Romans 10

1 – 2

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is not on the correct path.

You can believe something wrong with all your heart but you are still wrong. The original language here is saying that the Jews know something about God, but it is not knowledge that came from knowing God personally. When someone cannot explain why he is doing something you will find out that he does not know why.

False religions believe that God will accept them because they have found a way of reaching out to find Him, and as long as they keep following it, they think they will get to heaven.

3. For they do not understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.

When you try to share the Gospel you will find that the main reason that people do not come to Christ is because they do not want to admit that they have sinned. When somebody does not have the real thing they follow something else to take its place. They do not know how to get right with God but when they hear it they reject it so they are not innocent.

4. For Christ has already completed the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.

Jesus prayed and asked if another way was possible. If there was another way God would have done it. Matthew 26:39

5. For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.

The Jews are not able to do what they say has to be done.

6 – 7

Moses said, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the deep?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).”

Do not come up with ways to be saved, that you know are impossible. For example, you should not say that we have to climb up to heaven somehow or swim to the bottom of the ocean and back. We should not make God look evil by saying that He expects more of us than we can do. Deuteronomy 30:12

8. In fact, Moses says, “The personal message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach:

God made it easy, you do not need to try to climb up to heaven because God has already reached down to you. When we read the complete quote we see that Moses said that God has made it possible to obey Him.

But the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, you can do it! Deuteronomy 30:14

9. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Do not just say that He is Lord but make him Lord, and prove it by the way you live!

10. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. I would like to take some credit and receive some glory for salvation.

Salvation isn't something far off, difficult to obtain. Oh, let's all get our climbing ropes and let's all climb into heaven and let's bring the Messiah down. Or let's put on our asbestos suits and descend into hell and bring the Messiah back from the grave. Do some great brave wonderful marvelous thing. No. Salvation isn't way off in heaven some place. It is close to you; it is as close as your mouth.

11. As the Isaiah tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”

The Jews do not like the word “anyone” because they want to believe that they are the only chosen people. Isaiah 28:16

12. Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him.

Because there is only one God, there can only be one people of God (Jew and Gentile together).

13. Joel says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

You do not build up points to get to heaven but you receive God's gift. There are some churches that will not put Scripture in front of the church because they believe that someone who is not chosen to be saved might see and become a Christian. Joel 2: 32

14 – 15

Isaiah says, “How can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Natives in the jungle have asked, “Why did it take you so long to learn our language and why did someone not tell us about the Gospel before this? Isaiah 52:7

16. But not everyone welcomes the Gospel, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message?”

Not all who hear obey. The Jews tried to save themselves and modern people do also.
What if your friend told you something and you said, “Oh I wish I could really believe that. Help me to believe that what you are saying is true."

What they are really saying is, "I really do not know you or trust you very much." If you know someone closely you will have no problem trusting them. Isaiah 53:1

17. So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

This means that the Jews were not really hearing and listening or studying. The scribes told Herod where the Messiah would be born, but they did not care to go see for themselves. Matthew 2:5

Trust is required for fellowship. In the same way that people do not trust Christ, we do not trust what we do not know. Someone may ask you, "Where did you get the faith to do those things?” You can answer, "By hearing God's Word.”

18 – 19

But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.”

But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through those whom you call foolish Gentiles.”

They heard and they understood but they rejected it. Deuteronomy 32:21, Psalm 19:4

20. And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, “I was found by people who were not looking for Me. I showed Myself to those who were not asking for Me.”

Isaiah was reminding them that God never intended to just save one nation but would save people who were not even looking for Him. Isaiah 65:1

21. But regarding Israel, God said, “All day long I opened My arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious.”

If you look closely, you will see that the evil things that men do are all about control. They think that if they give their lives to Christ then He would control them like a robot. They do evil things to prove that they are the ones in control of their own lives. They do not see that the devil is the one controlling them like a robot. Isaiah 65:2