Romans Chapter 10 Vs. 6

 

The Message of Salvation to All

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Rom 10:6

But the righteousness... Law righteousness demanded perfect obedience; faith righteousness asks only confession of sins and surrender to God who, by the Holy Spirit, sets free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2), transforms the nature and life (2Cor. 5:17-18; 1Cor. 6:11), fulfills in man the righteousness of the law (Rom. 8:3), and makes man righteous in Christ (1Cor. 1:30; 2Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:1-25; 10:6-13).

Who shall ascend... Questions 63-65. Next, Rom. 10:14. Quoted from Deut. 30:12-14. Paul here simply shows that people do not have to search for Christ or the Word of the gospel, for it is near them and only needs to be acted upon. It is like the law in Deut. 30:12-14: they did not have to search for it; they already had it if they would recognize it. So people have the gospel that will save their souls if they will accept it.

Paul speaks of the righteousness based on faith as if it were a person and puts in its mouth a quotation from Deuteronomy. His point is that the righteousness of faith does not require some impossible odyssey through the universe to find Christ.

Deut. 9:4 “Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.”

When the people then finally do turn to God in faith, He will restore them to blessing, prosperity, and prominence among the nations (Deut. 30:1-10). The point of Moses’ exhortation (Deut. 30:11) is that the generation to whom he was speaking had the message (it was very near you and in your mouth, Deut. 30:14) and could respond by faith (in your heart, Deut. 30:14) and walk with God in obedience. Since the Israelites in Moses’ day had the message, they did not need to ask that it be brought down from heaven or that someone “cross the sea to get it” (Deut. 30:13). Instead, the word (Moses’ instructions) was “near” them (Deut. 30:14).