“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” – Romans 10:1
Are you burdened for a loved one to be saved from their sins? What is “salvation”? Why do some people “pray” or say a “Sinners Prayer,” but it doesn’t seem to have any measurable effect in them? Why should anyone want to be saved? What is God’s part in salvation? Is there a human part in salvation? If you’re interested in answers to these questions, read on.
The gospel in detail. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Romen, especially chapters one through eleven, provide the most detailed explanation of the gospel of God. In the letter of Romans Paul begins by saying he’s not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). He says this salvation is received by faith and we continue in it by faith (Romans 1:17). Paul then explains why salvation is necessary.
The gospel summarized. When we look at Romans we see the gospel summarized as followed. Salvation is necessary, essential, the most important thing in our existence because we, all of us, have rejected God’s revelation of Himself and have turned our back on Him. God’s wrath is on those who reject His revelation and choose to live in sin. Those who choose to live in rebellion to God choose an existence that is contrary to their created purpose and that proliferates pain and depravity (Romans 1:18-32). God will not allow the sinful to enter heaven to corrupt it. Only those who repent and turn to Him in faith and given spiritual life through faith in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him. Sin is a plague, the worst pandemic in human existence, and God will not allow it into heaven. Sin causes sorrow, pain, and suffering, and there is none of that in heaven (Revelation 21-22). God’s wrath is His just recompense to those who choose sin over being saved from sin.
We the creation of God have rejected our Creator. God created us to have an eternal relationship with Him. He created Adam and Eve and placed them in a wonderful Garden bliss where He would fellowship with them. But Eve, with Adam standing beside her, chose to give in to the temptation of the serpent and disobey God. Therefore, sin entered our world, and that sin severed humanities’ relationship with God (cf. also Isaiah 59:1-2). Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden. They lost their innocence. The wonderful work of the Garden was reduced to hard labor. Reproducing offspring became a painful labor. And in sin, distance from God lead to others sins like pride, jealousy, murder (Genesis 2-3).
God revealed himself in His creation, its order and wonder, but humanity in sin moved further and further away from Him. So far did they move from God that they began to worship His creation rather than Him. They lost sight of who they were. Biological men lusted after other biological men, women after women. They worshipped themselves and promoted their rebellious sin against God. Such sin infected all humanity so that all fell short of God’s original intent for them, all sinned, even those who were religious (Romans 1-3).
But God is gracious and loving and so provided a way for sin to be forgiven through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:21-31). The word “gospel” means good news. The good news is that in Christ God has made a way for humanity to be redeemed from the penalty of sin. Jesus paid a debt he did not owe for a sinful people who owed a debt they could not pay. Faith is not a work or something we can take credit for or in any way diminish God’s grace or work (Romans 4). We are legally justified from our sins when we trust in Jesus as our Savior because Jesus paid our death penalty for sin on the cross (Romans 5; 6:23).
Once we trust Jesus as Savior the Holy Spirit regenerates us giving us spiritual life. We live in the Spirit’s enabling power not our own strength (Romans 7-8). Without the Holy Spirit within, we do not belong to God (Romans 8:9-10). The Spirit makes us a part of the family of God as His children (Romans 8:14). The Spirit helps our weakness (Romans 8:26). The Holy Spirit connects us with the love of God and provides a secure eternal relationship with Him Romans 8:31-39).
When the Apostle Paul shared all of this and that this “good news” gospel was available to all people, not just Israel and the Jews, some questioned his loyalty and patriotism to Israel. Therefore, Paul taught how God “elects” or choses certain people and groups, even nations, to accomplish His plans (Romans 9). Paul expressed his heavy heartfelt burden for his lost-in-sin compatriots. After explaining how God in His sovereignty sets the parameters of what is required to be saved from sin, and His right to choose through whom He will work to make that redemptive plan known, Paul then turns to what those saving parameters are in Romans 10.
Romans 10:1 – “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”
Paul again expresses and affirms his “heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel” as he did in Romans 9 (9:1-4; 10:1a). Here though, in this chapter we see God’s sovereign condition in His sovereign plan of salvation. God’s sovereign condition is that humanity would receive Him (John 1:12), believe on Him (Romans 10:11), “that they may be saved” (10:1b).
Evangelism begins with prayer. The first thing Paul links with his heart’s desire for people to be saved was praying. Evangelism begins with prayer. We should pray for the Lord to give us a burden for the souls of the lost. We should pray fo the Lord to direct us to the lost. We should pray for the Lord to equip us and anoint us in power to share the gospel effectively with the lost. We should pray we are good examples and a living testimony of the power of the gospel. We should pray for the Lord to open the eyes of the lost and turn them from darkness. We should pray for the Lord’s leading and enabling to reach those lost in sin.
Don’t forget the salvation of Israel. I think too that we should not so generalize the words of Paul here that we miss his desire that “Israel . . . may be saved.” Israel is surrounded by enemies who lust for her eradication. We should pray for the safety of Israel and the Jewish people. We should pray for their salvation. We should pray that Israel and Jews come to see Jesus as their promised Messiah. That should be something we pray for and support in every way. Do you care what happens to Israel? Do you care that Israel and Jews are saved from their sins? You should.
Do you have a burden for the lost? The beginning of Romans 9 and Romans 10 are some of the most emotional expressions by Paul of his passion for those lost in sin, especially his compatriots. Do you have a burden for those lost in their sins? Do you care if a person is saved from their sins through faith in Christ? Do you share your faith? Do you care that people are living apart from God and destined for an eternity separate from Him? If you don’t care, if evangelism is no big deal or low on your list of priorities, then you need to check your spiritual pulse. We should always be ready to provide a reason for the hope that is in us in Christ (1 Peter 3:15-16). We should all have a sense of our calling to be God’s ambassadors who call the lost to come be reconciled to God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). Do you have a burden for the lost?
The sovereign condition of salvation. The sovereign condition that gives opportunity for decision and exertion of human responsibility in salvation is seen in the phrase translated “may be saved.” Literally Paul says he prays “unto salvation” for Israel. The phrase “may be saved” is translated as a subjunctive phrase. The subjunctive mood in Greek grammar implies possibility, something may or may not occur depending upon a decision or exertion of the will, but a decision must be made in order to be saved. This inclusion of possibility implies God uses human responsibility or free will decision as a sovereign condition in His salvation plan. God’s sovereign condition in His plan of salvation is that human beings exert free will to decide to receive His gift of salvation or not.
Since the Garden of Eden people have tried to shirk the responsibility for their sin (Genesis 3:13). But God has ordained that each person is responsible for their own guilt (Jeremiah 31:30; Ezekiel 18:20; 1 Peter 4:5). Because each person is responsible for their sin, they must each choose to either live in sin or repent from their sin and accept the gracious offer, the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12; 3:16-17,36). Each person must pass through his or her own personal Valley of Decision (Joel 3:14).
Zeal Without Knowledge
Romans 10:2–3 (NKJV) – 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
We have seen that Paul truly and deeply desires Israel to be saved and we can trust that he has done everything in his power to see that Israel is given every opportunity to be saved. But why haven’t they been saved? Israel has received so much from the Lord (9:4-5), but they are still lost. Why?
The answer to the problem reveals a very important truth: It is possible to be religiously zealous, AND STILL BE UNSAVED. Paul was an example of such a zeal that put him on the wrong side of God. Sincerity does not save; faith in God and His truth saves. Paul says the unsaved Jews (who have experienced the goodness, kindness, and patience of God – 2:4) are unsaved even though they are zealous, because their zeal is ignorant of God’s righteousness (10:2).
The word “zeal” here is translated from the Greek term zelotes meaning, “to have warmth of feeling for or against; affect, covet earnestly, have desire, move with envy, be jealous over, be zealous.”[i] The word refers to someone who is, ““an uncompromising partisan.”[ii]
Three spiritual formulas. There are three spiritual formulas which relate to one another that are applicable here:
- Zeal without Knowledge = Fanaticism
- Knowledge without Zeal = Dead Religion
- Zeal with Knowledge (in the Spirit) = True Religion
In the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit, we can avoid fanaticism and dead religion and live out true religion to the glory of God.
Today there are people and groups with a lot of zeal but little knowledge. Our public schools, colleges, and universities rarely teach how to learn or how to gather evidence and come to conclusions but have been reduced to indoctrination factories programming students to tow the party line or accepted agenda of those in power. For instance, people are pumped up with the positives of socialism, communism, and the only the darknesses of capitalism and free enterprise. They are encouraged to cast God aside and follow their feelings. Society is seen through the lens of only class struggles, racism, and an imbalanced partial understanding of history. People are then fired up to be social justice warriors who right perceived wrongs and enforce their “justice” on all who don’t see things their way. They resort to political activism, but if that doesn’t work they take to the streets. The result is riots, division, and the plague of persecution flowing from a zeal separated from objective knowledge. This is destructive to society and nations corporately and can be murderous to people individually. It is a tactic and veil to cover the intents of revolutionaries to replace one system with another.
The terrorists that flew their planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, were very zealous for their religion, but because they lacked the knowledge of Jesus Christ, they fell far short of and I’m sure are very surprised at the “paradise” in which they now reside. Cultists are very sincere in what they believe, but because what they believe in is wrong, it will not secure for them what they desire. If a person believes they can defy gravity and fly if they flap their arms like a bird, and they really believe that enough so that they go to a roof of a tall building, jump off and flap like crazy, they will still go splat! Why? Not because they were insincere, but because they were ill-informed and acted against truth rather than in line with it.
On the other hand, there are those who know a lot of truth but are so lethargic and dead in their knowledge that they fail to experience the life that the truth manifests. There are seminary professors who know Biblical languages, theology, philosophy and the like and are as dead spiritually as door nails. They need the zeal and life of the Spirit to wake them up.
The gospels tell of a time when Peter, present with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to arrest Him, drew his sword, and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant named Malchus (Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50; John 18:10). Peter responded zealously to protect Jesus, but had he succeeded, the ultimate plan of God and the purpose for which Christ came would have been thwarted (John 18:11). Paul speaks of those who were zealous to gain followers, not gain followers of Jesus, but people to follow them (Galatians 4:17). No matter the intent, zeal without knowledge impulsively unleashed, is an act of the flesh and cannot please God or further His purposes.
Finding a balance between zeal and God’s revelation knowledge is something done by the Spirit of God in us as we walk in Him (see Romans 8). We need to act on His word and to do that means we must be students of His word. Otherwise we may be zealous, but we will be of no use to God.
God doesn’t play hide and seek with humanity; He reveals Himself clearly as we have already seen (Romans 1 – 3). Humanity is without excuse and must decide how they will respond to God’s sovereign plan of salvation as revealed in His Son Jesus, which is where Paul turns to now. Salvation is not based on an emotional decision; it is based on a decision in the heart to accept or reject Gods’ gracious truth in Christ.
God’s Sovereign Salvation Plan in Christ
Romans 10:4 – “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
The bottom line is that Jesus is the end of the law in that God intended to use the law to expose humanities’ sin and lead the sinner to Christ (10:4a; Galatians 3:10-13, 19-25). THE LAW SAYS, “DO AND LIVE” BUT ENDS IN DEATH. THE GOSPEL SAYS, “BELIEVE AND LIVE” AND LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE.
Paul shows the exclusiveness of salvation in Christ and therefore God’s sovereign hand in salvation, by saying, “everyone” can only find righteousness by believing in Jesus. GOD’S GOAL, HIS INTENDED PURPOSE FOR THE LAW, WAS AND IS TO LEAD THE SINNER TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST (10:4b). We see this clearly stated by Paul in the letter to Galatians when he is inspired to write:
Galatians 3:22-24 – “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
The purpose of the Law was to clearly condemn the idea of works-righteousness and humble those who try to be righteous by keeping the Law. Condemned under the weight of disobedience and failure to keep the Law, the Law then tutors or points the sinner to the solution to their sin problem, the Savior Jesus.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
Paul reminds the reader that as Moses said, if you’re going to try to be righteous by keeping the law, you will have to live by the law, a human impossibility in one’s own strength (10:5). Paul and James respectively point out the impossibility of keeping the law in one’s own strength when they are inspired to write:
Galatians 3:10-13 – “ For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),”
James 2:10 – “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
The burden of righteousness by keeping the Law is too great for any fallen human being. But it was not too much for Jesus. Jesus did the heavy lifting for our salvation. He paid our debt of sin, death. Jesus paid a debt he didn’t owe for a people who owed a debt they couldn’t pay. God made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that when we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven and legally justified based on Jesus’ atoning work for us. And the righteousness of Jesus is put to our account (2 Corinthians 5:21).
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)7 or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”
The Apostle Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 30:11-14 here. The idea conveyed is that the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus is not beyond your reach or understanding. God has put His good news Gospel of grace through faith in Jesus within our reach.
Paul uses this Old Testament passage in Deuteronomy as a cautionary message. When Moses gave the Law to the people they were saying, “The Law to love God is too high for us to reach; God is asking too much of us.” But the issue was that the people didn’t take the Law to heart; they didn’t accept it by faith. THE ISSUE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MATTER OF THE HEART. THE ISSUE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FAITH NOT MERE WORKS; INWARD TRUST IN THE HEART, NOT MERE OUTWARD DOING BY DRUDGERY.
Paul refers to the fruitlessness of trying to keep the law in one’s own strength in the next verse by saying some ask “Who will ascend into heaven? . . . Who will descend into the abyss?” THOSE WHO TRY TO GAIN ACCESS TO HEAVEN ON THEIR OWN, BRING CHRIST DOWN BY DISREGARDING HIS RIGHTEOUS SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS (“Who will ascend into heaven?”). THOSE WHO CLAIM THERE IS NO HOPE AFTER DEATH DENY HIS RESURRECTION (“Who will descend into the abyss?” 10:6-7).
This is the heart of the gospel, that sinners are helpless to save themselves no matter how “good” they are (in truth there are no “good” people compared to God’s standard of righteousness, His Son Jesus – John 16:8-11). And secondly, there is hope in Christ to deal with one’s sin and enter a saving relationship with God in Christ that promises to be eternal.
A word on works. If we are saved by faith or trust in Jesus and His completed work on our behalf, and our righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus imputed to us, then why do any righteous works? If Jesus was made sin for us and His righteousness is put to our account when we trust Him as Savior, then why should we do anything in response? Why not just continue in sin? Our debt is paid, and abundantly so, why not take full advantage and life however we desire? Because while we are not saved by any works of our own but by the completed redemptive work of Jesus which is put to our account when we trust Him as Savior, there should be a change in our lives as a result of that decision.
Our motive for doing good is not to earn God’s favor, we have that already. God demonstrates His love toward us in that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). We are saved by faith. Faith is not a work (e.g., Ephesians 2:1-9; Titus 3:4-7). But James says, “faith without works id dead” (James 2). What does he mean by that?
If anyone is in Christ, or accepts Jesus as their Savior, they are a new creation. All the old sinful ways pass away, everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit enters us and gives us spiritual life. We receive a new heart. We live in newness of life. And good works are a part of that transformation, not to earn God’s favor, but to express our appreciation and love for His favor.
The genuine Christian is transformed and empowered by the Spirit to conformity to the life of Jesus (Romans 8:29). Jesus did good works; so should we. As the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual life and we grow in that new life, it dawns on us just what a wonderful salvation God has provided for us. The more we grow in our knowledge of God and His redemptive plan and its incredible cost, the more we desire to live our life for Him. We are compelled by the love of Jesus to live for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). We show our appreciation to our Lord by doing all we do for Him and not merely for people or ourselves (Colossians 3:17, 23-24). We serve, we sacrifice, not to earn God’s favor or get brownie points in heaven, but purely as an act of loving devotion and thanks for all God has done for us. That change in mindset and worldview has a truly transformative impact on the life of the Christian. The Bible calls is sanctification or holy living. Good works therefore are not to earn God’s favor, but an expression of living devotion to the One who has given us His loving favor.
God’s Sovereign Requirement for Salvation
Romans 10:8-9 – “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 preach):9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
It’s all about the heart. Paul points his readers to God’s word for an explanation of what God requires for salvation. The answer to the above statement of course is accepting the gospel preached by Paul which he says is near them by quoting Deuteronomy 30:14 in verse 10:8. And then Paul gives one of the clearest statements on what the responsibility of humanity is. The responsibility of humanity in salvation is to simply receive the gospel in the heart.
How is one saved? Based on what Paul says here, salvation is received when the following happens in a person.
First, a person is saved when they openly confess Jesus as their Lord based on a firm conviction of that truth. Paul states:
Romans 10:9a – “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus . . .”
The word “confess” here is translated from the Greek term homologeo meaning, “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with, . . .to declare openly by way of speaking out freely. Such confession [is] the effect of deep conviction of facts.” [iii] The salvation that takes place inside our heart, leads to an outward expression. It is virtually impossible to be saved from your sins receiving a new heart and spiritual life and remain unchanged. That is what is being expressed here.
Notice also that Jesus is to be confessed as “Lord” which points to obedience and submission to Him in life. Is this just another work to be righteous? How can this come to be in a person?
Secondly, a person is saved when they believe in their heart that Jesus is raised from the dead. Paul goes on to say:
Romans 10:9b- “. . .and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The word “believe” is translated from the Greek word pisteuo which we have already studied in detail in Romans 4. Needless to say, “believe” here is a trusting dependence in the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead. And if Jesus is raised from the dead then it is attached to the acceptance of Jesus substitutionary sacrifice on the cross. To be saved a person must accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as sufficiently paying the penalty for their sin and satisfying God’s just requirement as testified to in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Faith is not a work. Some would classify “faith” as a “work.” Faith is the assurance of things hoped for the belief in things not seen; it is trust in something (Romans 11:1). Faith is not a work. Paul contrasts faith and works throughout Romans (e.g., Romans 3:27-31; 4:1-8), and elsewhere (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7). Faith is merely living out the image of God our Creator created us with (e.g., Genesis 1:26). When we receive by faith the work of Jesus and Jesus Himself as our Savior, there is no glory for us in that. We as sinners, put Jesus on that cross. We should be humbled by our sin and humbly accept the gracious gift of God in Christ by faith.
Saving faith is repentant. Let’s not forget that earlier in Romans Paul spoke of the part of repentance in salvation. In Romans 2, Paul is speaking specifically to those with a Jewish background. He said:
Romans 2:4 (NKJV) – 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Repentance isn’t a separate work needed for salvation. Saving faith is by nature repentant. Saving faith is when we turn from the world to God. It’s not a work; it simply turning to God in Christ.
And we turn with our heart. Remember also what Paul said at the end of Romans 2. It’s not about some outward work but anything that happens on the outside of us is a fruit or product of the Spirit’s work inside of us, in our heart:
Romans 2:28–29 (NKJV) – 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
We need to cut away from our heart the idea that we are righteous by our works and rely wholly on the completed work of Jesus on our behalf.
“Oh Lord, save them!” should be our heartfelt cry for our unsaved loved ones, and everyone who has yet to bow before Jesus. When Paul was testifying of Jesus’ calling on his life he said it was, “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may received forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me’ (Acts 26:18). We should see that as Jesus’ calling on us as well. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
[i]James Strong, New Strong’s dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
[ii]W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
[iii]W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.