A Glorious Salvation
Romans 10:1-13
📖 Scripture
1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”
6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim:
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
📝 Scripture Summary
Paul desires salvation for the Israelites because they are zealous without knowledge and seek to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to God’s. Righteousness by faith acknowledges the Word is near us. If people declare Jesus is Lord and believe in His resurrection, they will be saved. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
📌 Memory Verse
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
– Romans 8:18
🔎 Reflection
Praying for Salvation (10:1–4)
Paul’s desire and prayer is that the Israelites would be saved. He knows how zealous they are for God and how they diligently try to follow the Law, but their zeal is not grounded in their knowledge about the righteousness of God. They try to achieve righteousness by themselves, apart from Him. In failing to submit to His righteousness, they do not see that Christ is the culmination of the Law they study and that righteousness is available to all who believe in Him. We learn something through Paul’s prayer: that God values the prayers of His people and we can earnestly pray for those who have not yet been saved. We do not pray to move God’s heart; we pray because His heart moves ours.
Pause and ask the Lord for His heart regarding those who do not yet know Him. What prayers is the Spirit leading you to pray?
Salvation Is Near (10:5–13)
Paul references the Old Testament truth of how God’s Law has been near to the Israelites in parallel with the New Testament truth that the gospel of grace is near to those who believe. When people hear the gospel message, believe it with their hearts, and confess that belief with their mouths, they will be saved. This may seem like a simple equation, but Christians know that this is an amazing work of God. It is not because of superior intellect that we understand the gospel and believe; it is because God enables us to hear His word, inspires our hearts to believe, and gives us breath to declare it with our mouths. All glory belongs to God.
Reflect on your own salvation. What inspired your heart to believe?
🌟 Today’s Inspiration
“If God is not sovereign, then God is not God.”
– R. C. Sproul
🙏 Prayer
Dear God, I pray that more would hear the gospel message, believe it in their hearts, and declare it with their mouths. May I be Your instrument to bring the good news to those who still need to hear it. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
🖋 Essay
Glory and Goodness
For much of Egyptian history, Pharaoh was thought to be divine. Whether he was believed to be a descendant of the sun god, Ra, or the manifestation of some other deity, it was widely believed that Pharaoh was no mere man. With this in mind, you could imagine Pharaoh’s incredulity when Moses demanded that the Egyptian leader let all the Israelites go. How dare a mortal tell a god what to do!
However, Scripture paints another emphatic picture. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was not just a man suffering from a god complex; it was from God. The Lord had purposed this event so that the pride of Pharaoh would give way to God’s glory.
We seldom want to hear that we are not fully in control of our lives, nor do many delight in the fact that the One who is actually in charge works for His own glory. This truth would be hard to digest were it not for one monumental truth: our God is always good. Therefore, when this good God works for His glory, it is always for the good of all, especially those who call Him their Lord. If we doubt His goodness, we need only look at the cross where the pinnacle of God’s goodness collides with our ultimate good. The place where the Son glorifies the Father is the place where we find our identity as His children. There is no greater good than this.
Written by Joe Park
