The Person who Believes will be Saved
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God about the Jews[a] is that they would be saved. 2 For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. 3 For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God’s means to attain[b] righteousness. 4 For the Messiah[c] is the culmination[d] of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: “The person who obeys these things will find life by them.”[e] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (that is, to bring the Messiah[f] down), 7 or ‘Who will go down into the depths?’ (that is, to bring the Messiah[g] back from the dead).”
8 But what does it say? “The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.”[h] This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming: 9 If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved. 11 The Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.”[i] 12 There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. 13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord[j] will be saved.”[k]
14 How, then, can people[l] call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching? 15 And how can people[m] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are[n] those who bring the good news!”[o] 16 But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[p] 17 Consequently, faith results from listening, and listening results through the word of the Messiah.[q]
18 But I ask, “Didn’t they hear?” Certainly they did! In fact,
“Their voice has gone out into the whole world,
and their words to the ends of the earth.”[r]
19 Again I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” Moses was the first to say,
“I will make you jealous
by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry
by a nation that doesn’t understand.”[s]
20 And Isaiah boldly says,
“I was found by those who were not looking for me;
I was revealed to those who were not asking for me.”[t]
21 But about Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and rebellious people.”[u]
Footnotes
- Romans 10:1 Lit. on behalf of them
- Romans 10:3 The Gk. lacks means to attain
- Romans 10:4 Or Christ
- Romans 10:4 Or end
- Romans 10:5 Lev 18:5
- Romans 10:6 Or Christ
- Romans 10:7 Or Christ
- Romans 10:8 Cf. Deut 9:4; 30:12-14
- Romans 10:11 Isa 28:16
- Romans 10:13 MT source citation reads Lord
- Romans 10:13 Cf. Joel 2:32
- Romans 10:14 Lit. they
- Romans 10:15 Lit. they
- Romans 10:15 Lit. are the feet of
- Romans 10:15 Isa 52:7
- Romans 10:16 Isa 53:1
- Romans 10:17 Or Christ; other mss. read of God
- Romans 10:18 Cf. Ps 19:4
- Romans 10:19 Cf. Deut 32:21
- Romans 10:20 Cf. Isa 65:1
- Romans 10:21 Cf. Isa 65:2 (LXX)