I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Romans 10 is the second chapter in this section of Romans in which Paul specifically addressed the condition of his kinsmen in the flesh, the Jews.

B.      In this chapter, we will see how that the Jews had rejected God’s purpose for them and the Law of Moses, but we will also see how there was still hope for them.

II.      ISRAEL’S FAILURE TO CALL UPON THE LORD

A.      The Jews’ had zeal that was “not in accordance with knowledge.”  This led them to pursue righteousness by works of the Law rather than by faith (Rom. 10:1-3).

                                                             1.      In verse 1, Paul again expressed his great concern for his fellow Jews and their salvation (compare to 9:1-3).

                                                             2.      The Jews’ failure was not due to a lack of zeal for God, but rather it was due to a misguided zeal.

a.       The Jews were zealous specifically for Jehovah God, but their zeal was not in accordance with the knowledge of God’s word.

b.       The knowledge that they overlooked was that of the righteousness of God.  This does not mean God’s personal righteousness, but rather it refers to the righteousness that men obtain from God through the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16-17).

c.        Not understanding how God makes men righteous by faith, the Jews vainly attempted to establish their own righteousness by performing works of the Law.

B.      The Jews’ failure was that they did not understand that Christ was the goal of the Law (Rom. 10:4-11).

                                                             1.      The Law was a means to an end, and Christ was that end (goal).

a.       The Law was intended to bring a believing Jew to righteousness through faith in Christ (see Gal. 3:23-25).

b.       For the most part, the Jews had misinterpreted the purpose of the Law.  Those who followed the Law but rejected Christ were self-defeating and contrary to the Law.

                                                             2.      The writings of Moses make it clear that righteousness strictly by the Law required perfect compliance with the Law (Lev. 18:5; Deut. 27:26).  The Jews were not righteous on this account because they had failed to keep the Law perfectly.

                                                             3.      However, the writings of Moses had another message regarding righteousness by faith.

a.       Verses 6-8 recall the words of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 30.

i.         In that chapter, we read how Moses restored Israel to the Law after they had wandered in the wilderness for forty years.

ii.        He told them that the commandment was not out of reach as they may have perceived it to be, but rather it was very near to them if they would only believe it and obey it (Deut. 30:11-14).  Moses was calling on them to have faith.

b.       Paul made an application of that Old Testament event to the Jews of his day.

i.         Once again, Israel’s salvation was not beyond their reach, but it was very near to them if they would only embrace it.

ii.        Essentially, Paul was saying that it was not necessary for an individual to see Christ descend from heaven or rise from the grave.  Rather, each individual was to believe in these events through the preaching of the word of God.

                                                             4.      Therefore, righteousness and salvation were at hand for the Jews if they would only believe in their hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with their mouths that Jesus was Lord.

a.       Notice the contrast: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down).”  Instead, they were to “confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord.”

b.       Again: “Do not say in your heart…‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up).”  Instead, they were to “believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.”

C.      The Jews had equal opportunity with the Gentiles to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved (Rom. 10:12-13).

                                                             1.      Righteous by faith in Christ was not for the Gentiles only (see Rom. 9:30-33), but rather it was for all men, both Jews and Gentiles, “whoever believes in Him.”

                                                             2.      Consider what it means to call upon the name of the Lord.

a.       The Greek word translated as “call upon” in verse 12 means “to invoke, to appeal unto, or to call upon.”  Therefore, to call upon the name of the Lord is not simply to cry out to Him, but rather it is to make an appeal to the Lord for salvation based on His authority to grant forgiveness by His terms.

b.       For better understanding, consider that this same word was used to describe Paul’s appeal to Caesar in Acts 25:11.  He appealed to (or called upon) Caesar to render a judgment based on Caesar’s superior authority in the Roman government.

c.        “Calling upon the name of the Lord” is a concise way of describing a believer’s response to the gospel of Christ.  This description entails all that a believer will do in that response, including confession (vv. 9-10), repentance, and baptism (Acts 22:16).

III.   ISRAEL’S FAILURE TO HEED GOD’S WORD

A.      Paul traced backwards through the steps by which one comes to call upon the name of the Lord (Rom. 10:14-15).

                                                             1.      Progressing forward, the steps are that a preacher of the gospel is sent (by Christ, Matt. 28:18-20), people hear the gospel of Christ preached, they believe the message, they call upon the name of the Lord, and He grants salvation to them.

                                                             2.      This is precisely the pattern that is exemplified many times in the book of Acts.

B.      By this, we see that the Jews’ lost condition was their own fault for failing to listen to God’s word (Rom. 10:16-21).

                                                             1.      God fulfilled His part of the process by sending the Christ and sending preachers of the gospel.  The problem was that “they did not all heed the glad tidings.”

a.       In verse 16, the word “heed” in the original language means “to conform to a command or authority.”  To heed is not just to hear, but it is to listen and obey.

b.       Therefore, man has a part in his own salvation, for he must obey the message that God has communicated to him.

                                                             2.      Thus, the Jews had no excuse for their lost condition.  In verses 17-21, Paul answered the excuses some might have offered.

a.       The first excuse is that if faith comes by hearing the word of Christ, then maybe Israel had never heard His word.

i.         This excuse was rejected because it was false.  Israel had heard the gospel in part from the Old Testament, then in greater part from John the Baptist and from Jesus, and at last in full from the apostles of Christ.

ii.        In fact, the Jews received the gospel before the Gentiles.  They had the first opportunity for salvation, but they rejected it for the most part.

b.       The second excuse is that Israel just did not understand what God was doing.

i.         This excuse was rejected because Israel’s ignorance was willful and self-inflicted.  They did not understand, but it was because of their own prejudice.

ii.        To give evidence of this, Paul quoted from Deuteronomy 32:21 and Isaiah 65:1, which were prophecies regarding the Gentiles.  These passages and others foretold the Jews what God would do, but they refused to believe.

iii.      Finally, Paul quoted from Isaiah 65:2, which reveals the heart of the matter.  Israel was a disobedient an obstinate people who resisted God’s efforts to save them through Christ.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Certainly, we can understand Paul’s grief for his own nation, for he knew as long as they rejected Christ, they also rejected their hope of salvation.

B.      In the next chapter, we will see that there is still hope for the Jews just as there is hope for all who will call upon the name of the Lord.