October 2
Romans 10:5-6, “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above
Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
We are about to embark on an exciting trip into a very interesting passage of Scripture. Many are likely to be offended at what the Apostle Paul says in our text. Pluralism is the current “in philosophy” of most of today’s churches and religions. It is not politically correct to suggest, let alone preach, that some religions are better than others. The “let’s all just get along with one another” crowd certainly has no intention of getting along with those of us who dare to say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. We who preach such a message find ourselves being categorized as uncouth and/or wickedly immoral. The truth is, “all [religions] are wrong that do not call us out of our own inadequate self-righteousness to faith in Jesus Christ.” (Boice)
That is, in a nut-shell, what Paul has been teaching us in this section of Romans. Paul has been explaining that the unbelief of his countrymen (the Jews) is not God’s fault, it was their own fault, because the Gospel had been communicated to them. Paul gives us an analysis of the situation by contrasting “a righteousness that is by law” with “a righteousness that is by faith.” Boice writes that our current text describes “three kinds of religion, pointing us away from the two wrong kinds of religion to the true religion that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.”
“These three religions are: (1) the religion of works, (2) the religion of signs, and (3) the religion of faith. Paul develops them by telling us: (1) how legalism speaks, (20 how faith does not speak, and (3) how faith does speak.” (Boice)
Paul has explained in great detail the religion of works. But in our current text he adds a confirming quotation from the law of Moses. In verse 5 of our text, Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5, “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.” Paul also quotes the Leviticus verse in Galatians 3:12, “And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.” In both quotes Paul “contrasts the way of works with the way of faith and show that they are mutually exclusive.” (Boice)
Moses, in the Leviticus passage, seems to be telling the people that they need to keep the law, and if they do keep it, God will bless them with an abundant life. Boice writes, “On the simplest level it is true that any person will be blessed to the extent that he or she lives according to the revealed law of God. That is only a way of saying that people who love God, keep the Sabbath, honor their parents, tell the truth, are faithful in their marriages, and do not steal or covet things that are not theirs, will be happy. People who dishonor God, break faith, cheat, lie, and live for material possessions are miserable.”
We also can take the Leviticus passage as saying that if the Jews, as a people, would keep God’s law, God would prosper them as a nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Both points, individuals being obedient, and the nation being obedient to God, are true, but those are not the points Paul is making by quoting Leviticus 18:5. Paul certainly believed that morality is better than immorality, and that morality bring blessing. But to these truths, Paul would add two other important eternal life giving truths:
1. In religion, we are talking about more than mere morality, we are talking about how a person can be right (as in righteous) before God. It is true that if anyone could keep the law of God perfectly, that one would have (earn) eternal life. But no one can keep the law of God perfectly. “Therefore, salvation is beyond the grasp of those who are merely law-keepers.” (Boice) Our right standing before God must come by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
2. You cannot mix the way of faith and the way of works. If you think you are going to be saved by keeping the law, you better keep all of it, all the time, forever. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Boice writes, “You cannot make up for your deficiencies [in keeping the law] by adding faith to it, just as it is also impossible to begin by faith and then add law.” Paul states this truth in Galatians 5:2, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.”
No one can be saved by works, no matter how hard they try. But this is what most of the world’s religions teach people to do, work for your salvation. Jesus was politically incorrect, John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Paul was also politically incorrect, and the Bible is politically incorrect, for they all teach us that if we are to be saved, we must give up any thought of contributing to our salvation and instead trust Christ and His work alone to save us.
F. Godet said that Christ “charged Himself with the doing.” He has left us “only the believing.”
Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.
In Christ,
Dan Todd
Romans 10:5-6, “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above
We are about to embark on an exciting trip into a very interesting passage of Scripture. Many are likely to be offended at what the Apostle Paul says in our text. Pluralism is the current “in philosophy” of most of today’s churches and religions. It is not politically correct to suggest, let alone preach, that some religions are better than others. The “let’s all just get along with one another” crowd certainly has no intention of getting along with those of us who dare to say that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. We who preach such a message find ourselves being categorized as uncouth and/or wickedly immoral. The truth is, “all [religions] are wrong that do not call us out of our own inadequate self-righteousness to faith in Jesus Christ.” (Boice)
That is, in a nut-shell, what Paul has been teaching us in this section of Romans. Paul has been explaining that the unbelief of his countrymen (the Jews) is not God’s fault, it was their own fault, because the Gospel had been communicated to them. Paul gives us an analysis of the situation by contrasting “a righteousness that is by law” with “a righteousness that is by faith.” Boice writes that our current text describes “three kinds of religion, pointing us away from the two wrong kinds of religion to the true religion that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.”
“These three religions are: (1) the religion of works, (2) the religion of signs, and (3) the religion of faith. Paul develops them by telling us: (1) how legalism speaks, (20 how faith does not speak, and (3) how faith does speak.” (Boice)
Paul has explained in great detail the religion of works. But in our current text he adds a confirming quotation from the law of Moses. In verse 5 of our text, Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5, “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.” Paul also quotes the Leviticus verse in Galatians 3:12, “And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.” In both quotes Paul “contrasts the way of works with the way of faith and show that they are mutually exclusive.” (Boice)
Moses, in the Leviticus passage, seems to be telling the people that they need to keep the law, and if they do keep it, God will bless them with an abundant life. Boice writes, “On the simplest level it is true that any person will be blessed to the extent that he or she lives according to the revealed law of God. That is only a way of saying that people who love God, keep the Sabbath, honor their parents, tell the truth, are faithful in their marriages, and do not steal or covet things that are not theirs, will be happy. People who dishonor God, break faith, cheat, lie, and live for material possessions are miserable.”
We also can take the Leviticus passage as saying that if the Jews, as a people, would keep God’s law, God would prosper them as a nation. 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Both points, individuals being obedient, and the nation being obedient to God, are true, but those are not the points Paul is making by quoting Leviticus 18:5. Paul certainly believed that morality is better than immorality, and that morality bring blessing. But to these truths, Paul would add two other important eternal life giving truths:
1. In religion, we are talking about more than mere morality, we are talking about how a person can be right (as in righteous) before God. It is true that if anyone could keep the law of God perfectly, that one would have (earn) eternal life. But no one can keep the law of God perfectly. “Therefore, salvation is beyond the grasp of those who are merely law-keepers.” (Boice) Our right standing before God must come by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.
2. You cannot mix the way of faith and the way of works. If you think you are going to be saved by keeping the law, you better keep all of it, all the time, forever. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Boice writes, “You cannot make up for your deficiencies [in keeping the law] by adding faith to it, just as it is also impossible to begin by faith and then add law.” Paul states this truth in Galatians 5:2, “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.”
No one can be saved by works, no matter how hard they try. But this is what most of the world’s religions teach people to do, work for your salvation. Jesus was politically incorrect, John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Paul was also politically incorrect, and the Bible is politically incorrect, for they all teach us that if we are to be saved, we must give up any thought of contributing to our salvation and instead trust Christ and His work alone to save us.
F. Godet said that Christ “charged Himself with the doing.” He has left us “only the believing.”
Adapted from “Romans” by Boice.
In Christ,
Dan Todd