Journey through the Book of Romans

Paul knows Israel must Believe the Gospel Part 3

Romans 10:5-7 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” NKJV

Paul now refers to Moses and what he wrote concerning God’s Law because Paul knew that every Jew so revered Moses as truly being a Prophet from God and they knew that Moses saw God. Paul also knew despite their reverence for Moses they still disdained our Lord Jesus Christ and persisted in their works religious system trying to please God. This is why Paul immediately after declaring Christ to be the end of the Law for righteousness with God the Father quotes what Moses wrote concerning the Law of God way back in the Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 18:5). Paul knew that what Moses wrote in the Book of Leviticus was impossible for any man to keep perfectly and wanted the Jews to see that truth in their own hearts and turn to Christ to be justified before God. Paul knew that Moses spoke to our Lord Jesus Christ as He appeared to him in the burning bush and Paul goes again back to the words spoken by Moses this time in Deuteronomy 30:14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.” NKJV Christ is the Word made flesh and dwelt among us human beings that He created (John 1:1-3 & John 1:14). Paul wants the Jew to know now that he or she only need to believe in Christ and in so doing God the Father will look upon each one of them as He looks upon Christ as His beloved son or daughter.

Christ (the Word) has already come down from heaven (His birth to Mary in Bethlehem) and after His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead, He has ascended back to heaven sitting at God the Father’s Right Hand (Hebrews 1:13). These are not just words that sound good, but this truth is the assurance that every sinner (Jew or Gentile) who repents of their sin and turns to Christ will be declared righteous before God the Father. This truth also assures that there is no other way for any sinner, even Jew, to be right with God the Father. Christ incarnation and death on Calvary and resurrection from the dead and ascension back to heaven demolished and destroyed all of the Jewish Ceremonial Laws and animal sacrifices that were setup for the Jews as worship and payment for their sins. The gospel of grace through what Christ has done is the only way for everyone to come to God and that includes even the Nation Israel. As Paul said in the previous Chapter 9 of Romans, Romans 9:8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. NKJV Paul is confirming that God the Father’s children on earth are only the ones who have been born again to Him by virtue of Christ’s sacrificial payment for their sins on Calvary period, even every Jew. Paul wanted so desperately for his fellow Jews to see how close salvation was to them and that it was not something they could work to earn, but they only needed to turn to Christ and believe that He was who He said He was.

Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. NKJV

Paul now shows them with this word picture of what must take place in them in order that they may be saved and know God intimately and not just know about Him. First Paul again refers to the words spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy 30:14. Paul wants the Jews who are striving and working under the hard burdens laid down by the Scribes and Pharisees (as we detailed in the last study) to see how far they are from God in trying to earn their salvation, but to understand how close they are to true salvation if they would simply turn to Christ. Paul uses the English word confess and it is translated from the Greek word homologeo which means to assent to or agree with; covenant with or acknowledge with one’s mouth the Lord Jesus and the English word Lord is translated so from the Greek word kurios which means Supreme in Authority; Master, and Controller. First Paul says that every person must see Christ for who He truly is and that is God and Ruler and Master of all and come to Him assenting to that truth. Jesus is Lord and we must bow to Him as Lord and then receive Him as Lord and this is true for Jew and Gentile alike.

Paul now affirms that once we acknowledge who Jesus Christ is we must then believe in our heart that God raise Him from the dead. The key word in this part is the English word heart and it is translated from the Greek word kardia which means the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors of the understanding, the faculty and seat of the intelligence of the will and character, it is the inmost part of man and the center and seat of spiritual life. This faith or trust in God raising Christ from the dead is not just intellectual belief, but it constitutes the whole internal makeup of the man or woman trusting this truth as you would go to sit down in a chair and completely trust it will support your whole body weight and just put all your weight on that chair without worry or fear or question of its capability to support you. Paul says when any person Jew or Gentile does this from within (this faith or trust or putting one’s whole weight on Christ cannot be seen by other human beings but Christ sees it) you will be saved or sozo which means delivered, rescued, made safe, and healed from sin immediately.

Listen to what the Word said of our Lord Jesus here, Luke 5:17-25 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”--He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. NKJV Paul is trying to paint such a word picture to get the Jews to see that everything they are working for and that they desire is in Christ and He will save, set free, and sanctify every sinner that comes to Him for healing, whether they be Jew or Gentile, for with Christ there is no partiality.

“It is with the heart that man believeth, which implies more than an assent of the understanding, and takes in the consent of the will, an inward, hearty, sincere, and strong consent. It is not believing (not to be reckoned so) if it be not with the heart. This is unto righteousness. There is the righteousness of justification and the righteousness of sanctification. Faith is to both; it is the condition of our justification (Romans 5:1), and it is the root and spring of our sanctification; in it it is begun; by it it is carried on, (Acts 15:9).” Matthew Henry

“Afflictions are light when compared with what we really deserve. They are light when compared with the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. But perhaps their real lightness is best seen by comparing them with the weight of glory which is awaiting us.” A. W. Pink

“The moment the sinful heart of a man puts his whole trust in the Lord Jesus Christ that man begins a Hallelujah song that never ends on the earth or in heaven because he has found the One Pearl of Great Price and he paid nothing for Him, but instead gave all of his filthy sin to Him, now what an exchange, no wonder he sings Hallelujah!” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…