The Word is Right in Front of You

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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

—Romans 10:5–13

As we progress through this Epistle to the Romans, we previously discussed the first four verses and the Apostle’s heart for his brethren according to the flesh. He commended their zealousness for the Law, yet that zealousness was a hinderance, for because of it they missed Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.

Now we first are reminded of what Moses said concerning the Law. “That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.” The problem that they had was that they did not live by them. Re-read Romans chapter 2:17–3:20.

“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God…Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?…There is none righteous, no, not one…Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

All of the zealousness and pride in being the people of the law did not make them better at keeping it. We see throughout the Old Testament scriptures that they broke it, almost from the beginning. Yet, Moses put it out before them to be the way that they could walk rightly be the LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:24–25 — “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.”

As Paul is quoting here Moses regarding the righteousness which is of the law, he then speaks like Moses to describe the righteousness which is by faith. He does this in an interesting way, using what Moses said to the Israelites of old regarding the law that he gave to them from the LORD to describe in the exact same way what the word of the faith of Jesus Christ was to them now. If we go back to Deuteronomy 30:11–14 and understand what Moses is telling the Israelites, it greatly helps to understand what the Lord by His apostle Paul is telling all people now, and particularly the Israelites who are the subject of the three chapters that we are in the midst of.

“For this is the commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.”

It is pretty clear what Moses is saying to the Israelites that are about to enter into the promised land. I gave you the LORD’s commands. They are right in front of you and you heard them. You don’t need someone to go find the word of the LORD for you. (“What is God’s will for my life?”) You don’t need someone to go up and get God’s word from heaven, because he just gave it to you here, on earth, right where you are now. No one needs to go on an adventure quest to find out what God wants for you, because He just gave it to me to tell you, and I told you. You heard what God wants from you, it is in your heart and your mouth. Now…DO IT!

Now take that same concept to understand how Paul is describing his message: “Say not in thin heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above:)”

Did they need another visit from Christ from above in order to believe Him? The hearing of faith would not need that. Or the next sentence: “Or, Who shall ascend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)” Do they need to see Christ die and rise again, and then they will believe?

No, the same God that spoke to their fathers through Moses is speaking now through Paul, and he directly quotes him this time:

“The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart…”

You don’t need another revelation; you need to believe the one that you have been given. That is the word of faith that the apostle was preaching. He then goes on to show what his word of faith was. How should they react to the word of faith that he preached, and what would be the result?

“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.”

Notice that confessing with the mouth is not enough. Paying “lip service” would not do. Believing with the heart is what would be the entrance by faith into the grace in which we stand. The heart in Scripture is how it describes the man’s inner being. The way that one is saved is not different here than it was in Romans 3:21–27. It is “the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe”. This has not added a condition to salvation to make a public profession, although, “let the redeemed of the Lord say so”. Rather, it is telling them that if you believe it, say it, for in verse 11 we read that “Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed”. He will be faithful to His promise to you, and you will never wish that you had not believed on Him. When you believe you are saved forever, because of His faithfulness!

We now come to a truth that we need to have in focus at this point in God’s workings among men. In the beginning of this epistle, we read Paul showing that the Jew and Gentile are alike all under sin. In chapter 4, we read how those that are uncircumcised, i.e., Gentiles, can come to God in faith in the same way that Abraham did when he was uncircumcised. So, are we being reminded of this truth again here?

Not really, in my contextual understanding of this chapter. Paul is saying here that though Israel has stumbled, and that they had not submitted to the righteousness of God, they are not shut out from what God is doing now among the Gentiles. The Jews can come to God, now, just like the Gentiles!

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him.”

The Jew is not shut out from God’s plan while the nation is blinded. He can turn to the Lord and have those scales on his eyes removed. Yet, he can only come, not based on the covenants of promise like they did in beseeching God in the Old Testament. They can come to God and be richly blessed, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel of salvation. They can believe unto salvation and “call upon the name of the Lord”.

This is another verse, this one from the prophets, that Paul quotes to make an important point. In Joel 2:32, the prophet speaks that during the “great and terrible day of the LORD”, that though the great wonders are happening and the fearful time of the wrath of God is upon the earth, those that call on the LORD’s name will be saved. This is the same way that Peter speaks of this in his address to the men of Israel in his Pentecostal sermon.

But Paul is not speaking in this context, he is speaking about now. And he is using this statement emphasizing the “whosoever” aspect of it. WHOSOVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. There is no difference. The Jew during the time of his nation’s unbelief and rebellion can surely believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to salvation now.

This that is true for them speaks to us just as truly and faithfully. The gospel that Paul preached from the Lord Jesus is a call to faith in His blood shed for us for redemption, and the mighty power of His resurrection. To you believe unto righteousness? The offer is there, and God’s great salvation is rich and free, to all that call upon Him. Calling upon Him is how we enter by that word of faith that Paul preached, by the word of the Lord.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!