Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Romans Chapter 10

Romans 10:2. That they have a zeal of God— See this zeal of theirs for God described, Acts 21:27-31; Acts 22:3.

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Romans 10:3. God's righteousness— That is, the method of salvation which is provided for mankind by the mercy and wisdom of God.

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Romans 10:4. Christ is the end of the law, &c.— Here the Jew's argument is supposed. St. Paul, who was well acquainted with the notions of the Jews, and had often disputed with them, knowing well what the Jew would allege, for the sake of brevity puts in his answer, without formally stating the Jew's argument; and yet from the Apostle we may probably collect what was the Jew's argument. He insisted that Christ was the end or design of the law in the following sense: that is to say, that the establishment of the Messiah's kingdom, and an interest in the privileges of it, depended upon, or was the result of their submission to or observance of, the law of Moses. Against this the Apostle argues, that by obedience to the law the Jews could never have procured the coming and kingdom of Christ, or redemption by him. In that way, (Romans 10:6-7.) they could never have brought down Christ from heaven, or have raised him from the dead; it is the grace and power of God alone must do that; which they have done; and in order to an interest in the privileges and blessings of his kingdom, have left nothing on our part to be done, but faith in the heart by the operation of the Spirit of God (which the Divine Spirit is willing to accomplish), and a practice and profession suitable to it. Compare Rom 10:9 and Galatians 3:23-25. This and the following verses may be paraphrased thus: "Thus far indeed the Jews think justly, that the end and design of the law is to introduce the kingdom and dispensation of Christ the Messiah: not, as they suppose, to procure the blessings of his kingdom by the observance of the law; but Christ is the end of the law, as the law leads and obliges us to fly to that justification, or way of life and salvation, which is open and free to all who believe; Romans 10:5. For the way ofgaining a title to life and salvation by the law, as Moses describes it, is perfect immaculate obedience; a way in which no people in the world, not the Jews themselves, can hope to procure the blessings of the kingdom of the Messiah. But the way of salvation, which is by faith in Christ, runs in a quite different strain; Romans 10:6-7. It forbids the supposition of procuring the grace of redemption by any works of righteousness which we can do: for, in order to our redemption, Christ was first to come down from heaven, and to be raised from the dead after he was crucified, otherwise he could be no Saviour to us. And what man, through the perfection of his obedience to the law, could acquire either power or interest enough to bring Christ down from the heavenly mansions to this earth; or to loose the bands of death, restore him again to life, and exalt him to God's right hand, to be the author and captain of our salvation? Such mighty effects are not to be accomplished by our works; and therefore the way of salvation by faith very rightly teaches us to disclaim such vain impracticable schemes. On the contrary, it instructs us, Rom 10:8 that the mercy and kindness of God our Saviour has cleared all difficulties on his part, and reduced the affair to the lowest and easiest conditions on ours, by leaving nothing for us to do, but what through the inspiration of the Spiritof God may be performed by our heart and mouth:—Imean, that faith which I preach among the Gentiles, and which is set forth, Romans 10:9." It may be proper to observe here, that the Apostle does not quote Moses, Deuteronomy 30:12-14, by way of proving the point, but only alludes to the manner of expression; as what might with no less, if not with greater propriety, be applied to the Gospel than the law. This appears from the explication he inserts, as, that is, to bring down Christ from heaven;—that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead;—that is, the word of faith which we preach. Which explication he adds, to shew that, though he uses the words of Moses, yet he does not suppose that Moses is discoursing upon the same subject with himself. See Locke, who gives a different exposition of these verses, which, for the satisfaction of the reader, shall be mentioned on Romans 10:9.

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Romans 10:8. The word is nigh thee— The original 'Ρημα, often signifies word, but sometimes affair, business; and so does דבר deber in the Hebrew,—the word used by Moses, Deuteronomy 30:14. In this place the meaning seems to be, the affair is nigh thee, (that is, is rendered easy and feasible,) even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the affair of faith, which we preach. See Matthew 18:16. Luke 1:37; Luke 2:15. 2Co 12:4; 2 Corinthians 13:1.

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Romans 10:9. That if thou shalt confess, &c.— St. Paul had told them, Romans 10:4. (says Mr. Locke) that the end of the law was to bring them to life by faith in Christ, that they might be justified, and so be saved. To convince them of this, he brings three verses out of the book of the law itself, declaring that the way to life was by hearkening to that word, which was ready in their mouth, and in their heart; and that therefore they had no reason to reject Jesus, the Christ, because he died, was removed into heaven, and remote from them. Their very law proposed life to them by something nigh them, which might lead them to their Deliverer; namely, by words and doctrines, which might always be at hand, in their mouths, and in their hearts, and so lead them to Christ; that is, to that faith in him which the Apostle preached. We may observe farther from this place, that the expectation of the Jews was, that the promised Messiah should be their deliverer; in which they were right: but that which they expected to be delivered from at his appearing, was the power and dominion of temporal, not spiritual enemies. When our Saviour came, the time predicted for his coming was completed, and the miracles which he did concurred to persuade that he was their Messiah; but his obscure birth and mean appearance did not correspond with those ideas which they had formed of his splendour. This, with his prediction of the destruction of their temple and state, set the rulers against him, and held the body of the Jews in suspense till his crucifixion, which made them wholly averse to him. They gave up all thoughts of being delivered by him; he was gone; they saw him no more;—and it was past a doubt with them, that a dead man could not be the Messiah or deliverer even of those who believed in him. It is against these prejudices that this and the preceding verses seem directed; wherein St. Paul teaches them, that there was no need to bring the Messiah from heaven or the grave, and introduce him personally among them; for the deliverance that he was to work for them, and the salvation he was to procure, was salvation from sin and its condemnation; and that was tobe had by believing and openly avowing him to be Messiah their king, and that he was raised from the dead; for by this they would be saved, without his personal presence among them.

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Romans 10:11. For the Scripture saith, &c.— In this and the two preceding verses, the Apostle intends to shew the nature and efficacy of the gospel faith and profession, in opposition to the mean opinion which the Jew might have of them, in comparison with the several branches of his dependence; and which, in his eye, appeared much more honourable and magnificent. It is not necessary to spend time in settling the precise difference between believing with the heart, and confessing or professing with the mouth. Thereby the whole of true religion, both in principle and practice, is denoted;—the root in the heart, and the fruit in the life: only, professing with the mouth may be particularly mentioned, because that gives a right to the present privileges of Christ's kingdom;—none but professed believers have right to a place and standing in the church of God. Nor need we be curious to inquire into the distinction between righteousness or justification, and salvation. The Apostle's design, it seems evidently, is to express all the blessings which God will bestow in this and the future world: that the one or the other of these comprehends the present blessings and privileges of the kingdom of God, none perhaps will question: and that the one or the other takesin the final and eternal salvation of the faithful saints of God will appear, if we consider that the 11th verse, Whosoever believeth, &c. certainly refers to final salvation, or the full accomplishment of Christian faith and hope. But this quotation in the 11th verse is intended to confirm at least one of the clauses in the foregoing verse, and therefore one of these clauses must refer to the final issue of faith in everlasting life to the persevering Christian. Faith is the grand principle of the Gospel; a professed faith intitles us to present privileges; and faith, as a principle in the heart, discerning, valuing, and improving the grace of God in the Redeemer, and enabling us to resist temptation, to be stedfast and unmoveable in adhering to truth and dutyis that which constitutes the Christian, the life of sobriety, righteousness, and godliness, and such as, if persevered in (the power and blessing of God supposed) will carry us safe to eternal life. And as we are to be saved, not by mere power considered abstractedly, but in a moral way, nothing less than this faith can be appointed, or be effectual to our salvation.

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Romans 10:13. Whosoever shall call, &c.— Believing in Christ, or God, Rom 10:11 and calling upon him, Rom 10:12-14 are in effect the same thing, as calling upon God necessarilysupposes faith in him; and he who duly believes in Christ, has such a sense of his dependence upon divine grace, that he looks unto and trusts in the power and goodness of his God alone for happiness; which is the true religion of the Gospel. Bishop Pearson argues at large from this verse, that if Christ be not here called Jehovah, the Apostle's argument is quite inconclusive. The reader cannot fail to observe and admire the fine climax in the next verse. See Benson, and Pearson on the Creed, p. 149.

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Romans 10:15. How shall they preach, except they be sent?— St. Paul is careful every where to preserve the esteem of his brethren the Jews. May not therefore this, with the two foregoing verses, be understood as an apology to them for professing himself an Apostle of the Gentiles, as he does by the tenor of this epistle, and in the next chapter expressly? Romans 10:13. In this chapter (Romans 10:12.) he had shewn, that both Jews and Greeks, or Gentiles, were to be saved by receiving the Gospel of Christ; and if so, it was necessary that somebody should be sent to teach it to them; and therefore the Jews had no reason to be offended with any one sent on that employment. Feet are variously used in Scripture, and sometimes have respect to things internal and spiritual: for as the life of man and the practice of piety are compared to walking, Psalms 1:1.; so his feet may signify the principles upon which he acts, and the disposition of his mind, as Ecclesiastes 5:1. Keep thy foot, when thou goest to the house of God. Agreeably to this, the feet of the messengers in Isaiah, and of the apostles in thisverse, may signify the validity of their mission, the authority upon which they acted, and any character or qualifications with which they were invested. Bos observes that, in Sophocles, the hands and feet of those who came upon a kind design are represented as beautiful to such as receive benefit by their arrival. See Locke, and Isaiah 52:7.

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Romans 10:16. But they have not all obeyed— This seems an objection of the Jews to what St. Paul had said, which he answers in this and the following verse. The objection and answer may stand thus: "You tell us, that you are sent from God to preach the Gospel. If it be so, how comes it that all who have heard, have not received and obeyed; especially if, as you would insinuate, the messengers of good tidings were so welcome to them?" To this he answers, out of Isaiah, That the messengers sent from God were not believed by all. And from those same words he draws an inference to confirm the argument he was upon, namely, "That salvation cometh by hearing and believing the word of God." He had laid it down, Rom 10:8 that it was by their having ρημα πιστεως, the word of faith, nigh them, or present with them, and not by the bodily presence of their Deliverer among them, that they were to be saved. This word he tells them, Rom 10:17 is by preaching brought to be actually present with them and the Gentiles; so that it was their own fault, if they believed it not to salvation. See Locke and Bos.

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Romans 10:18. Their sound went into all the earth— As the passages in the Gospels and Epistles relating to the extensive spreading of religion during the dispensation or reign of the Messiah, have a reference to the ancient prophesies, this may be the full and proper import of them;—that, asthe Gospel is a scheme of instruction commensurate to all the wants and circumstances of all, both Jews and Gentiles, it seems to have been the grand object of the grace and providence of God in this constitution, that a gradual conveyance of these salutary benefits should be vouchsafed in different ages and nations; so that, before the kingdom of the Messiah should terminate, effectual means should be used for the most extensive propagation of its light and truth: and that all knowledge of Christ is not confined within such narrow bounds as infidels imagine, will appear from the following observations: The Mohammedan, Turk, or Persian, acknowledges the miraculous birth of Christ; and the Jew, before he is permitted to embrace Mohammedanism, must profess his belief in Christ. The Mohammedan expects a second appearance of our Lord from heaven, and believes that all men will then unite in one religion. The opinion of other people in the Eastern world, who have long been considered as pagans only, may be known for certainty from their writings and religious ceremonies. Porphyry, a Grecian philosopher who wrote against Christianity, assures us, that the Indians believed that God created the world by his Son; and in their sacred book called VEDAM, whatever may be the practice of the Indians, nothing is to be found that encourages idolatry. We will now consider those opinions and practices of these people, which will shew that they are not entirely strangers to the history and doctrines of our Lord, though intermixed with pagan notions, and grossly corrupted. The Indians have applied to their god XACA, almost everycircumstance in the life of Jesus. "He was born of a virgin, washed with the dew of heaven; the whole world shines with unusual splendour at his birth; the earth trembles; chosen hymns are sung; the infant is adored, and gifts are offered to him. He is presented in the temple, and worshipped. They who are inspired, foretel many miracles to be performed by him; and the most ancient prophet, taking him in his arms, embraces him with tenderness, speaks of the wonders that he is to perform, the divine truths that he is to unfold, and particularly what was to happen to him in the desert. From his mother's womb he is endowed with the knowledge of all things, self-taught, astonishing the most learned. He is led into the wilderness, where he continues a long time praying and fasting.—Again he returns to the wilderness; the adversary of mankind is astonished at the greatness of his contemplation, and, surrounded by his infernal agents, assails him. XACA is victorious, and the evil-one with his followers leave him. After this, he chose disciples, gave them a new law, and provided the proper remedies against sin. Infinite and most marvellous were the works that he performed upon the minds of unbelievers, to convert them to his religion. His doctrine is preached to all nations, and, supported by miracles, is universally embraced.—The law being restored, he dies! the earth shakes with dreadful concussions! a thick darkness obscures the sky! After the death of Xaca, his disciples commit all the actionsof their master to writing."—If any difficulty arises in ascribing the actions of Christ to XACA, from the change of names only, we shall find that these eastern people are not absolutely strangers to the name of Christ and other persons recorded in the Gospel.—They speak of CHRIST, whom they expressly call Krisnu, as one whose conception was miraculous, born under the constellation of the Virgin in the Agiodia, or Judea, of whom it was foretold by Aggr, an angel,—"He shall save his nation Judah, of the race of shepherds." Sridoroh, or Herod, feigning a desire to see the infant, commands the slaughter of the innocents. This KRISNU of the Indians performed many miracles exactly the same with those recorded of Jesus. The transfiguration upon mount Tabor is related intheir histories, and John in particular is said to have been one of those who were present.—KRISNU, before his death, sups with his disciples, and they are washed: after this, near Gethsemane, a tumult arises; he is embraced by Judas, whom they call Giudistira, and he recommends the women to the care of ARGIUN, or John.—XACA (Sesac), BISNU, the Chinese FO, and KRIS, or KRISTNU, is Christ; who is crucified in every mind; the first man; the first offspring; only Son; lawgiver; deliverer; Saviour! The many crosses erected by the Indians of Nepal, seem originally to have been in commemoration of the crucifixion of ourLord. These Indians of Nepal erect crucifixes, with nails through the hands and feet; and the grand lama celebrates a sacrifice with bread, and what he is permitted to drink, (wine being forbidden,) of which he takes a small portion himself, and distributes the rest to the lamas who assist at that ceremony. Hence it is evident, that these nations, though Persians, Indians, Tartars, and Chinese, have some knowledge of Christ, his history, doctrines, and institutions; and there Christianity has been more universal than many imagine. It is said that the patriarch of Mousul had under him one of the most numerous sees of the world; for he had under his jurisdiction all the north of Asia, the ancient churches of China, Ceylon, Malabar, and other Christian nations among the Indians, exclusive of the churches of Persia, Zocotora, Chaldea, Syria, Arabia, and perhaps other provinces which are unknown. We have a more particular account by Cosmas Indicopleustes, an author who lived in the middle of the sixth century. "The Christians," says he, "having been at first severely persecuted by Greeks and Jews, conquered and converted those who persecuted them; thus the church is not overthrown but multiplied; so that the whole earth is filled with the doctrine of the Lord Christ, and yet it increases; and the Gospel is preached throughout the world, which in many places, when present, I have seen, and, having learned, I therefore declare the truth. In the island of Taphrobane [Ceylon] in the interior India, surrounded by the Indian sea, is a church of Christians. In like manner, in the country called Male [Malabar], and in Kalliana [Calecut], is a bishop, who is consecrated in Persia. Also in the island called Dioscorides [Zocotora] are clergy ordained in Persia, and sent from thence into this island. Also amongthe Bactrians, Hunns, Persians, and other Indians, Pers-Armenians, Medes, Elamites, throughout all the region of Persia are churches innumerable, and bishops, and many martyrs: likewise, in Ethiopia, in Axomi, and in all that country. Among the inhabitants of Arabia-Felix, now called the Homeritae, throughout all Arabia, Palestine, Phoenicia, and all Syria, and Antiochia, to Mesopotamia, among the Nobatae and Garamantae in Egypt, Lybia, Pentapolis, Africa, and Mauritania, as far as Gades to the south, are Christian churches wherein the Gospel of Christ is preached: again also, in Cilicia, Asia, Cappadocia, Lazica, Pontus, and the northern parts of Scythia, among the Hyrcani, Heruli, Bulgarians, Helladici,Illyrians,Dalmatians,Goths,Spaniards,Romans,Franks,andothernations, as far as Gades in the South-sea, all believing and preaching the Gospel of Christ. And thus we see the prophesies accomplished in the whole world!" Upon the whole, the amazing progress that Christianity made in the world, when first promulgated, is a very strong argument in its favour. It was not propagated, at its commencement, during its grand increase, and while in its glory, by the sword, nor by tumult; nor enforced by the arts of vain philosophy, or the enticing words of man's wisdom: it derived all its force and evidence from the power of God exerted in the performing of miracles; from the veracity of God in accomplishing the ancient prophesies; from the Spirit of God; from the voice of reason and truth, the blameless lives and heroic martyrdom of its professors, its own superior excellence, and the suitableness of it to the exigencies of mankind. When we consider the number and characters of the Apostles,—how few! how unqualified by education for the conversion of the world! when we know that some few fishermen, and others of the lower class, undertook and succeeded in the establishing of a new religion in the world; we cannot deny them to have had the gift of tongues, and the power of working miracles. It is credulity unworthy of the most superstitious to believe, that such men as the apostles were, withoutthose extraordinary powers which the Jews and Pagans, and more particularly such an artful impostor as Simon Magus, confessed them to have had,should be able, in a short time, to propagate Christianity throughout the world. What have other men of superior parts and education been able to perform without miracles or force? See Raverette, Sharpe's Discourse on Want of Universality, Matthew 24:14.Acts 2:5; Acts 2:5; Acts 13:47.

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