Romans 10:1-4
Paul had a burning heart for the salvation of his Jewish brethren. Verse one alone shows us that Paul did not consider you to be “saved” just because you were a Jew. In the same vein, you are not saved just because you attend church or you have a pastor in your family. Zeal for God is great, but if there is no saving knowledge with that zeal then it is just what the Greek says that it is “excitement, fervor of spirit”.
This set of verses were not written to insult the intelligence of those who seek religion for their answers, but to show us that no act of religious fervor on our part can bring us to the pristine level of God’s righteousness. Paul gives them credit for their zeal, but admits that it is “not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2). The Greek word for knowledge here is ‘epegnoses’ which means, ‘correct knowledge’. It was used earlier in the book in Romans 3:20 when Paul stated that “by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Israel thought that they were capable of doing what was right in the eyes of God, so God provided them with the Law; not to teach them how to do right, but to show them ‘correct knowledge’, which was that they could NOT live up to His standards of holiness.
If you are ignorant of what God’s righteousness is, then you might go about to establish your own righteousness. Israel, because they had the Law, had become convinced that by the keeping of the Law, they could be found righteous in God’s eyes. However, their misunderstanding of the purpose was not much different than many people’s understanding of it now. They felt that a man was righteous when he did what he was told to and didn’t do what he was told not to do. There are people in the church now that would say “Amen” to that!
To submit yourself to the righteousness of God, you must come to the knowledge that among men, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). No righteous act that you can do can ever be viewed by God as anything more than a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). His righteousness is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Jesus was made to be sin so that you and I could be found righteous through that sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The moment that Christ fulfilled the Law of God through a perfect life and a sacrificial death, the Law was to never again be viewed as a vehicle by which man could achieve righteousness. Though he was never able to be righteous through the Law anyhow, at least after Calvary, we had something else to set our sights on, and the Law was to fade away.
Paul said that when Moses came down the mountain, carrying the Law of God, he covered his face with a veil, because the glory that came from the Law was the glory which “was to be done away” (2 Corinthians 3:7). In other words, Moses did not want Israel to see that the glory of the Law was ALREADY FADING! Unfortunately, Paul said that many people still have that veil over their heart when they read the Law, refusing to see that its glory has been replaced (2 Corinthians 3:15).
Remove the veil and bask in the glorious light of the Spirit, finding your righteousness in Christ and His finished work.
Paul had a burning heart for the salvation of his Jewish brethren. Verse one alone shows us that Paul did not consider you to be “saved” just because you were a Jew. In the same vein, you are not saved just because you attend church or you have a pastor in your family. Zeal for God is great, but if there is no saving knowledge with that zeal then it is just what the Greek says that it is “excitement, fervor of spirit”.
This set of verses were not written to insult the intelligence of those who seek religion for their answers, but to show us that no act of religious fervor on our part can bring us to the pristine level of God’s righteousness. Paul gives them credit for their zeal, but admits that it is “not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2). The Greek word for knowledge here is ‘epegnoses’ which means, ‘correct knowledge’. It was used earlier in the book in Romans 3:20 when Paul stated that “by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Israel thought that they were capable of doing what was right in the eyes of God, so God provided them with the Law; not to teach them how to do right, but to show them ‘correct knowledge’, which was that they could NOT live up to His standards of holiness.
If you are ignorant of what God’s righteousness is, then you might go about to establish your own righteousness. Israel, because they had the Law, had become convinced that by the keeping of the Law, they could be found righteous in God’s eyes. However, their misunderstanding of the purpose was not much different than many people’s understanding of it now. They felt that a man was righteous when he did what he was told to and didn’t do what he was told not to do. There are people in the church now that would say “Amen” to that!
To submit yourself to the righteousness of God, you must come to the knowledge that among men, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). No righteous act that you can do can ever be viewed by God as anything more than a filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). His righteousness is found in the finished work of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Jesus was made to be sin so that you and I could be found righteous through that sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The moment that Christ fulfilled the Law of God through a perfect life and a sacrificial death, the Law was to never again be viewed as a vehicle by which man could achieve righteousness. Though he was never able to be righteous through the Law anyhow, at least after Calvary, we had something else to set our sights on, and the Law was to fade away.
Paul said that when Moses came down the mountain, carrying the Law of God, he covered his face with a veil, because the glory that came from the Law was the glory which “was to be done away” (2 Corinthians 3:7). In other words, Moses did not want Israel to see that the glory of the Law was ALREADY FADING! Unfortunately, Paul said that many people still have that veil over their heart when they read the Law, refusing to see that its glory has been replaced (2 Corinthians 3:15).
Remove the veil and bask in the glorious light of the Spirit, finding your righteousness in Christ and His finished work.
