Romans 10

Notes

Ver. 1. Notwithstanding these awful hints concerning God's rejection of my Jewish brethren which I have suggested, my most earnest desire and prayer to him is, that, as far as can possibly consist with his glory, he would prevent the miseries which are justly impending over their heads, and give them faith in Christ, to their present and everlasting salvation. 2. For however they hate, reproach, and persecute me, I must think and testify that many of them have a real zeal for God and his laws; but, alas! wholly misguided, leading them off from Christ and the true method of righteousness and salvation. 3. For through their own chosen carnality and ignorance—having mean and unworthy thoughts of the righteousness of God's nature, manifested in the strict demands and awful penalties of his law, and of that perfect righteousness of obedience and suffering by which Christ satisfied his law and justice—they exert themselves to their utmost to make their own imperfect, ceremonial, and external performances stand as their righteousness for acceptance with God to eternal life—and thus, through their wilful ignorance and desperate pride, they refuse to receive or owe their salvation to the righteousness of Christ, freely offered to them in the gospel, as the alone ground of their justification before God. 4. For as the manifestation of Christ was the great end of God's giving to the Jews their laws, so he, by answering all the types of the ceremonial law, has abolished it; and by fulfilling all the demands of the moral law as a broken covenant of works, has brought in a perfect and everlasting righteousness as our Saviour, to be imparted to every one, Jew or Gentile, who, under a sense of his own sinfulness and misery, receives and rests on him alone for salvation, as he is offered in the gospel. 5-8. For if men will insist upon being justified by their own personal righteousness as a fulfilment of the law, it is plain, from Moses' own declaration, that nothing less than a perfect fulfilment of all its demands can in the least avail to their justification and eternal life; but in hinting at the doctrine of justification by faith, he darkly represents Christ, not as needing to be brought down from heaven, but as already come into our world and nature, to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself; not as needing to be raised from the dead, but as actually raised again for our justification, and in order to apply his finished redemption; and represents him and his righteousness as brought near to our very ears, mouth, and heart, in the gospel, when we hear, read, or receive it as preached by his authorized ministers, that he may be the infallible foundation and glorious object of our faith. 9. And we are assured that, if we with our heart believe in Christ as our only Saviour, who died for our offences, and rose again for our justification, and make a proper and open confession of him as such, we shall certainly be partakers of eternal salvation. 10. For not by a mere assent of our mind to the revealed truths of God, but also by a consent, approbation, and acceptance of our will and affections, we must believe in our crucified and risen Redeemer, in order to the obtaining a complete justifying righteousness in him; and with our mouth we must make a public, open, and resolute confession of him as such before the world; and must plead what he hath done and suffered, as the only ground of our hope towards God, if we would obtain a final and complete salvation. 11-13. And, as was foretold by the prophets Isaiah and Joel, Jews and Gentiles, who believe on and worship him, have now equal access to all the inexhaustible riches of his righteousness, grace, and salvation. 14, 15. It is therefore necessary that the gospel be preached by ministers authorized and sent by Christ, to Gentiles as well as Jews, that they, hearing these glad tidings of salvation, may cordially believe the same, and even highly esteem and regard the publishers of such important declarations and offers of justification, adoption, and eternal glory through him. 16. But, as Isaiah foretold, neither Jews nor Gentiles have generally hearkened to the gracious calls of the gospel, nor yielded up themselves to the authority of God therein by the obedience of faith. 17. Yet it is nevertheless certain that the hearing of it preached by persons divinely authorized is the ordinary mean of God's working faith in men's hearts by the almighty operation of his Spirit. 18-21. And it is plain, as was foretold by Moses and Isaiah, that the gospel, to the no small vexation of the envious Jews, has already been preached, far and wide, among the ignorant and idolatrous Gentiles; and through the saving operation of God's loving grace, hath been attended with no inconsiderable success.—And no less evident is it, as was foretold by Isaiah, that the Jews have obstinately and ungratefully rejected Christ and his gospel, notwithstanding the most endearing, persuasive, and miraculous means, and the long-continued pains taken for their conversion by him, his Spirit, and ministers.

Ver. 4. The end of the law is explained ver. 5, and ch. 7. 10, where the apostle says 'it was ordained to life.' Now as the law when broken became 'weak through the (sinful) flesh,' and so incapable of conferring life, God, by sending his Son, condemned sin in the flesh, and brought in everlasting righteousness; which righteousness becoming, through faith, the property of the believer, every such believer receives eternal life, which is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. C.

Ver. 12-14. By comparing this passage with Joel 2. 32, where it is said that 'whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD (Jehovah) shall be saved,' it will be impossible to doubt that the name Jehovah is transferred to Christ; and, consequently, for any who receive the Scripture as decisive evidence, it will be impossible to deny his Godhead. C.

Ver. 18. Ps. xix., from which this quotation is taken, speaks primarily of the natural sun and other heavenly bodies, with the constant succession of day and night, and seasons. But these being all so many emblems of 'the Sun of Righteousness' (Mal. 4. 2), his secondary lights (Mat. 5. 14-16), and the progressive advancement of the great gospel year (Lu. 4. 19), the passage is quoted, not by way of accommodation, as it is called, but as receiving a spiritual fulfilment as literal as that which is natural. C.

Reflections.—Faithful ministers very earnestly desire and pray for the salvation of their hearers. And it is a great grief and burden to their spirits that so many, through ignorance, pride, and attachment to self-righteousness, refuse Jesus and his righteousness and salvation so freely offered. But infinite is the mercy that he and all his fulness are so fit for us, and brought so near to us in the gospel; and that this gospel is now extended to Gentiles as well as Jews, and is so long continued even to the most criminal despisers thereof. The glad tidings of mercy and grace which it contains are suited to the diversified conditions of all the sinful men who hear it. And with full persuasion and close application ought we then to embrace it.—With boldness and fidelity ought ministers to preach it. And highly should they be esteemed, if faithful, for their work's sake. But it is criminal and dangerous to attempt preaching without a commission from Christ, or to continue rejecting him and his gospel till the time of God's patience hath expired.