Romans 10

Paul loves His countrymen, the Jews, and He longs for them to be saved. Some, of course, have already embraced the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Apostle himself is in this group of Christian Jews. Others will come to Christ later. Paul has established in the prior chapter that people come to faith according to the sovereign power of God according to His decree of election. This does not at all negate the responsibility of the church to proclaim the message of Christ, nor does it at all negate the need for people everywhere to respond to that message. It is the power of God in election that demands that the church be used according to God's will as His instrument in the plan of salvation, and it is that same electing love that assures us that God will use the means that He has appointed, even us, to accomplish His settled purposes.

We need to have zeal in the work of the Lord, but salvation does not come to people based upon our zeal or even based upon their own zeal. Many Jews had a zeal for God, as Paul himself once had. That zeal did not cause him to hear the Word of grace and to believe, but to hate the message of salvation through a Substitute. Zeal in what is wrong and unproductive is not a virtue. The problem was that so many Jews were doing what people everywhere are always tempted to do: rather than embracing a righteousness outside of themselves as their only answer, they were attempting to secure good standing with God based on their own righteousness according to their own obedience to their particular mixture of sacred tradition and divine Law. Their dedication to that way of trying to secure their peace caused them to reject God's only provision for us in Christ.

Christ is our righteousness. In His obedience we have the end of the Old Covenant Law as a way of life for Israel. The Law was a works-like arrangement for the nation of Israel. That arrangement continued for a time within God's prior system of grace-based salvation announced to us as His promise. The blessings of Law can only come from fully obeying that Law. Where is our hope under that kind of system? Yet even within the covenant documents of the Law, Moses spoke of a righteousness that came by faith. The way of life that is through faith comes to us through believing in the heart and professing with the lips. Faith is that trust in Another who alone can accomplish the securing of our heavenly citizenship. Now Christ, the Word, has come near to us in the preaching of grace through the Word of the gospel. Christ is proclaimed, and in that Word, God has come near to us and saved us. Because of the divine power of the Word preached through fallible human messengers, we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, and we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. This is the way that God has chosen to work out His electing purposes.

This is the same way for everyone: 1. true faith in Christ, and 2. profession of that faith by which people are brought into the communion of those who believe. There is not some different way for Jews. Everyone comes through the gate of Christ. Long ago, God had announced through the Old Testament prophet Joel a very important word of encouragement: "All who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." This calling upon the Name of the Lord has always been a true engagement of worship within the covenant assembly of the Lord's people.

God not only ordains the end, our salvation, He also has given us the way to that end, and that way involves the words and lives of God's people. Paul is presenting God’s normal way of bringing spiritual life to people. People need to call upon the Lord. To call upon Him in true worship together with the church, they need to believe in Him. To believe in Him, of course they need to hear about Him. To hear about Jesus, His message has to be preached to them. If preachers are going to preach, then they need to be sent out by the church as dedicated servants of the Lord and of His message. This is the way for us. People need to hear the word of Christ through His ambassadors sent out by the church, so that faith can come by hearing, and life can come to people by the Spirit of God. This is the way for the sheep of God to hear the voice of Jesus Christ and live.

We should never imagine that the sovereign election of God is somehow at cross-purposes with the church's ministry of preaching Christ. The powerful electing love of God is the root of grace. The obedience of Christ and His cross and resurrection are the ground of grace. The Holy Spirit at work in the lives of God's beloved is the agent of grace. The preaching, hearing, believing, and professing of the truth of Christ is the way of grace. The obedience of faith is the fruit of grace. The resurrection kingdom of Jews and Gentiles in the land of perfect salvation is the glorious goal of grace. God will not be stopped in His plan of glory and love. He will even use the calling of the Gentiles to bring many Jews home, a fact that Paul will further explore in the next chapter.