36 Israel Needs the Gospel

After having established the foundation that Israel had been very privileged to have been given God’s Word, promises and covenants, but that they had continued rejecting all that the Lord had done for them, Paul then wanted to show his countrymen, that their greatest need, the Gospel, was very much in reach.

1 Not Recognizing Their Need

Paul began chapter ten, by showing the burden of his heart for Israel:

Romans 10:1-3

Even though Paul had become a zealous follower of Christ, he still had great pride in his Jewish roots:

Philippians 3:4-5

In verse 2, Paul acknowledged that while the Israelites had a “zeal for God” it was “not according to knowledge”.

Therefore, their zeal was misplaced, since they lacked “true” knowledge of God, which only comes through having a relationship with the Son:

John 14:6-7

Romans 10:3

2 Contrasting Forms of Righteousness

Romans 10:4-8

By declaring that “Christ is the end of the Law” – Paul was showing that Jesus was the complete fulfillment of the Law, since the Law showed man’s sinfulness, and need for a Savior.

Throughout the earlier chapters of Romans, Paul had shown that the Law was never meant to be an “end” itself, but by nature, needed fulfillment.

Paul had also shown that the Law is unable to bring about man’s righteousness.

Even with the best of intentions, no one is cable to keep all the requirements of the Law, and therefore, we become guilty of the entirety:

James 2:10

In verse six and seven of the chapter, Paul showed the great disparity of attempting to attain Christ, and simply surrendering to Him in faith.

He used the idea of “Who will ascend into heaven” – to bring Christ down, to show the audacity, and ridiculous notion of someone who might place themselves on the Lord’s level, and therefore have a hand in the plan of salvation.

Rather, the Bible is very clear, that the Father “gave” His Son – John 3:16.

Similarly, in verse seven, because Jesus is alive, His Word is therefore alive, and as shown in verse eight, it leads to faith:

Romans 10:8

This would be the foundation of what Paul would later establish as one of the great doctrinal statements in the letter:

Romans 10:17

3 Faith and God’s Righteousness

Once again, Paul showed that righteousness is indeed easily attainable, as it comes through faith in Christ:

Romans 10:9-13

Paul shows the connection, and importance of believing and confessing:

Romans 10:9

“Confessing win (our mouth” – speaks of one being in complete agreement with something.

Therefore, an individual must agree that only Jesus can pay the penalty for their sins, and that agreement (confession) is part of the process of faith, and thus being made righteous in God’s sight.

When Paul speaks of one’s believing in their heart, it shows more than a simple intellectual agreement, but heartfelt and complete trust.

Paul was then showing that, while Jesus secured our salvation by His sacrifice at Calvary, His resurrection is the ultimate proof of who He is, and therefore what He indeed accomplished:

Romans 10:10

Paul wrote of that in one of his epistles to the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 15:17

In Romans chapter ten, Paul continued to stress the importance of confessing Christ, indicating how one must come to complete agreement with who Jesus is, and what He accomplished:

Romans 10:11-13

Paul’s statements were most likely based upon an Old Testament scripture, one which his fellow Israelites had misunderstood completely:

Isaiah 28:16

In the text, in verses 12 and 13, Paul showed that salvation is available to all who in faith, call upon Christ. Therefore, there is no distinction in how one comes to faith in Christ. Whether they be of a Jewish or Gentile background, one must personally call upon Christ, to be saved:

Romans 10:13