The passage we are studying today has often been used to explain salvation to those we desire to experience God’s love through Jesus Christ. Some parts of this passage are quite clear, while other verses are more mysterious.
I’ll begin by focusing on the verses that are more difficult, and then move on to those that are clearer.
Once again, let’s thank God that meeting the Lord as our Savior doesn’t require us to pass a theological exam. All we need to do is place our faith in Him.
How to Understand Paul
In verses 5-9, Paul draws from two Old Testament passages to emphasize that faith, rather than adherence to the law, is what is required.
Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them” (Romans 10.5).
Paul quotes from Leviticus and makes this point: The righteous (according to Jewish thought) are not sinless, but rather those who conform to the covenant.
You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live: I am the Lord (Leviticus 18.5).
He counters the prevailing Jewish belief and states that righteousness comes from faith.
But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down)
‘Or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim). . . (Romans 10.6-9).
The modern reader may ask, What’s this all about? “Ascending into heaven or descending into the abyss”?
But the reader familiar with the Old Testament in Paul’s day would have recognized Moses’s words to the people as they’re about to enter the Promised Land.
Here is the full text of Moses’ words, so you can see where Paul is getting his thoughts.
“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.
It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’
Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’
No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess (Deuteronomy 30.12-16).
The central idea shared by both Moses and Paul is that God’s word is not distant or unreachable—it’s not in heaven where we can’t access it, nor is it in the abyss where it’s beyond our reach. Instead, God’s word is near and available to us.
Where the two differ is that Moses focuses on the importance of keeping the law, while Paul emphasizes righteousness through faith.
Righteousness through Faith
While most preachers like me skip over the difficult passage I’ve just written about, many of us use the following verses to help people discover God’s love through Jesus Christ.
Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation.
The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10.9b-13).
Isaiah 6 recounts the prophet’s encounter with God, which marked the beginning of his ministry. When Isaiah witnessed God’s glory, he confessed, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips.”
One of the seraphim took a coal from the altar and touched Isaiah’s lips, symbolizing the cleansing of his inner condition, which his unclean lips had represented.
Isaiah confessed his unclean state before God, and it was only through God’s mercy and grace that he was transformed from being unclean to being usable.
This serves as a powerful image when we consider what it means to confess Jesus with our mouths.
Additionally, Paul reminds us that no one can say “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12.3) without the Holy Spirit. This emphasizes that God accomplishes for us what we cannot do on our own.
Paul would have fully embraced Jesus’ teaching about the law. Like Jesus, Paul did not seek to dismiss or nullify the law but desired to uphold its true intent.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5.17).
This would be fulfilled through an internal transformation of the heart, similar to what happened with Paul, Isaiah, and as Jesus taught.
The inner transformation of the heart enables both Jews and Gentiles to come together as God’s servants and friends. Today, let us strive for that complete change of heart and embrace the gift of God’s Spirit and grace.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
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