Romans: Chapter 10

Israel’s Rejection; God’s Sovereignty

Paul passionately pleads with Jews of his present time, and down through history, to Jews of our time; regarding God’s repeated promises and warnings and prophecies regarding the Jew’s refusal to recognize their Messiah. Christ and Messiah essentially mean the same. Jesus Christ means Jesus the Messiah! Paul knows the Jews are the Chosen People, yet most reject their opportunity to be God’s Elect. Chapter 10 deals with Israel’s present rejection of their Messiah. We are part of this history spanning over 2,000 years! The Jews’ fierce insistence on their laws and traditions over the mercy and grace of God is truly amazing. We are reminded of the famous movie Fiddler On The Roof, and can hear the echo of TRADITION! The worst enemy of Truth is to think you already have it and ignore all the evidence to the contrary. Ignorance CAN be fixed, but only if one opens their heart and mind to God’s Truth! Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and the opening of the eyes of Jews to recognize their Messiah, and ours, Yeshua!
See Math. 23: 37-39 Jesus tells us the Purpose and Tragedy of all History: Israel being given a Messiah and then rejecting their Messiah! The Good news: Jesus is coming again. God has a future plan for Israel! The future plan will be fully implemented when Jesus comes back to rule the earth, and we will be included!

10:1-2

Paul expresses his deep passionate desire for Israel to be saved. (2.) Paul gives witness that Jews are enthusiastic for God, just as he was as a pharisee. Yet he admits he was wrongly zealous against the Christians. So it is with the Jews of the present time, many are zealous, yet are ignorant of the Truth.

10:3-4

Jews fail to understand that God’s righteousness is the only true righteousness that is acceptable to Him. Jews think they can establish their own righteousness to earn salvation ~ We know this is utterly impossible! (4.) Jesus the Messiah is the goal and end result of the law. All true law always points to Jesus. The very purpose of the law shows us we are sinners, and our need to repent and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Only in seeking Jesus can we attain a right relationship with our Creator God! (See Galatians 3: 17-29.)

10:5-7

Moses quotes from Leviticus and Deut. That only a man who can follow God’s entire law PERFECTLY is righteous. (6.) But those who rely on Faith from God, to impute God’s righteousness to them, and thereby bringing them to a right relationship with Him; do not attempt to bring Jesus down to our level, nor would we want to! ~ Note that Faith is a choice issue. We choose to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and humbly admit we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. We all NEED Jesus. Yet much of society wants to determine their own description of who Jesus is; ultimately denying that He is our Creator, God and Savior. (7.) Again Paul quotes Deut. 30: 12 & 13. Who can claim to bring ourselves back from the dead? Do you think no one would be that foolish? What about those who believe in reincarnation? ‘Oh, I’ve lived many lives. Isn’t that claiming to be coming back from the dead? What foolishness. The Bible clearly says it is appointed for a man to die physically only once. See Gen. 21: 9-12.

10:8-10

So what does God’s Word really say? God’s message in Christ is near you, on your lips and in your heart. It is the Message, Word of God, based on Faith that we teach. (9.) IF you really believe in Faith; then acknowledge and confess with your voice and heart that Jesus is Lord, and rely on God’s Truth that God raised Jesus from the Dead, then you will be saved. (10.) With the heart, not your intellectual mind, a person believes, trusts and relies on Jesus, and so is justified; righteous and acceptable to God; AND he confesses and speaks his salvation.

10:11-13

The Scriptures say that no man who believes in Him and trusts in Him will ever be put to shame or be disappointed. Notice Paul quotes from Psalm 34, Isaiah and Jeremiah to convince the Jews that the Old Testament spoke frequently and clearly about the Messiah and how man could be declared righteous. Remember, being declared righteous is NOT the same as becoming righteous through the process of Sanctification. (12.) The same Lord and God is Lord over all of us. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek. God generously bestows His riches upon everyone who calls upon Him with True Faith. (13.) Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, accepting Him as their Lord and Messiah, will be saved. What a great promise! Joel 2:32.

10:14-15

How can people call upon Him when they have no Faith, have not believed and do not trust God? Simple, they can’t! How can they even know, if there is no one to preach the Truth?

(15.) How can a man preach unless he is sent. Isaiah says How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! How welcome is the one who preaches the good news of salvation? Isaiah 52:7. Is Jesus calling you to share the Truth of Salvation with someone? Be open and willing to be sent by God to those that are lost and dying!

10:16

BUT, They have DISOBEYED and IGNORED the Truth of the Gospel. Even worse, more than just ignoring the Truth, most oppose the Gospel and seek to harm those who bring the Truth of God’s Word to them. Jesus warned us that we would be persecuted when we spoke in His name. How true that has been throughout history! Keep in mind the hundreds of thousands of Believers who are being persecuted and killed TODAY, because of their faith in Jesus.

10:17-18

So Faith comes by hearing, and what is heard comes by the preaching of the Messiah. (18.) Paul continues to quote the Scriptures by stating that their ‘voice’; the heavens and nature bearing God’s message, has gone out to all the earth. (See Psalm 119:1-4; The heavens declare the glory of God; and the earth shows His handiwork…) Thus the Jews have heard the Truth.

10:19-20

Did the Jews not understand? Paul insists that they have been warned repeatedly by Moses. Moses told the Jews that God would make them jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation, He would make them angry. (20.) Then Paul says Isaiah says God has been found by those who did not seek Him; and God has revealed Himself to those who did not ask for Him. Remember, Jesus revealed Himself to both Jews and Gentiles.

10:21

BUT to Israel He says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a people who are disobedient and self-willed. God continues to seek the lost, Jews and Gentiles alike. Do you hear Him calling to you to commit yourself to a deeper Faith walk? Say YES! to Jesus today!