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Rom.10:1. Brethren! my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel's salvation. Intending to deal a blow to the Jews, he precedes it with a short word, so that they would not think that his subsequent speech comes from hostility towards them, and speaks of the “desire of the heart,” that is, of his desire, of his strong desire, even of his prayer for the Jews, so that they would not only be freed from punishment, but also saved. How, he says, can I be hostile to you when I pray to God for your salvation? Rom.10:2. For I testify to them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to reason. Rom.10:3. For, not understanding the righteousness of God and trying to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God. At first, it would seem that he favors and pleases the Jews, for having said about them: “they have zeal for God, but not according to reason,” he shows that they are worthy of mercy more than punishment. They are zealous, he says, about the law given to them by God, but they are zealous not according to reason, not wanting to know that the law has ceased and been abolished. But further it shows their passion for disputes and ambition. They tried to establish their own righteousness, that is, the righteousness from the law, made up of their own deeds and labors, which, as having already fallen, cannot stand, and thus they did not establish their own righteousness, and did not submit to the righteousness of God. This is a sign of self-praise and arrogance, even foolishness - to try to put up something that cannot stand, and spend all the time in it. The righteousness of God is called here that which comes from faith, which does not depend on our labors, but is entirely the gift of God. Rom.10:4. For the end of the law is Christ, for the righteousness of everyone who believes. Since in truth he called righteousness that righteousness that is from the law, so that, on the one hand, those who believed among the Jews would not say: it means that we became criminals when we abandoned this righteousness, and on the other hand, those who did not believe could not say that although they have not now fulfilled the righteousness of the law, they can fully fulfill it later, the apostle, eliminating both thoughts, says: “Christ is the end of the law.” What the law desired and did not accomplish, Christ accomplished, that is, the justification of man. Therefore, you who believe among the Jews, do not say that you have become a transgressor of the law; on the contrary, you have come to know the will of the law, which was accomplished through faith in Christ. On the other hand, you, a Jew who has not yet believed, do not hope to accomplish righteousness according to the law yourself: Christ is its perfecter. So, if you want to receive righteousness, accept Christ by faith and you will have everything. Rom.10:5. Moses writes about the righteousness of the law: the man who does it will live by it. He confirms what has been said: what the law did not do, Christ did, and says: Moses talks about the justification of man through works. But since there was not a single person who fulfilled the works, justification according to the law is impossible. Rom.10:6. But the righteousness of faith says this: Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend to heaven? that is, to bring Christ together. Rom.10:7. Or who will go down into the abyss? that is, to raise Christ from the dead. Rom.10:8. But what does Scripture say? The word is close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith that we preach. Rom.10:9. For 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. Having learned that the works of the law cannot justify a person, learn how we are easily and easily justified in Christ: this requires faith from the heart and confession from the mouth. But it is necessary to explain in more detail what was said: “Who will ascend to heaven? or who will go down into the abyss?” The Apostle borrowed this from Moses (Deut. 30:11–14), but in the sense that he understood in his high wisdom. Moses literally says this: the commandment of God lies, O Jew, before your eyes, so that you do not need to ascend into heaven to find it, nor go down into the abyss, nor cross the sea to take it there: it is near you, in your mouth and in your mind: God has shown you everything through the law. This seems to be what Moses says literally; but the apostle attributed it to Christ. Do not doubt, he says, and do not ask in your mind: how did Christ come down from heaven and become incarnate? or how, having died, he rose from the abyss, that is, from the underworld? But believe that He came down and became incarnate, and that, having been buried, He rose again through resurrection; for God raised Him up. Therefore, looking at the dignity of the One who erected it, one can comfortably believe. What is easier than this, when you have salvation in your mouth? And lest anyone, out of convenience, consider the matter of faith worthy of contempt, he shows that the thoughts of unbelief are contrary to faith itself and that they must be repelled with firmness. Do not say, inspire, this or that in your heart, that is, do not allow any doubts in your thoughts. Rom.10:10. Because with the heart one believes for righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses for salvation. The heart needs lips. For what is the use of believing in your soul and not confessing it before people? Although faith justifies in the mind, yet perfect salvation depends on confession; for then faith shines and benefits many. But the mouth also needs the heart. Many confess Christ hypocritically, and their hearts are far removed from Him. Rom.10:11. For the Scripture says: Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame. Rom.10:12. There is no difference here between Jew and Greek, because there is one Lord of all, rich for all who call on Him. Rom.10:13. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Having said that they believe with their hearts and confess with their lips, he cites from Scripture evidence of faith and confession or calling. When he says: “everyone who believes,” he indicates faith, the justified of which will not be put to shame; and when he says: “whoever calls,” he points to confession, which brings about salvation. So now everyone, whether Jew or Gentile, can be accepted by God. “There is one Lord of all, rich for all who call on Him,” in other words: this is a king rich in gold and silver. Therefore, if His wealth consists of the very believers, then do not despair, thinking that you have sinned in such a way that you cannot be forgiven. He will accept you in order to make you a sharer in His wealth. Rom.10:14. But how can we call upon Him in whom we have not believed? How can one believe in Him of whom one has not heard? How to hear without a preacher? Rom.10:15. And how can we preach if they are not sent? as it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good tidings of peace! I said above that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Now he reproaches the Jews for not calling on the name of the Lord. Why weren't you called? Because they didn't believe. Why didn't you believe? Is it because they haven’t heard? No, we heard. Then the objection: how could they hear without a preacher? The answer follows again: no, there were preachers, many of them were sent to them. From what is it clear that these messengers were preachers? In response to this, he quotes the words of the prophet: “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of peace, who bring good news” (Is. 52:7). The apostles, going around the universe, proclaimed nothing more than the unspeakable blessings and peace of God with people. Therefore, unbelief is the own fault of those who did not accept the preachers. Rom.10:16. But not everyone obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says: Lord! who believed what they heard from us? The apostle said that the prophets testify that God sent these evangelists. Therefore, lest anyone object: if they were from God, then it follows that everyone should obey them, he asserts that, indeed, not everyone obeyed the gospel, but this does not cause any harm to the truth. Isaiah speaks about this for many years: “who believed what he heard from us?” (Isa.53:1). The word who is used here instead of “few” believed what they heard from us. Rom.10:17. So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. These words are in connection with the previous one and represent, as it were, a conclusion from something previously said. But with them the apostle also expresses something else. The Jews were constantly looking for miracles, even wanting to see the resurrection. Therefore he says that faith comes from hearing, and nothing more should be required than this hearing; for this is not simple hearing, not ordinary speech, but the words of God. Therefore, if you are looking for miracles that come from God, then believe the words that speak from God. Rom.10:18. But I ask: didn’t they hear? On the contrary, their voice went through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. Someone might ask: what good does it do for the Jews if evangelists were sent, but the Jews did not hear? The apostle answers: the whole universe heard; How did those with whom the apostles spent so much time and from whom they descended not hear? Is this possible? Rom.10:19. I also ask: didn’t Israel know? Again a new objection; if the apostles preached, but the Jews did not understand; don't they deserve an apology? This also solves this objection. But the first Moses says: I will arouse jealousy in you because of no people, I will provoke you to anger because of a foolish people. They, he says, should have understood that Christ was being preached, if not from anything else, then at least from the honor with which the pagans were awarded. They saw that the idolaters were suddenly awarded such benefits, and therefore they had to be imbued with competition and conclude that this was the very people about whom Moses spoke. Not only the greatness of the honor was enough to motivate the Jews to compete, but also the fact that a people was awarded the honor was so low that it was not even worth being honored by the people. “I will irritate you,” it is said, “with a foolish people.” What is more foolish than the pagans who worshiped trees and stones? Rom.10:20. And Isaiah boldly says: Those who did not seek Me found Me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask about Me. Having said that Moses was the first to speak, he also mentions another prophet who says the same thing more clearly and openly. Isaiah, he says, “speaks boldly,” that is, he strived to express the truth in all its nakedness and it is better to be exposed to danger than to remain silent. “I,” he said, “were found by those who did not seek Me” and who did not inquire about Me (Is. 65:1). Those whom Moses called a foolish people, Isaiah called those who did not seek and did not inquire, that is, ignorant and enemies of knowledge. So, from all this the Jews should have understood that some were rejected, others were accepted. Rom.10:21. Of Israel he says: All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and stubborn people. So that the Jews would not have the right to say to God: You were found by the pagans, but did not want to deal with us, the prophet adds: “I stretched out My hands all day long,” that is, at all times, that is, I attracted you, but you turned out to be a disobedient and stubborn people. Therefore, you are to blame, not I. I stretched out My hands to you and called you, but you did not listen. From this it is clear that the Israelites both heard and knew, but did not want to submit. You might be interested in: