Romans 10

1Dear brothers and sisters,* the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 2For they don’t 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. 6For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.* As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. 9:27-28 Isa 10:22-23 (Greek version). 9:29

7sa1:9. 9:32 Greek by works. 9:33a Greek in Zion. 9:33b Isa 8:14;28:16 (Greek version). 10:1 Greek Brothers. 10:4 Or For Christ is the end of the law.must earn their way to God, or perhaps God will simply overlooktheir sins. Others stumble over Christ because his values arethe opposite of the world’s. He asks for humility, and many areunwilling to humble themselves before him. He requires obedi-ence, and many refuse to put their wills at his disposal. Haveyou stumbled over this rock, or have you chosen to build yourlife on it?40:1 What will happen to the Jewish people who believe inGod but not in Christ? Since they believe in the same God,won't they be saved? If that were true, Paul would not haveworked so hard and sacrificed so much to teach them aboutChrist. Because Jesus is the most complete revelation of God,we cannot fully know God apart from Christ; and because Godappointed Jesus to bring God and people together, we cannotcome to God by another way. The Jews, like everyone else,must find salvation through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).Like Paul, we should pray that all Jews might be saved andlovingly share the Good News with them.10:3-5 Rather than living by faith in God, the Jews establishedcustoms and traditions (in addition to God's law) to try to makethemselves acceptable in God's sight. But human effort, nomatter how sincere, can never substitute for the righteousnessGod offers us by faith. The only way to earn salvation is to beperfect—and that is impossible. We can only hold out our emptyhands and receive salvation as a gift.40:4 Christ accomplished the purpose for which the law wasgiven in two ways: He fulfills the purpose and goal of the law(Matthew 5:17) in that he perfectly exemplified God’s desireson earth. But he is also the termination of the law because incomparison to Christ, the law is powerless to save.

Salvation Is for Everyone

85For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.* ®But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7And don’t say,‘Who will go down to the place of the dead’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” ®In fact, it says, “The 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: 9If 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. 10For 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. "As the Scriptures tell us, 11Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.*” 12Jew and Gentile* are the same in this respect. They have the same LORD, who gives generously to all who call on him. *3For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”* 14But 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!"* 16But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “LORD, who has believed our message?”* 17So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

18But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, theyhave:“The message has gone throughout the earth,and the words to all the world.”*

19But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, “T will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”* 20And 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.”*

21But regarding Israel, God said,