Chapter X.
(Vers. 1, 2.)
(Vers. 1, 2.) Brothers, indeed the desire of my heart, and my prayer to God, is for their salvation; for I testify about them that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on 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); 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 with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
(Vers. 3.)
(Verse 3.) For indeed, ignorantly seeking to establish their own righteousness and not subjecting themselves to the righteousness of God. He says that they did not believe in Christ due to their ignorance, having a zeal for God but not knowing His will and plan, they acted against God whom they claimed to defend. Regarding them, he says that they did not reject Christ out of malice and envy, but out of error. To them, the apostle Peter also says: 'I know, brothers, that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders' (Acts 3:17); for they were ignorant that this is the Christ whom God had promised, and they claimed that another was to be expected. Preferring their own righteousness, which they had from the Law, to the righteousness of God in faith. For he himself is righteousness, since he fulfilled what God had promised in him.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. He says this because the one who believes in Christ has the perfection of the law. For since no one is justified by the law, because no one fulfills the law except those who hope in the promised Christ; faith is placed, which yields to the perfection of the law; so that with all things passed over, faith may satisfy the whole law and the prophets.
(Vers. 5.)
(Ver. 5.) For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law, that the person who does these things will live by them (Lev. XVIII, 5). This means that the righteousness of the Mosaic law did not make these guilty ones righteous temporarily, if it were observed, that is, they lived by doing the Law; for they were debtors. This statement is found in Numbers and in Leviticus.
(Vers. 6, 7.)
(Verses 6, 7.) But the righteousness that is from faith says like this: 'Do not say in your heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (Deut. XXX, 12)' This was said in Deuteronomy, which the Apostle interprets here concerning Christ, saying: 'This is to bring Christ down.' Or, Who shall descend into the deep? That is, 'To bring up Christ again from the dead.' This is the Apostle's own. Therefore, he says this righteousness is of faith, if one does not doubt the hope of God, which is in Christ; lest doubting, one might say: Who could ascend into heaven?' For this reason, he suffered so that, with the power of the Father, he could rise again after conquering death, and ascend to heaven with the souls he had saved from the underworld. Indeed, whoever saw the Savior in the underworld hoped for salvation from him and was freed, as testified by the Apostle Peter. For it is said that he even preached to the dead (1 Peter 4:6). Therefore, whoever does not doubt this in their heart is justified by faith. However, fear justifies by the law; for they fear the law, because they see it inflict punishment on sinners. Therefore, the greatness of the law is not based on justice or merit before God, but on the present: however, faith, because it is foolishness to unbelievers, has its reward before God, in whom what is not seen is hoped for.
(Vers. 8.)
(Version 8) But what does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (Deut. XXX, 14). This is written in Deuteronomy, because it is not far from our mind or mouth, what is said to us, so that we may believe; for even though it is not seen with the eyes, it does not differ from the nature of souls and the logic of speech, which we believe. For in nature itself, there are seeds implanted, which, when cultivated by hearing and will, bear witness to the Creator.
(Vers. 9, 10.)
(Verse 9, 10.) This is the word of faith that we preach. It does not say the works of the Law, but only faith to be given in the cause of Christ. For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with the heart that one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Whatever he has spoken above, he has here shown it to be the rule of faith, to believe that the Lord is Jesus, and not be ashamed to profess that God, raising Him from the dead, brought Him to heaven with a body, from where He had come to be incarnate; lest he incur the Evangelical sentence saying: Many, he says, of the rulers believed in Jesus, but openly did not confess Him because of the Jews. For they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. (John 12:42).
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11) For Scripture says through Isaiah: Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame (Isaiah 28:16). For when the examination of all things begins on the day of judgment, and all false theories or teachings are brought into confusion, then those who believed in Christ will triumph, seeing that what they believed is true: and the wise will be seen as foolish, as they were thought to be contemptible and foolish among others. There is true approval where there is reward and condemnation.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. In general, all will either be confounded because of their unbelief, or exalted because of their faith; for without Christ, there is no salvation with God, but rather punishment or death. For the Jews cannot be commended because of the prerogative of their fathers, since they did not receive the merit and promise of the fathers. And the Gentiles have no testimony by which they can be commended according to the flesh, unless they believe in Christ.
For the same Lord is Lord of all, rich toward all who call on him. It is evident that this applies to everyone, whether Jews or Greeks, because without calling on the Lord Jesus, no one can live with God. Therefore, since the Lord is Lord of all, as agreed by the Apostle Peter, who says: 'He is the Lord of all,' he is not rich, however, except in those who call on him, for they will receive recompense. But to the unfaithful, he is not rich, because they are not sharers in his good things, nor will they receive what they did not believe he would give. And yet he did not say that God is rich to those who believe, but to those who invoke him; so that even after one believes, the mind does not cease to ask for what it has been taught to ask for by God at all times, as is written in the Gospel according to Luke, because the adversary is subtle and cunning, one must always pray; to those who believe, only forgiveness of sins is given. It follows that one who is devoted to prayers is liberated from evil and can obtain what God has promised to those who are vigilant with their whole heart (Luke XVIII, 1 et seq.).
(Vers. 13.)
(Verse 13) For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This was said in Micah. For it is God himself, who appeared to Moses, saying: My name is the Lord (Exodus 6:3). This is the Son of God, who is also called Angel and God; not that he himself is the one from whom all things are, but that he is the one through whom all things are, so that it may pertain to him, because he is called God, because the Father and the Son are one: but Angel, because he is sent as the messenger of the promised salvation by the Father. And he is called the Son in order that he may not be believed to be the Father himself, but born of him. Therefore whoever shall invoke the name of the Lord shall be saved. In this sense, Moses also spoke: Whoever, he said, shall not listen to that prophet, shall be exterminated from the people (Deut. XVIII, 18, 19). If he himself is the Lord of all, he is invoked by his servants. And because this is true, he added:
(Vers. 14.)
(Verse 14.) How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? Certainly, the Jews themselves do not believe in Christ, whom the Lord has mentioned. This follows from what I said above, that one must believe first, in order to have the confidence to ask. Or how will they believe in him whom they have not heard? It is clear that they cannot believe in the one to whom obedience is denied. But how will they hear without a preacher? And this is not obscure; for the one who resists the preacher does not accept his author.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15) Or how will they preach unless they are sent? Nor does this question receive an objection; because they will not be true apostles, unless they are sent by Christ, nor will they be able to preach without an author; for they do not provide any testimony of signs of virtue.
As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace! This is what the prophet Nahum says (Nahum 1:15). The feet symbolize the coming of the apostles who go throughout the world and proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God; their coming illuminated people, showing them the way of peace to God, which John the Baptist had come to prepare. This is the peace towards which believers in Christ hasten. Finally, holy Simeon, because there is discord in the world, rejoices at the birth of the Savior: Now, he says, Lord, dismiss your servant in peace (Luke 2:29); for the kingdom of God is peace. For when all discord is removed, all will bow the knee to one God. Finally, Jerusalem, the heavenly city, is interpreted as the vision of peace, which is our mother.
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16.) But not all obey the Gospel. It is true, that although the world is enlightened by the splendor of the Lord's discipline, there are those who resist, who call light darkness. Their minds have become dull with error to the extent that they cannot accept the splendor of the true light. The Gospel accuses them, saying: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:5).
For Isaiah says: Lord, who has believed our report? (Isaiah 53:1) This means, who has believed what we have heard from you and spoken? He confirms by the prophetic example that the Jews are opponents of the Gospel truth. For the law reproves the Jews, because as it was in the past, so it is now. This number does not include those who do not receive faith.
(Vers. 17, 18.)
(Verse 17, 18.) Therefore, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. It is evident that unless something is spoken, it cannot be heard or believed. But I ask: Have they not heard? Yes, indeed they have heard, but they refused to believe. For even though faith comes from hearing, there are those who hear but do not believe. They hear, but they do not understand, because their hearts have been blinded by malice.
And indeed, their sound has gone out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. So much so, it testifies that the preaching of God has been heard by the Jews, that even the whole world declares the fulfillment through divine proclamation; for the very structure of the world proclaims the Creator. For what the Psalmist said about creation (Psalm 19:4), the Apostle says about the evangelists, because their preaching of the name of Christ has been heard everywhere and has reached every place. For even though the presence of the preaching man was lacking, his sound and fame reached, just as the opinion of his virtuous deeds had reached to all the peoples in Egypt, as testified by Rahab the prostitute. For if it reached every place, the Jewish apostolic preaching could not have gone unheard; so that none of them is excused from the crime of disbelief.
(Vers. 19.)
(Verse 19) But I say: Did Israel not know? That is, did they not know? For through the above-mentioned testimonies, the kind of unbelief among the Israelites is argued, as it seemed that he complained with sorrow about all the Israelites: Israel does not deny that they knew and obtained what was promised to them in the Law. But it is believed that those who are more of Israel in spirit than in flesh, whom God also foreknew, would believe. For everyone has heard, but not everyone has believed; therefore:
Moses says: in the song of Deuteronomy: I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, by a foolish nation I will anger you (Deut. XXXII, 21). These are the words of someone indignant, because the Jews have always been found to be lacking in trust: and he assigns one generation and cause to all the evils; while he rebukes those present, he especially touches on those to come, to whom this pertains. For the condemnation of all these things is one if they persist in their lack of trust. Therefore, envy was born in them when they saw a nation that had previously been without knowledge of God, being senseless, calling their own God, who had been of the Jews; and they obtained the promised gift, through which they were afflicted with jealousy, and their anger was extended, so that they would pay the rewards of their wickedness and unbelief. For nothing consumes a person as jealousy does, which God, as an avenger of unbelief, has set forth because it is a grave sin. For they are always tormented when they hear that the Law and the prophets pertain to us who believe in Christ.
(Vers. 20.)
(Verse 20) Isaiah dares and says: I have been made manifest to those who did not seek me; I have been found by those who did not ask for me. (Isaiah 65:1) For above, he has used the words of Moses concerning the exclusion of the Jews, and he has added the example of the prophet Isaiah; so that he might more clearly teach about God's pursuit, having expelled the Jews, willingly offering grace to the Gentiles to the reproach and death of the Jews. For Isaiah the prophet testifies to these things on behalf of Christ.
(Vers. 21.)
(Verse 21.) But concerning Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” (Ibid., 2) This Israel is carnal, that is, the sons of Abraham, but not according to faith; for the true and spiritual Israel is the one who, by believing, sees God. All day long, always signifies; for they are always disobedient. Therefore, they are rebuked for not believing, so that they may know that they themselves are the cause of their own destruction. This can also be understood about the savior, who on the cross with outstretched hands, condemned the sin of those who were killing him. For that reason, it proclaims the heinous crime of the Jews mentioned earlier, that Isaiah dared to speak about those who were enemies of God, showing that they would become friends: and also those who were called Israelites, because they were disobedient, were to be rejected as enemies.