Jesus saw as a paradigm for ignorant Israel (John 3).

Paul alludes to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30 where Moses said that keeping God’s commands brought life but acknowledged that one’s heart must be circumcised by God in order to love him (Deuteronomy 30:6).  He said that the revelation of God was not far from them.  No one needed to ascend into heaven to get it or go beyond the sea to find it.  Now, as Paul sees, in Christ that is all the more evident in that no one had to go up to heaven to bring him down or go down to the grave to bring him up.  God accomplished all of this for us.

The truth, as Moses said, is in our mouth and in our hearts so that we can do it.  So if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe God raised him from the dead, we are saved.  Isaiah 28 and Joel 2 attest to the fact that whoever believes in him will be rescued, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.  God’s riches in Christ are for everyone.  Everyone can “do it.”  Everyone can believe.  No one can earn it by works.

Some have been confused about what seems like a two-step process to salvation, believing in one’s heart and confessing with one’s mouth.  But I think we can attribute this emphasis to Moses’ reference to heart and mouth and to Paul’s understanding that what happens in the heart is made known with the mouth.  He could have said believe in your heart and be baptized here, but baptism is not as much the point as confession publicly that one believes Jesus is Lord.  In fact, this is what was likely confessed at one’s baptism, so baptism is probably lurking there.  The person who believes is saved (“everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved), but one evidence of his faith is his confession.  Faith alone saves (Paul argues this in Romans 4).  Abraham didn’t also have to get circumcised to get saved and we don’t have to get baptized.  Those actions are evidences of faith.